Food and drink · County · North Carolina
Bakeries and dessert shops in Wilson County, NC
How Wilson County, NC compares with other counties and the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 62 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #467 of 1,889 scored counties
#27 of 78 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 20
- 8 chain locations (40%)
- Official establishments
- 8
- All snack bars and retail bakeries
- Household spending a year
- $106.6M
- On food away from home · $3,224 a household
- Spending per listing
- $5.3M
- 29% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.0
- 39% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 81,150
- +1.7% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in Wilson 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 Wilson 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 Wilson County spend about $106.6M a year on food away from home, or $3,224 per household, 21% below the U.S. average. Spread across 20 bakeries and dessert shops, that is $5.3M per shop, 29% above the U.S. figure of $4.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only bakeries and dessert shops.
Wilson County has 20 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings as of September 2026. 8 of them (40%) are chain locations, against 35% across the U.S. That comes to 6.0 for every 10,000 households, 39% below the U.S. rate of 9.8.
Official counts show 8 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Wilson County in 2023. That is one for every 4,134 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. Another 8 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Population estimates show Wilson County grew 1.7% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Wilson County scores 62 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for bakeries and dessert shops, ranking #467 of 1,889 scored counties and #27 of 78 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Wilson 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 | Wilson County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.0 | 8.7 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $5.3M | $4.3M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 4,134 | 1,703 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +42.6% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.7% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,224 | $3,776 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $56,423 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 62 | 56 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 6 → 8All snack bars and retail bakeries
- Employees, 2023
- 101
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 8All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 208 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 26The 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 Wilson 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 Wilson County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 81,150+1.7% since 2020
- Households
- 33,068
- Median age
- 40.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 60%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 368 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 216
- Median household income
- $56,423+28.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $76,415
- Median home value
- $186,000
- Jobs located here
- 36,414
- Daytime population
- 81,523Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Wilson 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 Wilson 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 Wilson 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 |
| 27Wilson County, NC | 62 | 20 | 6.0 | $5.3M | +1.7% | #467 of 1,889 |
Other business types in Wilson County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes44
- Sit-down restaurants42
- Fast food and sandwich shops30
- Pizza43
- Coffee shops and cafes59
- 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 Wilson County, NC?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 20 bakeries and dessert shops in Wilson County. 8 of them (40%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 8 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 list 8 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Wilson County, NC spend on food away from home?
About $106.6M a year, or $3,224 per household. That is 21% below the U.S. average (an index of 79, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 20 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $5.3M 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 33,068 households in Wilson County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Wilson County, NC compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
Wilson County has 6.0 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 39% below the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $5.3M, 29% above the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the U.S. ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, Wilson County would have about 26, against 20 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 4,134 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S.
How fast is Wilson County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Wilson County at 81,150 people in 2025, up 1.7% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 33,068 households. The median household income in Wilson County is $56,423 a year, 30% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 28.6% 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. Wilson County scores 62 for bakeries and dessert shops (upper middle), #467 of 1,889 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Wilson 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 Wilson County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Wilson 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 Wilson 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.