Food and drink · County · South Carolina
Bakeries and dessert shops in Aiken County, SC
The bakeries and dessert shops in Aiken County, SC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 81 out of 100: High
Ranked #78 of 1,889 scored counties
#5 of 34 scored counties in South Carolina
- Listings
- 44
- 14 chain locations (32%)
- Official establishments
- 13
- All snack bars and retail bakeries
- Household spending a year
- $256.1M
- On food away from home · $3,663 a household
- Spending per listing
- $5.8M
- 40% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.3
- 36% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 181,515
- +7.3% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in Aiken 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 Aiken 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
For bakeries and dessert shops, Aiken County has a Groundwork market score of 81 (high): #78 of 1,889 scored counties and #5 of 34 scored counties in South Carolina. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for bakeries and dessert shops.
As of September 2026, map listings count 44 bakeries and dessert shops in Aiken County. Chain locations make up 32% of them, against 35% across the U.S. That comes to 6.3 for every 10,000 households, 36% below the U.S. rate of 9.8.
At $3,663 per household (10% below the U.S. average), households in Aiken County spend about $256.1M a year on food away from home. Spread across 44 bakeries and dessert shops, that is $5.8M per shop, 40% above 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.
Official counts show 13 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Aiken County in 2023. That is one for every 5,378 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. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $900K has gone to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Aiken County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Aiken County grew 7.3%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Aiken County compares
The same measures for South Carolina 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 | Aiken County | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.3 | 8.0 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $5.8M | $4.6M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 5,378 | 2,418 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +29.4% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +7.3% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,663 | $3,660 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $70,609 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 81 | 67 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 14 → 13All snack bars and retail bakeries
- Employees, 2023
- 243
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 5All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4414 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 62The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $900K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Aiken 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 Aiken County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 181,515+7.3% since 2020
- Households
- 69,916
- Median age
- 42.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 1,071 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 163
- Median household income
- $70,609+37.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $93,371
- Median home value
- $218,000
- Jobs located here
- 65,453
- Daytime population
- 171,299Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Aiken 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 Aiken 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 South Carolina
Every South Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in South Carolina for bakeries and dessert shops, numbered among those based in South Carolina, with Aiken County marked.
Top counties in South Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Berkeley County, SC | 87 | 55 | 5.9 | $6.7M | +18.7% | #32 of 1,889 |
| 2Kershaw County, SC | 85 | 9 | 3.3 | $10.6M | +11.6% | #44 of 1,889 |
| 3Oconee County, SC | 82 | 11 | 3.2 | $11M | +6.3% | #65 of 1,889 |
| 4Dorchester County, SC | 82 | 45 | 7.1 | $5.5M | +10.1% | #70 of 1,889 |
| 5Aiken County, SC | 81 | 44 | 6.3 | $5.8M | +7.3% | #78 of 1,889 |
| 6Lancaster County, SC | 80 | 32 | 8.0 | $4.9M | +18.3% | #94 of 1,889 |
| 7Anderson County, SC | 79 | 38 | 4.5 | $7.8M | +7.7% | #98 of 1,889 |
| 8Laurens County, SC | 78 | 5 | 1.9 | $17.1M | +6.2% | #103 of 1,889 |
| 9Lexington County, SC | 77 | 85 | 7.0 | $5.4M | +7.7% | #134 of 1,889 |
| 10Spartanburg County, SC | 74 | 82 | 6.2 | $5.6M | +15.6% | #188 of 1,889 |
Other business types in Aiken County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes66
- Sit-down restaurants61
- Fast food and sandwich shops52
- Pizza66
- Coffee shops and cafes85
- Bakeries and dessert shops81
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 Aiken County, SC?
Aiken County has 44 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings as of September 2026. 14 of them (32%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 13 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. Official counts list 5 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Aiken County, SC spend on food away from home?
About $256.1M a year, or $3,663 per household. That is 10% below the U.S. average (an index of 90, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 44 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $5.8M 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 69,916 households in Aiken County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Aiken County, SC compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
Aiken County has 6.3 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 36% below the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $5.8M, 40% above the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the national ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, Aiken County would have about 62, against 44 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 5,378 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S.
How fast is Aiken County, SC growing?
Population estimates put Aiken County at 181,515 people in 2025, up 7.3% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 69,916 households. Median household income in Aiken County is $70,609, 13% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 37.4%, 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. Aiken County scores 81 for bakeries and dessert shops (high), #78 of 1,889 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Aiken 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 Aiken County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Aiken 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 Aiken 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.