Food and drink · County · North Carolina
Bakeries and dessert shops in Cleveland County, NC
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for bakeries and dessert shops in Cleveland County, NC, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 62 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #480 of 1,889 scored counties
#30 of 78 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 27
- 7 chain locations (26%)
- Official establishments
- 10
- All snack bars and retail bakeries
- Household spending a year
- $127.3M
- On food away from home · $3,278 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.7M
- 14% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.9
- 30% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 103,325
- +3.4% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in Cleveland 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 Cleveland 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
Households in Cleveland County spend about $127.3M a year on food away from home, or $3,278 per household, 19% below the U.S. average. That is about $4.7M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 14% 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 27 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings in Cleveland County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 26% of them, against 35% across the U.S. That is 6.9 per 10,000 households, 30% below the U.S. rate of 9.8.
Official counts show 10 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Cleveland County in 2023. That is one for every 3,885 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. Official counts list 9 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $50K has gone to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Cleveland County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Cleveland County grew 3.4%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for bakeries and dessert shops in Cleveland County is 62 (upper middle), #480 of 1,889 scored counties and #30 of 78 scored counties in North Carolina.
How Cleveland 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 | Cleveland County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.9 | 8.7 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $4.7M | $4.3M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 3,885 | 1,703 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +42.6% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.4% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,278 | $3,776 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $58,534 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 62 | 56 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 12 → 10All snack bars and retail bakeries
- Employees, 2023
- 90
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 9All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 277 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 31The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $50K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Cleveland 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 Cleveland County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 103,325+3.4% since 2020
- Households
- 38,850
- Median age
- 41.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 464 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 218
- Median household income
- $58,534+38.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $76,018
- Median home value
- $200,000
- Jobs located here
- 34,727
- Daytime population
- 92,263Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Cleveland 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 Cleveland 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 Cleveland 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 |
| 30Cleveland County, NC | 62 | 27 | 6.9 | $4.7M | +3.4% | #480 of 1,889 |
Other business types in Cleveland County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes52
- Sit-down restaurants49
- Fast food and sandwich shops39
- Pizza44
- Coffee shops and cafes64
- Bakeries and dessert shops62
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 Cleveland County, NC?
As of September 2026, map listings count 27 bakeries and dessert shops in Cleveland County. 7 of them (26%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 10 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. Official counts also show 9 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Cleveland County, NC spend on food away from home?
About $127.3M a year, or $3,278 per household. That is 19% below the U.S. average (an index of 81, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 27 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $4.7M 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 38,850 households in Cleveland County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Cleveland County, NC compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
Cleveland County has 6.9 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 30% below the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $4.7M, 14% above the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the U.S. ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, Cleveland County would have about 31, against 27 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,885 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S.
How fast is Cleveland County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Cleveland County at 103,325 people in 2025, up 3.4% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 38,850 households. The median household income in Cleveland County is $58,534 a year, 27% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 38.6% 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. Cleveland County scores 62 for bakeries and dessert shops (upper middle), #480 of 1,889 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Cleveland 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 Cleveland County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Cleveland 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 Cleveland 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.