Food and drink · County · North Carolina
Bakeries and dessert shops in Lee County, NC
The bakeries and dessert shops in Lee County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 60 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #550 of 1,889 scored counties
#34 of 78 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 19
- 7 chain locations (37%)
- Official establishments
- 12
- All snack bars and retail bakeries
- Household spending a year
- $85.9M
- On food away from home · $3,414 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.5M
- 9% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.6
- 22% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 70,258
- +10.8% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in Lee 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 Lee 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 19 bakeries and dessert shops in Lee County. 7 of them (37%) are chain locations, against 35% across the U.S. That comes to 7.6 for every 10,000 households, 22% below the U.S. rate of 9.8.
Households in Lee County spend about $85.9M a year on food away from home, or $3,414 per household, 16% below the U.S. average. Spread across 19 bakeries and dessert shops, that is $4.5M per shop, 9% 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 12 businesses with payroll in Lee County classed as snack bars and retail bakeries. That is one for every 2,095 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.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Lee County grew 10.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Lee County scores 60 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for bakeries and dessert shops, ranking #550 of 1,889 scored counties and #34 of 78 scored counties in North Carolina.
How Lee 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 | Lee County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.6 | 8.7 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $4.5M | $4.3M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 2,095 | 1,703 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +42.6% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +10.8% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,414 | $3,776 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $65,387 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 60 | 56 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 6 → 12All snack bars and retail bakeries
- Employees, 2023
- 104
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 197 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 21The 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 Lee 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 Lee County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 70,258+10.8% since 2020
- Households
- 25,145
- Median age
- 39.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 255 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 258
- Median household income
- $65,387+30.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $81,746
- Median home value
- $240,200
- Jobs located here
- 27,081
- Daytime population
- 64,849Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Lee 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 Lee 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 Lee 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 |
| 34Lee County, NC | 60 | 19 | 7.6 | $4.5M | +10.8% | #550 of 1,889 |
Other business types in Lee County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes48
- Sit-down restaurants47
- Fast food and sandwich shops39
- Pizza57
- Coffee shops and cafes66
- Bakeries and dessert shops60
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 Lee County, NC?
There are 19 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings in Lee County as of September 2026. 7 of them (37%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 12 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in 2023. That count covers all snack bars and retail bakeries (coffee shops and cafes included), not only bakeries and dessert shops.
How much do households in Lee County, NC spend on food away from home?
About $85.9M a year, or $3,414 per household. That is 16% below the U.S. average (an index of 84, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 19 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $4.5M 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 25,145 households in Lee County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Lee County, NC compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
Lee County has 7.6 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 22% below the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $4.5M, 9% above the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the national ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, Lee County would have about 21, against 19 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,095 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S.
How fast is Lee County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Lee County at 70,258 people in 2025, up 10.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 25,145 households. Median household income in Lee County is $65,387, 19% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 30.8%, 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. Lee County scores 60 for bakeries and dessert shops (upper middle), #550 of 1,889 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lee 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 Lee County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Lee 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 Lee 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.