Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Pennsylvania

Bakeries and dessert shops in Mercer County, PA

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 29 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,654 of 1,889 scored counties
#57 of 62 scored counties in Pennsylvania

Listings
52
16 chain locations (31%)
Official establishments
21
All snack bars and retail bakeries · 0.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$156.7M
On food away from home · $3,368 a household
Spending per listing
$3M
27% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
11.2
14% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
107,860
−2.4% since 2020

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

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

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

What this means

Mercer County scores 29 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for bakeries and dessert shops, ranking #1,654 of 1,889 scored counties and #57 of 62 scored counties in Pennsylvania. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

Households in Mercer County spend about $156.7M a year on food away from home, or $3,368 per household, 17% below the U.S. average. Spread across 52 bakeries and dessert shops, that is $3M per shop, 27% below the U.S. figure of $4.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only bakeries and dessert shops.

There are 52 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings in Mercer County as of September 2026. 16 of them (31%) are chain locations, against 35% across the U.S. That comes to 11.2 for every 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 9.8.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Mercer County was 21 in 2023, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 2,215 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. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $150K has gone to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Mercer County. Population estimates show Mercer County declined 2.4% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Mercer 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.

Bakeries and dessert shops in Mercer County, PA compared with Pennsylvania and the U.S.
MeasureMercer CountyPennsylvaniaU.S.
Listings per 10k households11.210.49.8
Spending per listing$3M$3.8M$4.1M
Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries)2,2151,6101,369
Official establishment growth, 2019–20230.0%+13.1%+24.6%
Population growth, 2020–2025−2.4%+0.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,368$3,973$4,070
Median household income$59,976$77,971$80,734
Groundwork market score2938

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
21 → 21All snack bars and retail bakeries · 0.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
136
Annual payroll, 2023
$2.9M
One-person businesses, 2023
3All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
5216 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
38The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$150K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Mercer 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 Mercer County

Population, 2025 estimate
107,860−2.4% since 2020
Households
46,524
Median age
45.1
Homes lived in by their owners
72%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
673 sq. mi.
People per square mile
162
Median household income
$59,976+18.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$79,358
Median home value
$164,000
Jobs located here
42,473
Daytime population
106,817Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Bakeries 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 Mercer County marked.

Top counties in Pennsylvania

Counties in Pennsylvania ranked for bakeries and dessert shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Pike County, PA86114.5$8.8M+7.2%#35 of 1,889
2Perry County, PA70116.0$6.4M+2.1%#259 of 1,889
3Franklin County, PA70518.0$4.8M+3.0%#276 of 1,889
4Greene County, PA6385.6$6.3M−5.5%#440 of 1,889
5Chester County, PA6323611.5$4.5M+4.2%#456 of 1,889
6Lebanon County, PA62457.9$4.9M+2.2%#476 of 1,889
7York County, PA6218410.1$4M+3.6%#488 of 1,889
8Cumberland County, PA6111510.8$3.9M+6.5%#529 of 1,889
9Warren County, PA6074.3$7.6M−3.8%#530 of 1,889
10Adams County, PA60379.1$4.4M+3.6%#554 of 1,889
57Mercer County, PA295211.2$3M−2.4%#1,654 of 1,889

Other business types in Mercer County

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

Questions

How many bakeries and dessert shops are in Mercer County, PA?

As of September 2026, map listings count 52 bakeries and dessert shops in Mercer County. 16 of them (31%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 21 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in 2023, unchanged 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. Another 3 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in Mercer County, PA spend on food away from home?

About $156.7M a year, or $3,368 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 52 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $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 46,524 households in Mercer County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Mercer County has 11.2 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $3M, 27% below the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the U.S. ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, Mercer County would have about 38, against 52 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,215 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against +24.6% for the U.S.

How fast is Mercer County, PA growing?

Population estimates put Mercer County at 107,860 people in 2025, down 2.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 46,524 households. The median household income in Mercer County is $59,976 a year, 26% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 18.3% 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. Mercer County scores 29 for bakeries and dessert shops (lower middle), #1,654 of 1,889 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Mercer 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 Mercer 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.