Food and drink · County · North Carolina
Bakeries and dessert shops in Ashe County, NC
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for bakeries and dessert shops in Ashe County, NC, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 65 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #388 of 1,889 scored counties
#21 of 78 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 7
- 1 chain location (14%)
- Official establishments
- 4
- All snack bars and retail bakeries
- Household spending a year
- $39.2M
- On food away from home · $3,215 a household
- Spending per listing
- $5.6M
- 35% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.7
- 42% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 27,514
- +3.5% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in Ashe 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 Ashe 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
Household spending on food away from home in Ashe County comes to about $39.2M a year: $3,215 per household, 21% below the U.S. average. That is about $5.6M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 35% above the U.S. figure of $4.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only bakeries and dessert shops.
There are 7 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings in Ashe County as of September 2026. One of them (14%) is a chain location, against 35% across the U.S. That is 5.7 per 10,000 households, 42% below the U.S. rate of 9.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 4 businesses with payroll in Ashe County classed as snack bars and retail bakeries. That is one for every 3,050 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S. That count covers all snack bars and retail bakeries (coffee shops and cafes included), not only bakeries and dessert shops.
Population estimates put the population change in Ashe County from 2020 to 2025 at +3.5%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for bakeries and dessert shops in Ashe County is 65 (upper middle), #388 of 1,889 scored counties and #21 of 78 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Ashe County compares
The same measures for North Carolina 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 | Ashe County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.7 | 8.7 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $5.6M | $4.3M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 3,050 | 1,703 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +42.6% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.5% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,215 | $3,776 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $56,866 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 65 | 56 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 5 → 4All snack bars and retail bakeries
- Employees, 2023
- 33
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $216K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 71 chain location
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 10The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Ashe 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 Ashe County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 27,514+3.5% since 2020
- Households
- 12,201
- Median age
- 49.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 79%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 426 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 63
- Median household income
- $56,866+38.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $73,848
- Median home value
- $243,100
- Jobs located here
- 7,137
- Daytime population
- 23,705Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Ashe 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 Ashe 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 North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in North Carolina for bakeries and dessert shops, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with Ashe County marked.
Top counties in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Chatham County, NC | 96 | 16 | 4.8 | $9.2M | +11.0% | #1 of 1,889 |
| 2Franklin County, NC | 90 | 10 | 3.5 | $10.4M | +18.8% | #13 of 1,889 |
| 3Lincoln County, NC | 87 | 21 | 5.7 | $7M | +13.2% | #31 of 1,889 |
| 4Davie County, NC | 86 | 10 | 5.8 | $6.6M | +6.9% | #38 of 1,889 |
| 5Harnett County, NC | 85 | 25 | 5.0 | $7.2M | +12.3% | #48 of 1,889 |
| 6Hoke County, NC | 83 | 8 | 4.2 | $8.4M | +9.0% | #59 of 1,889 |
| 7Person County, NC | 80 | 5 | 3.1 | $11.2M | +3.7% | #83 of 1,889 |
| 8Johnston County, NC | 79 | 56 | 6.5 | $6M | +17.9% | #101 of 1,889 |
| 9Davidson County, NC | 77 | 39 | 5.6 | $6.2M | +6.6% | #129 of 1,889 |
| 10Granville County, NC | 75 | 12 | 5.3 | $6.9M | +2.1% | #163 of 1,889 |
| 21Ashe County, NC | 65 | 7 | 5.7 | $5.6M | +3.5% | #388 of 1,889 |
Other business types in Ashe County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes48
- Sit-down restaurants40
- Fast food and sandwich shops62
- Pizza39
- Coffee shops and cafes56
- Bakeries and dessert shops65
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 Ashe County, NC?
As of September 2026, map listings count 7 bakeries and dessert shops in Ashe County. One of them (14%) is a chain location. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in 2023. The official count takes in all snack bars and retail bakeries, not only bakeries and dessert shops: coffee shops and cafes are counted too.
How much do households in Ashe County, NC spend on food away from home?
About $39.2M a year, or $3,215 per household. That is 21% below the U.S. average (an index of 79, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 7 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $5.6M per shop. That spending covers all food away from home, which bakeries and dessert shops share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 12,201 households in Ashe County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Ashe County, NC compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
Ashe County has 5.7 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 42% below the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $5.6M, 35% above the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the U.S. ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, Ashe County would have about 10, against 7 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,050 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S.
How fast is Ashe County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Ashe County at 27,514 people in 2025, up 3.5% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 12,201 households. The median household income in Ashe County is $56,866 a year, 30% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 38.8% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Ashe County scores 65 for bakeries and dessert shops (upper middle), #388 of 1,889 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Ashe 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 Ashe County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Ashe 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 Ashe 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.