Food and drink · Small-town market · North Carolina
Bakeries and dessert shops in the Washington, NC area
How the Washington, NC area compares with other small-town markets and the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 56 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #191 of 507 scored small-town markets
#13 of 22 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina
- Listings
- 14
- 2 chain locations (14%)
- Official establishments
- 6
- All snack bars and retail bakeries
- Household spending a year
- $64M
- On food away from home · $3,300 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.6M
- 10% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.2
- 27% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 44,670
- 0.0% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in the Washington area
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 the Washington area. 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 14 bakeries and dessert shops in the Washington area. 2 of them (14%) are chain locations, against 35% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 7.2, 27% below the U.S. rate of 9.8.
At $3,300 per household (19% below the U.S. average), households in the Washington area spend about $64M a year on food away from home. Spread across 14 bakeries and dessert shops, that is $4.6M per shop, 10% 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 6 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in the Washington area in 2023. That is one for every 3,231 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.
Population estimates put the population change in the Washington area from 2020 to 2025 at 0.0%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Washington area scores 56 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for bakeries and dessert shops, ranking #191 of 507 scored small-town markets and #13 of 22 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina.
How the Washington area 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 | Washington area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.2 | 8.7 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $4.6M | $4.3M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 3,231 | 1,703 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +42.6% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | 0.0% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,300 | $3,776 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $58,357 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 56 | 56 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 6All snack bars and retail bakeries
- Employees, 2023
- 46
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $677K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 142 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 15The 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 the Washington area, 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 the Washington area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 44,6700.0% since 2020
- Households
- 19,385
- Median age
- 46.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 833 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 53
- Median household income
- $58,357+29.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $78,141
- Median home value
- $192,700
- Jobs located here
- 16,163
- Daytime population
- 41,743Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Washington area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Washington area. 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 small-town markets in North Carolina for bakeries and dessert shops, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with the Washington area marked.
Top small-town markets in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Anderson Creek, NC | 90 | 25 | 5.0 | $7.2M | +12.3% | #2 of 507 |
| 2Shelby-Kings Mountain, NC | 66 | 27 | 6.9 | $4.7M | +3.4% | #85 of 507 |
| 3Wilson, NC | 65 | 20 | 6.0 | $5.3M | +1.7% | #98 of 507 |
| 4Elizabeth City, NC | 65 | 11 | 7.0 | $4.9M | +4.5% | #100 of 507 |
| 5North Wilkesboro, NC | 64 | 10 | 3.7 | $8.1M | +0.6% | #103 of 507 |
| 6Lumberton, NC | 62 | 26 | 6.0 | $4.7M | +3.4% | #121 of 507 |
| 7Sanford, NC | 62 | 19 | 7.6 | $4.5M | +10.8% | #122 of 507 |
| 8New Bern, NC | 62 | 42 | 8.0 | $4.3M | +3.6% | #123 of 507 |
| 9Roanoke Rapids, NC | 59 | 11 | 3.9 | $7.7M | −4.3% | #155 of 507 |
| 10Rockingham, NC | 58 | 6 | 3.5 | $8.2M | −1.6% | #166 of 507 |
| 13Washington, NC | 56 | 14 | 7.2 | $4.6M | 0.0% | #191 of 507 |
Other business types in the Washington area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes50
- Sit-down restaurants47
- Fast food and sandwich shops55
- Pizza49
- Coffee shops and cafes52
- Bakeries and dessert shops56
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 the Washington, NC area?
There are 14 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings in the Washington area as of September 2026. 2 of them (14%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 6 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 the Washington, NC area spend on food away from home?
About $64M a year, or $3,300 per household. That is 19% below the U.S. average (an index of 81, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 14 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $4.6M 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 19,385 households in the Washington area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Washington, NC area compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
The Washington area has 7.2 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 27% below the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $4.6M, 10% above the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the national ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, the Washington area would have about 15, against 14 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,231 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S.
How fast is the Washington, NC area growing?
Population estimates put the Washington area at 44,670 people in 2025, unchanged since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 19,385 households. Median household income in the Washington area is $58,357, 28% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.1%, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Washington area scores 56 for bakeries and dessert shops (upper middle), #191 of 507 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Washington area. 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 the Washington area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Washington area?
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 the Washington area. 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.