Food and drink · County · South Carolina
Bakeries and dessert shops in Richland County, SC
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for bakeries and dessert shops in Richland County, SC, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 60 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #556 of 1,889 scored counties
#18 of 34 scored counties in South Carolina
- Listings
- 137
- 60 chain locations (44%)
- Official establishments
- 71
- All snack bars and retail bakeries · +44.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $601.7M
- On food away from home · $3,582 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.4M
- 6% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.2
- 16% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 434,956
- +4.6% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in Richland 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 Richland 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 $3,582 per household (12% below the U.S. average), households in Richland County spend about $601.7M a year on food away from home. That works out to $4.4M per shop, 6% above the U.S. figure of $4.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only bakeries and dessert shops.
There are 137 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings in Richland County as of September 2026. Of those, 60 are chain locations, or 44%, against 35% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 8.2, 16% below the U.S. rate of 9.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Richland County was 71 in 2023, up 44.9% from 2019. That is one for every 2,366 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. Official counts also show 25 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $2M have gone to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Richland County.
Population estimates show Richland County grew 4.6% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For bakeries and dessert shops, Richland County has a Groundwork market score of 60 (upper middle): #556 of 1,889 scored counties and #18 of 34 scored counties in South Carolina.
How Richland 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 | Richland County | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.2 | 8.0 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $4.4M | $4.6M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 2,366 | 2,418 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +44.9% | +29.4% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.6% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,582 | $3,660 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $63,784 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 60 | 67 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 49 → 71All snack bars and retail bakeries · +44.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 993
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $15M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 25All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 13760 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 145The 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 Richland 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 Richland County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 434,956+4.6% since 2020
- Households
- 167,961
- Median age
- 36.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 60%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 757 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 557
- Median household income
- $63,784+16.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $90,966
- Median home value
- $242,800
- Jobs located here
- 234,516
- Daytime population
- 484,051Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Richland 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 Richland 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 Richland 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 |
| 18Richland County, SC | 60 | 137 | 8.2 | $4.4M | +4.6% | #556 of 1,889 |
Other business types in Richland County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes46
- Sit-down restaurants44
- Fast food and sandwich shops39
- Pizza61
- Coffee shops and cafes66
- Bakeries and dessert shops60
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 Richland County, SC?
As of September 2026, map listings count 137 bakeries and dessert shops in Richland County. 60 of them (44%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 71 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in 2023, up 44.9% 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 25 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Richland County, SC spend on food away from home?
About $601.7M a year, or $3,582 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 137 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $4.4M 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 167,961 households in Richland County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Richland County, SC compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
Richland County has 8.2 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $4.4M, 6% above the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the U.S. ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, Richland County would have about 145, against 137 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,366 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S. The official count rose 44.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.6% for the U.S.
How fast is Richland County, SC growing?
Population estimates put Richland County at 434,956 people in 2025, up 4.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 167,961 households. The median household income in Richland County is $63,784 a year, 21% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 16.5% 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. Richland County scores 60 for bakeries and dessert shops (upper middle), #556 of 1,889 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Richland 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 Richland County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Richland 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 Richland 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.