Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Ohio

Bakeries and dessert shops in Defiance County, OH

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for bakeries and dessert shops in Defiance County, OH, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 29 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,651 of 1,889 scored counties
#78 of 82 scored counties in Ohio

Listings
18
3 chain locations (17%)
Official establishments
12
All snack bars and retail bakeries
Household spending a year
$56M
On food away from home · $3,656 a household
Spending per listing
$3.1M
25% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
11.7
19% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
38,292
+0.1% since 2020

See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in Defiance 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 Defiance County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Defiance County scores 29 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for bakeries and dessert shops, ranking #1,651 of 1,889 scored counties and #78 of 82 scored counties in Ohio. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

As of September 2026, map listings count 18 bakeries and dessert shops in Defiance County. Of those, 3 are chain locations, or 17%, against 35% across the U.S. That is 11.7 per 10,000 households, 19% above the U.S. rate of 9.8.

At $3,656 per household (10% below the U.S. average), households in Defiance County spend about $56M a year on food away from home. That is about $3.1M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 25% 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.

In 2023, official counts showed 12 businesses with payroll in Defiance County classed as snack bars and retail bakeries. That is one for every 1,277 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 Defiance County grew 0.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Defiance County compares

The same measures for Ohio 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.

Bakeries and dessert shops in Defiance County, OH compared with Ohio and the U.S.
MeasureDefiance CountyOhioU.S.
Listings per 10k households11.78.39.8
Spending per listing$3.1M$4.6M$4.1M
Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries)1,2771,7991,369
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+27.8%+24.6%
Population growth, 2020–2025+0.1%+0.9%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,656$3,829$4,070
Median household income$73,064$71,389$80,734
Groundwork market score2952

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
10 → 12All snack bars and retail bakeries
Employees, 2023
156
Annual payroll, 2023
$2.1M
One-person businesses, 2023
0All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
183 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
14The 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 Defiance 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 Defiance County

Population, 2025 estimate
38,292+0.1% since 2020
Households
15,327
Median age
40.9
Homes lived in by their owners
79%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
411 sq. mi.
People per square mile
93
Median household income
$73,064+21.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$88,073
Median home value
$163,200
Jobs located here
14,922
Daytime population
36,059Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Defiance 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 Defiance County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Bakeries and dessert shops across Ohio

Every Ohio market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Ohio for bakeries and dessert shops, numbered among those based in Ohio, with Defiance County marked.

Top counties in Ohio

Counties in Ohio ranked for bakeries and dessert shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Union County, OH86197.8$6.1M+16.5%#39 of 1,889
2Pickaway County, OH80135.9$6.5M+7.4%#88 of 1,889
3Clermont County, OH79607.1$5.9M+3.9%#102 of 1,889
4Warren County, OH78677.3$6.7M+5.7%#112 of 1,889
5Fairfield County, OH78447.3$5.9M+6.5%#116 of 1,889
6Madison County, OH78148.9$4.6M+7.1%#121 of 1,889
7Morrow County, OH76107.4$5.2M+3.7%#150 of 1,889
8Perry County, OH7464.5$8.1M+1.3%#177 of 1,889
9Clinton County, OH7384.8$7.7M+0.6%#198 of 1,889
10Brown County, OH7252.9$12.4M+1.6%#213 of 1,889
78Defiance County, OH291811.7$3.1M+0.1%#1,651 of 1,889

Other business types in Defiance County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many bakeries and dessert shops are in Defiance County, OH?

Defiance County has 18 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings as of September 2026. 3 of them (17%) 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 Defiance County, OH spend on food away from home?

About $56M a year, or $3,656 per household. That is 10% below the U.S. average (an index of 90, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 18 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $3.1M 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 15,327 households in Defiance County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Defiance County, OH compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?

Defiance County has 11.7 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 19% above the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $3.1M, 25% below the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the national ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, Defiance County would have about 14, against 18 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,277 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S.

How fast is Defiance County, OH growing?

Population estimates put Defiance County at 38,292 people in 2025, up 0.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 15,327 households. Median household income in Defiance County is $73,064, 10% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 21.9%, 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. Defiance County scores 29 for bakeries and dessert shops (lower middle), #1,651 of 1,889 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Defiance 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 Defiance County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Defiance 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 Defiance 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.