Food and drink · County · New Jersey
Bakeries and dessert shops in Middlesex County, NJ
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for bakeries and dessert shops in Middlesex County, NJ, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 53 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #827 of 1,889 scored counties
#6 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey
- Listings
- 355
- 201 chain locations (57%)
- Official establishments
- 245
- All snack bars and retail bakeries · +15.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.5B
- On food away from home · $4,828 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.2M
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.5
- 17% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 883,335
- +2.6% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in Middlesex County
The site report maps the bakeries and dessert shops on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of Middlesex County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
Map listings as of September 2026 show 355 bakeries and dessert shops in Middlesex County. Of those, 201 are chain locations, or 57%, against 35% across the U.S. That is 11.5 per 10,000 households, 17% above the U.S. rate of 9.8.
At $4,828 per household (19% above the U.S. average), households in Middlesex County spend about $1.5B a year on food away from home. That is about $4.2M of household spending for each shop on map listings, in line with the U.S. figure of $4.1M. That spending covers all food away from home, which bakeries and dessert shops share with other businesses in the trade.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Middlesex County was 245 in 2023, up 15.6% from 2019. That is one for every 1,256 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S. The official count takes in all snack bars and retail bakeries, not only bakeries and dessert shops: coffee shops and cafes are counted too. Another 35 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 8 SBA-backed loans worth $6.6M have gone to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Middlesex County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Middlesex County grew 2.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Middlesex County scores 53 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for bakeries and dessert shops, ranking #827 of 1,889 scored counties and #6 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey.
How Middlesex County compares
The same measures for New Jersey and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all food away from home by the bakeries and dessert shops counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.
| Measure | Middlesex County | New Jersey | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.5 | 13.3 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $4.2M | $3.5M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 1,256 | 1,058 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +15.6% | +15.2% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.6% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,828 | $4,680 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $111,549 | $103,556 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 53 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 212 → 245All snack bars and retail bakeries · +15.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,901
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $60.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 35All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 355201 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 359The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 8
- Amount
- $6.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Middlesex County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3. These official figures cover all snack bars and retail bakeries, not only bakeries and dessert shops.
Population and households in Middlesex County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 883,335+2.6% since 2020
- Households
- 307,782
- Median age
- 40.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 309 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 2,817
- Median household income
- $111,549+24.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $142,057
- Median home value
- $462,900
- Jobs located here
- 459,830
- Daytime population
- 901,798Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Middlesex County?
These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the bakeries and dessert shops on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Middlesex County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardBakeries and dessert shops across New Jersey
Every New Jersey market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in New Jersey for bakeries and dessert shops, numbered among those based in New Jersey, with Middlesex County marked.
Top counties in New Jersey
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Sussex County, NJ | 67 | 51 | 8.8 | $5.5M | +2.9% | #337 of 1,889 |
| 2Somerset County, NJ | 65 | 138 | 10.6 | $5.2M | +3.5% | #390 of 1,889 |
| 3Burlington County, NJ | 58 | 203 | 11.5 | $4.2M | +4.3% | #630 of 1,889 |
| 4Warren County, NJ | 55 | 54 | 11.9 | $3.7M | +3.2% | #756 of 1,889 |
| 5Morris County, NJ | 53 | 244 | 12.6 | $4.3M | +3.2% | #825 of 1,889 |
| 6Middlesex County, NJ | 53 | 355 | 11.5 | $4.2M | +2.6% | #827 of 1,889 |
| 7Salem County, NJ | 52 | 27 | 10.9 | $3.6M | +2.3% | #870 of 1,889 |
| 8Essex County, NJ | 51 | 352 | 11.0 | $3.9M | +4.2% | #906 of 1,889 |
| 9Hunterdon County, NJ | 50 | 69 | 13.6 | $4M | +2.3% | #936 of 1,889 |
| 10Hudson County, NJ | 49 | 315 | 10.5 | $4.3M | +1.8% | #963 of 1,889 |
Other business types in Middlesex County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes53
- Sit-down restaurants46
- Fast food and sandwich shops62
- Pizza57
- Coffee shops and cafes67
- Bakeries and dessert shops53
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many bakeries and dessert shops are in Middlesex County, NJ?
There are 355 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings in Middlesex County as of September 2026. 201 of them (57%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 245 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in 2023, up 15.6% from 2019. That count covers all snack bars and retail bakeries (coffee shops and cafes included), not only bakeries and dessert shops. Official counts list 35 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Middlesex County, NJ spend on food away from home?
About $1.5B a year, or $4,828 per household. That is 19% above the U.S. average (an index of 119, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 355 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $4.2M per shop. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only bakeries and dessert shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 307,782 households in Middlesex County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Middlesex County, NJ compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
Middlesex County has 11.5 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 17% above the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $4.2M, in line with the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the national ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, Middlesex County would have about 359, against 355 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,256 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S. The official count rose 15.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.6% for the U.S.
How fast is Middlesex County, NJ growing?
Population estimates put Middlesex County at 883,335 people in 2025, up 2.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 307,782 households. Median household income in Middlesex County is $111,549, 38% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.6%, before inflation.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Middlesex County scores 53 for bakeries and dessert shops (upper middle), #827 of 1,889 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Middlesex County. It maps the bakeries and dessert shops on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for bakeries and dessert shops · All 56 business types in Middlesex County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Middlesex County?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of Middlesex County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.