Food and drink · County · New York
Bakeries and dessert shops in Rensselaer County, NY
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for bakeries and dessert shops in Rensselaer County, NY, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 43 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,180 of 1,889 scored counties
#20 of 61 scored counties in New York
- Listings
- 69
- 24 chain locations (35%)
- Official establishments
- 51
- All snack bars and retail bakeries · +59.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $273.7M
- On food away from home · $4,105 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4M
- 4% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.3
- 5% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 160,510
- −0.2% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in Rensselaer 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 Rensselaer 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 69 bakeries and dessert shops in Rensselaer County. 24 of them (35%) are chain locations, against 35% across the U.S. That comes to 10.3 for every 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 9.8.
Households in Rensselaer County spend about $273.7M a year on food away from home, or $4,105 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That works out to $4M per shop, 4% 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.
Official counts show 51 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Rensselaer County in 2023, up 59.4% from 2019. That is one for every 1,308 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 9 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $435K have gone to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Rensselaer County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Rensselaer County declined 0.2%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For bakeries and dessert shops, Rensselaer County has a Groundwork market score of 43 (lower middle): #1,180 of 1,889 scored counties and #20 of 61 scored counties in New York.
How Rensselaer 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.
| Measure | Rensselaer County | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.3 | 11.7 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $4M | $3.6M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 1,308 | 955 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +59.4% | +16.5% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.2% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,105 | $4,270 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $87,915 | $85,974 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 43 | 26 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 32 → 51All snack bars and retail bakeries · +59.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 551
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $16.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 9All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6924 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 66The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $435K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Rensselaer 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 Rensselaer County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 160,510−0.2% since 2020
- Households
- 66,686
- Median age
- 41.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 65%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 653 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 246
- Median household income
- $87,915+27.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $107,086
- Median home value
- $258,400
- Jobs located here
- 52,657
- Daytime population
- 135,820Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Rensselaer 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 Rensselaer 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 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 Rensselaer County marked.
Top counties in New York
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Saratoga County, NY | 66 | 78 | 7.7 | $5.9M | +2.3% | #362 of 1,889 |
| 2Wayne County, NY | 66 | 24 | 6.2 | $5.9M | +0.1% | #364 of 1,889 |
| 3Schenectady County, NY | 65 | 47 | 7.0 | $5.7M | +3.0% | #387 of 1,889 |
| 4Putnam County, NY | 58 | 39 | 11.0 | $4.6M | +1.4% | #620 of 1,889 |
| 5Tioga County, NY | 56 | 15 | 7.4 | $5.1M | −1.9% | #691 of 1,889 |
| 6Wyoming County, NY | 55 | 13 | 7.9 | $4.5M | −1.3% | #745 of 1,889 |
| 7Rockland County, NY | 51 | 128 | 12.3 | $3.9M | +5.9% | #905 of 1,889 |
| 8Richmond County, NY | 50 | 171 | 10.0 | $4.5M | +1.3% | #926 of 1,889 |
| 9Albany County, NY | 50 | 126 | 9.4 | $4.4M | +2.2% | #927 of 1,889 |
| 10Lewis County, NY | 50 | 9 | 8.1 | $4.3M | −0.3% | #930 of 1,889 |
| 20Rensselaer County, NY | 43 | 69 | 10.3 | $4M | −0.2% | #1,180 of 1,889 |
Other business types in Rensselaer 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 shops67
- Pizza54
- Coffee shops and cafes59
- Bakeries and dessert shops43
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 Rensselaer County, NY?
There are 69 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings in Rensselaer County as of September 2026. 24 of them (35%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 51 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in 2023, up 59.4% from 2019. That count covers all snack bars and retail bakeries (coffee shops and cafes included), not only bakeries and dessert shops. Another 9 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Rensselaer County, NY spend on food away from home?
About $273.7M a year, or $4,105 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 101, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 69 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $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 66,686 households in Rensselaer County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Rensselaer County, NY compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
Rensselaer County has 10.3 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $4M, 4% below the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the national ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, Rensselaer County would have about 66, against 69 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,308 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S. The official count rose 59.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.6% for the U.S.
How fast is Rensselaer County, NY growing?
Population estimates put Rensselaer County at 160,510 people in 2025, down 0.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 66,686 households. Median household income in Rensselaer County is $87,915, 9% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 27.4%, 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. Rensselaer County scores 43 for bakeries and dessert shops (lower middle), #1,180 of 1,889 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Rensselaer 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 Rensselaer County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Rensselaer 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 Rensselaer 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.