Food and drink · County · North Carolina
Bakeries and dessert shops in Watauga County, NC
The bakeries and dessert shops in Watauga County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 15 out of 100: Low
Ranked #1,858 of 1,889 scored counties
#77 of 78 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 33
- 13 chain locations (39%)
- Official establishments
- 24
- All snack bars and retail bakeries
- Household spending a year
- $70.3M
- On food away from home · $3,317 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.1M
- 49% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 15.6
- 59% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 54,786
- +0.6% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in Watauga 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 Watauga 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
For bakeries and dessert shops, Watauga County has a Groundwork market score of 15 (low): #1,858 of 1,889 scored counties and #77 of 78 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 33 bakeries and dessert shops in Watauga County. Of those, 13 are chain locations, or 39%, against 35% across the U.S. That is 15.6 per 10,000 households, 59% above the U.S. rate of 9.8.
At $3,317 per household (18% below the U.S. average), households in Watauga County spend about $70.3M a year on food away from home. Spread across 33 bakeries and dessert shops, that is $2.1M per shop, 49% 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 24 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Watauga County in 2023. That is one for every 883 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 Watauga County grew 0.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Watauga 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 | Watauga County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 15.6 | 8.7 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $2.1M | $4.3M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 883 | 1,703 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +42.6% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.6% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,317 | $3,776 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $51,693 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 15 | 56 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 18 → 24All snack bars and retail bakeries
- Employees, 2023
- 351
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $6.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3313 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 17The 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 Watauga 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 Watauga County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 54,786+0.6% since 2020
- Households
- 21,198
- Median age
- 35.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 312 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 176
- Median household income
- $51,693+8.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $83,665
- Median home value
- $358,900
- Jobs located here
- 24,062
- Daytime population
- 59,737Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Watauga 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 Watauga 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 Watauga 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 |
| 77Watauga County, NC | 15 | 33 | 15.6 | $2.1M | +0.6% | #1,858 of 1,889 |
Other business types in Watauga County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes16
- Sit-down restaurants16
- Fast food and sandwich shops37
- Pizza49
- Coffee shops and cafes16
- Bakeries and dessert shops15
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 Watauga County, NC?
There are 33 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings in Watauga County as of September 2026. 13 of them (39%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 24 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 Watauga County, NC spend on food away from home?
About $70.3M a year, or $3,317 per household. That is 18% below the U.S. average (an index of 82, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 33 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $2.1M 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 21,198 households in Watauga County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Watauga County, NC compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
Watauga County has 15.6 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 59% above the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $2.1M, 49% below the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the national ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, Watauga County would have about 17, against 33 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 883 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S.
How fast is Watauga County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Watauga County at 54,786 people in 2025, up 0.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 21,198 households. Median household income in Watauga County is $51,693, 36% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 8.8%, 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. Watauga County scores 15 for bakeries and dessert shops (low), #1,858 of 1,889 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Watauga 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 Watauga County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Watauga 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 Watauga 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.