Food and drink · County · North Dakota
Bakeries and dessert shops in Ward County, ND
How Ward County, ND 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 49 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #946 of 1,889 scored counties
#7 of 9 scored counties in North Dakota
- Listings
- 20
- 8 chain locations (40%)
- Official establishments
- 24
- All snack bars and retail bakeries
- Household spending a year
- $113.9M
- On food away from home · $3,985 a household
- Spending per listing
- $5.7M
- 37% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.0
- 29% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 68,233
- −2.4% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in Ward 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 Ward 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
Household spending on food away from home in Ward County comes to about $113.9M a year: $3,985 per household, 2% below the U.S. average. That is about $5.7M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 37% 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 20 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings in Ward County as of September 2026. 8 of them (40%) are chain locations, against 35% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 7.0, 29% below the U.S. rate of 9.8.
Official counts show 24 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Ward County in 2023. That is one for every 1,190 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.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Ward County declined 2.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For bakeries and dessert shops, Ward County has a Groundwork market score of 49 (lower middle): #946 of 1,889 scored counties and #7 of 9 scored counties in North Dakota.
How Ward County compares
The same measures for North Dakota 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 | Ward County | North Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.0 | 6.5 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $5.7M | $6.1M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 1,190 | 1,283 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +47.4% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.4% | +2.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,985 | $3,940 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $78,238 | $76,657 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 49 | 62 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 14 → 24All snack bars and retail bakeries
- Employees, 2023
- 201
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 208 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 28The 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 Ward 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 Ward County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 68,233−2.4% since 2020
- Households
- 28,568
- Median age
- 35.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 2,013 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 34
- Median household income
- $78,238+13.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $102,307
- Median home value
- $267,100
- Jobs located here
- 30,323
- Daytime population
- 68,012Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Ward 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 Ward 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 Dakota
Every North Dakota market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in North Dakota for bakeries and dessert shops, numbered among those based in North Dakota, with Ward County marked.
Top counties in North Dakota
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Cass County, ND | 69 | 52 | 6.2 | $6.4M | +9.1% | #287 of 1,889 |
| 2Burleigh County, ND | 66 | 28 | 6.8 | $6.2M | +4.7% | #359 of 1,889 |
| 3Richland County, ND | 60 | 5 | 7.3 | $5.3M | +1.2% | #538 of 1,889 |
| 4Stutsman County, ND | 58 | 6 | 6.4 | $5.6M | −0.6% | #609 of 1,889 |
| 5Grand Forks County, ND | 56 | 20 | 6.4 | $5.8M | +1.9% | #685 of 1,889 |
| 6Williams County, ND | 55 | 11 | 7.3 | $5.9M | +1.4% | #723 of 1,889 |
| 7Ward County, ND | 49 | 20 | 7.0 | $5.7M | −2.4% | #946 of 1,889 |
| 8Stark County, ND | 34 | 15 | 11.1 | $3.6M | +0.5% | #1,506 of 1,889 |
| 9Barnes County, ND | 30 | 5 | 10.2 | $3.6M | −2.7% | #1,613 of 1,889 |
Other business types in Ward County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes46
- Sit-down restaurants58
- Fast food and sandwich shops38
- Pizza35
- Coffee shops and cafes39
- Bakeries and dessert shops49
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 Ward County, ND?
As of September 2026, map listings count 20 bakeries and dessert shops in Ward County. 8 of them (40%) 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. The official count takes in all snack bars and retail bakeries, not only bakeries and dessert shops: coffee shops and cafes are counted too.
How much do households in Ward County, ND spend on food away from home?
About $113.9M a year, or $3,985 per household. That is 2% below the U.S. average (an index of 98, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 20 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $5.7M 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 28,568 households in Ward County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Ward County, ND compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
Ward County has 7.0 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 29% below the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $5.7M, 37% above the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the U.S. ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, Ward County would have about 28, against 20 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,190 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S.
How fast is Ward County, ND growing?
Population estimates put Ward County at 68,233 people in 2025, down 2.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 28,568 households. The median household income in Ward County is $78,238 a year, 3% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 13.6% 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. Ward County scores 49 for bakeries and dessert shops (lower middle), #946 of 1,889 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Ward 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 Ward County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Ward 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 Ward 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.