Food and drink · County · New Jersey
Bakeries and dessert shops in Ocean County, NJ
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for bakeries and dessert shops in Ocean County, NJ, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 42 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,229 of 1,889 scored counties
#15 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey
- Listings
- 343
- 127 chain locations (37%)
- Official establishments
- 222
- All snack bars and retail bakeries · +22.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1B
- On food away from home · $4,280 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3M
- 27% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 14.1
- 44% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 673,746
- +5.6% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in Ocean 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 Ocean 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 343 bakeries and dessert shops in Ocean County. 127 of them (37%) are chain locations, against 35% across the U.S. That is 14.1 per 10,000 households, 44% above the U.S. rate of 9.8.
At $4,280 per household (5% above the U.S. average), households in Ocean County spend about $1B a year on food away from home. That works out to $3M per shop, 27% below 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 Ocean County was 222 in 2023, up 22.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,098 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 25 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 12 SBA-backed loans worth $4.5M have gone to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Ocean County.
Population estimates show Ocean County grew 5.6% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Ocean County scores 42 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for bakeries and dessert shops, ranking #1,229 of 1,889 scored counties and #15 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey.
How Ocean 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 | Ocean County | New Jersey | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 14.1 | 13.3 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $3M | $3.5M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 1,098 | 1,058 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +22.0% | +15.2% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.6% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,280 | $4,680 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $89,863 | $103,556 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 42 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 182 → 222All snack bars and retail bakeries · +22.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,872
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $51M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 25All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 343127 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 252The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 12
- Amount
- $4.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Ocean 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 Ocean County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 673,746+5.6% since 2020
- Households
- 243,843
- Median age
- 41.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 81%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 628 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,042
- Median household income
- $89,863+26.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $118,774
- Median home value
- $398,400
- Jobs located here
- 183,196
- Daytime population
- 568,313Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Ocean 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 Ocean 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 Ocean 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 |
| 15Ocean County, NJ | 42 | 343 | 14.1 | $3M | +5.6% | #1,229 of 1,889 |
Other business types in Ocean County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes59
- Sit-down restaurants57
- Fast food and sandwich shops68
- Pizza57
- Coffee shops and cafes67
- Bakeries and dessert shops42
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 Ocean County, NJ?
Ocean County has 343 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings as of September 2026. 127 of them (37%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 222 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in 2023, up 22.0% 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 25 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Ocean County, NJ spend on food away from home?
About $1B a year, or $4,280 per household. That is 5% above the U.S. average (an index of 105, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 343 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $3M 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 243,843 households in Ocean County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Ocean County, NJ compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
Ocean County has 14.1 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 44% above the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $3M, 27% below the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the national ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, Ocean County would have about 252, against 343 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,098 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S. The official count rose 22.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.6% for the U.S.
How fast is Ocean County, NJ growing?
Population estimates put Ocean County at 673,746 people in 2025, up 5.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 243,843 households. Median household income in Ocean County is $89,863, 11% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.7%, 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. Ocean County scores 42 for bakeries and dessert shops (lower middle), #1,229 of 1,889 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Ocean 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 Ocean County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Ocean 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 Ocean 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.