Groundwork

Food and drink · County · New York

Bakeries and dessert shops in Albany County, NY

The bakeries and dessert shops in Albany County, NY, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 50 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #927 of 1,889 scored counties
#9 of 61 scored counties in New York

Listings
126
56 chain locations (44%)
Official establishments
118
All snack bars and retail bakeries · +1.7% since 2019
Household spending a year
$558M
On food away from home · $4,142 a household
Spending per listing
$4.4M
7% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
9.4
4% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
321,225
+2.2% since 2020

See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in Albany 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 Albany County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey 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 126 bakeries and dessert shops in Albany County. Of those, 56 are chain locations, or 44%, against 35% across the U.S. That comes to 9.4 for every 10,000 households, 4% below the U.S. rate of 9.8.

At $4,142 per household (2% above the U.S. average), households in Albany County spend about $558M a year on food away from home. That works out to $4.4M per shop, 7% above 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.

Official counts show 118 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Albany County in 2023, up 1.7% from 2019. That is one for every 1,142 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. Official counts also show 7 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $758K have gone to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Albany County.

Population estimates show Albany County grew 2.2% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Albany County scores 50 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for bakeries and dessert shops, ranking #927 of 1,889 scored counties and #9 of 61 scored counties in New York.

How Albany County compares

The same measures for New York 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.

Bakeries and dessert shops in Albany County, NY compared with New York and the U.S.
MeasureAlbany CountyNew YorkU.S.
Listings per 10k households9.411.79.8
Spending per listing$4.4M$3.6M$4.1M
Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries)1,1429551,369
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+1.7%+16.5%+24.6%
Population growth, 2020–2025+2.2%−0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$4,142$4,270$4,070
Median household income$85,333$85,974$80,734
Groundwork market score5026

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
116 → 118All snack bars and retail bakeries · +1.7% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,388
Annual payroll, 2023
$29.6M
One-person businesses, 2023
7All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
12656 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
135The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
3
Amount
$758K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Albany 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 Albany County

Population, 2025 estimate
321,225+2.2% since 2020
Households
134,703
Median age
40.3
Homes lived in by their owners
57%
Vehicles per household
1.5
Land area
523 sq. mi.
People per square mile
606
Median household income
$85,333+28.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$111,519
Median home value
$294,600
Jobs located here
249,261
Daytime population
417,371Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Albany 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 Albany County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Bakeries and dessert shops across New York

Every New York market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in New York for bakeries and dessert shops, numbered among those based in New York, with Albany County marked.

Top counties in New York

Counties in New York ranked for bakeries and dessert shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Saratoga County, NY66787.7$5.9M+2.3%#362 of 1,889
2Wayne County, NY66246.2$5.9M+0.1%#364 of 1,889
3Schenectady County, NY65477.0$5.7M+3.0%#387 of 1,889
4Putnam County, NY583911.0$4.6M+1.4%#620 of 1,889
5Tioga County, NY56157.4$5.1M−1.9%#691 of 1,889
6Wyoming County, NY55137.9$4.5M−1.3%#745 of 1,889
7Rockland County, NY5112812.3$3.9M+5.9%#905 of 1,889
8Richmond County, NY5017110.0$4.5M+1.3%#926 of 1,889
9Albany County, NY501269.4$4.4M+2.2%#927 of 1,889
10Lewis County, NY5098.1$4.3M−0.3%#930 of 1,889

Other business types in Albany County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Funeral services

Questions

How many bakeries and dessert shops are in Albany County, NY?

Albany County has 126 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings as of September 2026. 56 of them (44%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 118 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in 2023, up 1.7% from 2019. That count covers all snack bars and retail bakeries (coffee shops and cafes included), not only bakeries and dessert shops. Another 7 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in Albany County, NY spend on food away from home?

About $558M a year, or $4,142 per household. That is 2% above the U.S. average (an index of 102, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 126 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $4.4M 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 134,703 households in Albany County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Albany County, NY compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?

Albany County has 9.4 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 4% below the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $4.4M, 7% above the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the national ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, Albany County would have about 135, against 126 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,142 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.6% for the U.S.

How fast is Albany County, NY growing?

Population estimates put Albany County at 321,225 people in 2025, up 2.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 134,703 households. Median household income in Albany County is $85,333, 6% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.8%, 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. Albany County scores 50 for bakeries and dessert shops (upper middle), #927 of 1,889 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Albany 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 Albany County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Albany 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 Albany County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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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.