Food and drink · County · Rhode Island
Bakeries and dessert shops in Providence County, RI
The bakeries and dessert shops in Providence County, RI, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 36 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,443 of 1,889 scored counties
#2 of 5 scored counties in Rhode Island
- Listings
- 310
- 114 chain locations (37%)
- Official establishments
- 305
- All snack bars and retail bakeries · +15.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1B
- On food away from home · $3,942 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.3M
- 20% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.0
- 22% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 678,179
- +2.8% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in Providence 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 Providence 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
The Groundwork market score for bakeries and dessert shops in Providence County is 36 (lower middle), #1,443 of 1,889 scored counties and #2 of 5 scored counties in Rhode Island. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Households in Providence County spend about $1B a year on food away from home, or $3,942 per household, 3% below the U.S. average. Spread across 310 bakeries and dessert shops, that is $3.3M per shop, 20% 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 310 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings in Providence County as of September 2026. Of those, 114 are chain locations, or 37%, against 35% across the U.S. That is 12.0 per 10,000 households, 22% above the U.S. rate of 9.8.
Official counts show 305 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Providence County in 2023, up 15.1% from 2019. That is one for every 850 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, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $2M have gone to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Providence County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Providence County grew 2.8%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Providence County compares
The same measures for Rhode Island 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 | Providence County | Rhode Island | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 12.0 | 13.0 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $3.3M | $3.2M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 850 | 821 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +15.1% | +13.0% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.8% | +1.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,942 | $4,196 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $78,787 | $87,796 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 36 | 25 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 265 → 305All snack bars and retail bakeries · +15.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,860
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $84M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 28All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 310114 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 247The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Providence 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 Providence County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 678,179+2.8% since 2020
- Households
- 259,210
- Median age
- 39.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 57%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 410 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,624
- Median household income
- $78,787+33.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $103,369
- Median home value
- $373,600
- Jobs located here
- 293,972
- Daytime population
- 648,043Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Providence 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 Providence 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 Rhode Island
Every Rhode Island market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Rhode Island for bakeries and dessert shops, numbered among those based in Rhode Island, with Providence County marked.
Top counties in Rhode Island
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Kent County, RI | 39 | 92 | 12.6 | $3.4M | +1.8% | #1,329 of 1,889 |
| 2Providence County, RI | 36 | 310 | 12.0 | $3.3M | +2.8% | #1,443 of 1,889 |
| 3Bristol County, RI | 30 | 33 | 16.4 | $3M | −1.5% | #1,619 of 1,889 |
| 4Washington County, RI | 30 | 88 | 16.7 | $2.8M | 0.0% | #1,622 of 1,889 |
| 5Newport County, RI | 29 | 53 | 14.4 | $3.2M | −2.9% | #1,644 of 1,889 |
Other business types in Providence County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes39
- Sit-down restaurants39
- Fast food and sandwich shops63
- Pizza47
- Coffee shops and cafes41
- Bakeries and dessert shops36
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 Providence County, RI?
As of September 2026, map listings count 310 bakeries and dessert shops in Providence County. 114 of them (37%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 305 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in 2023, up 15.1% 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 28 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Providence County, RI spend on food away from home?
About $1B a year, or $3,942 per household. That is 3% below the U.S. average (an index of 97, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 310 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $3.3M 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 259,210 households in Providence County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Providence County, RI compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
Providence County has 12.0 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 22% above the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $3.3M, 20% below the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the U.S. ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, Providence County would have about 247, against 310 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 850 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S. The official count rose 15.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.6% for the U.S.
How fast is Providence County, RI growing?
Population estimates put Providence County at 678,179 people in 2025, up 2.8% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 259,210 households. The median household income in Providence County is $78,787 a year, 2% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 33.6% 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. Providence County scores 36 for bakeries and dessert shops (lower middle), #1,443 of 1,889 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Providence 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 Providence County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Providence 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 Providence 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.