Food and drink · County · Pennsylvania
Bakeries and dessert shops in Chester County, PA
The bakeries and dessert shops in Chester County, PA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 63 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #456 of 1,889 scored counties
#5 of 62 scored counties in Pennsylvania
- Listings
- 236
- 106 chain locations (45%)
- Official establishments
- 135
- All snack bars and retail bakeries · +17.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.1B
- On food away from home · $5,197 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.5M
- 9% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.5
- 17% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 557,116
- +4.2% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in Chester 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 Chester 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
At $5,197 per household (28% above the U.S. average), households in Chester County spend about $1.1B a year on food away from home. That is about $4.5M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 9% above the U.S. figure of $4.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only bakeries and dessert shops.
Chester County has 236 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings as of September 2026. 106 of them (45%) are chain locations, against 35% across the U.S. That comes to 11.5 for every 10,000 households, 17% above the U.S. rate of 9.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Chester County was 135 in 2023, up 17.4% from 2019. That is one for every 1,517 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 12 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 8 SBA-backed loans worth $2.3M have gone to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Chester County.
Population estimates put the population change in Chester County from 2020 to 2025 at +4.2%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For bakeries and dessert shops, Chester County has a Groundwork market score of 63 (upper middle): #456 of 1,889 scored counties and #5 of 62 scored counties in Pennsylvania. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Chester County compares
The same measures for Pennsylvania 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 | Chester County | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.5 | 10.4 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $4.5M | $3.8M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 1,517 | 1,610 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +17.4% | +13.1% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.2% | +0.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $5,197 | $3,973 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $127,208 | $77,971 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 63 | 38 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 115 → 135All snack bars and retail bakeries · +17.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,630
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $29.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 12All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 236106 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 257The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 8
- Amount
- $2.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Chester 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 Chester County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 557,116+4.2% since 2020
- Households
- 204,774
- Median age
- 41.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 751 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 730
- Median household income
- $127,208+26.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $168,836
- Median home value
- $485,600
- Jobs located here
- 267,811
- Daytime population
- 548,659Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Chester 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 Chester 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 Pennsylvania
Every Pennsylvania market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Pennsylvania for bakeries and dessert shops, numbered among those based in Pennsylvania, with Chester County marked.
Top counties in Pennsylvania
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Pike County, PA | 86 | 11 | 4.5 | $8.8M | +7.2% | #35 of 1,889 |
| 2Perry County, PA | 70 | 11 | 6.0 | $6.4M | +2.1% | #259 of 1,889 |
| 3Franklin County, PA | 70 | 51 | 8.0 | $4.8M | +3.0% | #276 of 1,889 |
| 4Greene County, PA | 63 | 8 | 5.6 | $6.3M | −5.5% | #440 of 1,889 |
| 5Chester County, PA | 63 | 236 | 11.5 | $4.5M | +4.2% | #456 of 1,889 |
| 6Lebanon County, PA | 62 | 45 | 7.9 | $4.9M | +2.2% | #476 of 1,889 |
| 7York County, PA | 62 | 184 | 10.1 | $4M | +3.6% | #488 of 1,889 |
| 8Cumberland County, PA | 61 | 115 | 10.8 | $3.9M | +6.5% | #529 of 1,889 |
| 9Warren County, PA | 60 | 7 | 4.3 | $7.6M | −3.8% | #530 of 1,889 |
| 10Adams County, PA | 60 | 37 | 9.1 | $4.4M | +3.6% | #554 of 1,889 |
Other business types in Chester County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes77
- Sit-down restaurants74
- Fast food and sandwich shops85
- Pizza74
- Coffee shops and cafes74
- Bakeries and dessert shops63
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 Chester County, PA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 236 bakeries and dessert shops in Chester County. 106 of them (45%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 135 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in 2023, up 17.4% from 2019. 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 12 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Chester County, PA spend on food away from home?
About $1.1B a year, or $5,197 per household. That is 28% above the U.S. average (an index of 128, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 236 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $4.5M 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 204,774 households in Chester County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Chester County, PA compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
Chester County has 11.5 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 17% above the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $4.5M, 9% above the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the U.S. ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, Chester County would have about 257, against 236 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,517 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S. The official count rose 17.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.6% for the U.S.
How fast is Chester County, PA growing?
Population estimates put Chester County at 557,116 people in 2025, up 4.2% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 204,774 households. The median household income in Chester County is $127,208 a year, 58% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.9% 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. Chester County scores 63 for bakeries and dessert shops (upper middle), #456 of 1,889 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Chester 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 Chester County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Chester 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 Chester 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.