Food and drink · County · Vermont
Bakeries and dessert shops in Chittenden County, VT
How Chittenden County, VT compares with other counties and the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 30 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,626 of 1,889 scored counties
#8 of 12 scored counties in Vermont
- Listings
- 125
- 26 chain locations (21%)
- Official establishments
- 70
- All snack bars and retail bakeries · +22.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $314.6M
- On food away from home · $4,403 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.5M
- 39% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 17.5
- 79% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 169,115
- +0.4% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in Chittenden 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 Chittenden 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 Chittenden County is 30 (lower middle), #1,626 of 1,889 scored counties and #8 of 12 scored counties in Vermont. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 125 bakeries and dessert shops in Chittenden County. 26 of them (21%) are chain locations, against 35% across the U.S. That is 17.5 per 10,000 households, 79% above the U.S. rate of 9.8.
Household spending on food away from home in Chittenden County comes to about $314.6M a year: $4,403 per household, 8% above the U.S. average. That is about $2.5M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 39% below 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 70 businesses with payroll in Chittenden County classed as snack bars and retail bakeries, up 22.8% from 2019. That is one for every 1,021 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, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $1.2M have gone to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Chittenden County. Population estimates show Chittenden County grew 0.4% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Chittenden County compares
The same measures for Vermont 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 | Chittenden County | Vermont | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 17.5 | 14.8 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $2.5M | $2.7M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 1,021 | 1,334 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +22.8% | +13.3% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.4% | +0.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,403 | $4,013 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $96,759 | $81,203 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 30 | 26 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 57 → 70All snack bars and retail bakeries · +22.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 880
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $22.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 11All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 12526 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 76The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $1.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Chittenden 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 Chittenden County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 169,115+0.4% since 2020
- Households
- 71,456
- Median age
- 39.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 537 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 316
- Median household income
- $96,759+31.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $123,699
- Median home value
- $439,200
- Jobs located here
- 103,357
- Daytime population
- 189,839Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Chittenden 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 Chittenden 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 Vermont
Every Vermont market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Vermont for bakeries and dessert shops, numbered among those based in Vermont, with Chittenden County marked.
Top counties in Vermont
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Orleans County, VT | 62 | 9 | 7.5 | $4.9M | +0.7% | #474 of 1,889 |
| 2Orange County, VT | 61 | 12 | 9.4 | $4.2M | +2.4% | #525 of 1,889 |
| 3Franklin County, VT | 48 | 19 | 9.5 | $4.1M | +2.3% | #1,001 of 1,889 |
| 4Windsor County, VT | 48 | 31 | 12.3 | $3.3M | −0.7% | #1,013 of 1,889 |
| 5Addison County, VT | 40 | 25 | 16.7 | $2.5M | +1.8% | #1,312 of 1,889 |
| 6Bennington County, VT | 33 | 27 | 18.0 | $2.1M | −1.8% | #1,553 of 1,889 |
| 7Washington County, VT | 31 | 46 | 17.8 | $2.3M | −0.2% | #1,603 of 1,889 |
| 8Chittenden County, VT | 30 | 125 | 17.5 | $2.5M | +0.4% | #1,626 of 1,889 |
| 9Windham County, VT | 27 | 25 | 12.6 | $3M | −1.4% | #1,690 of 1,889 |
| 10Caledonia County, VT | 27 | 20 | 15.3 | $2.4M | +0.8% | #1,699 of 1,889 |
Other business types in Chittenden County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes45
- Sit-down restaurants50
- Fast food and sandwich shops68
- Pizza66
- Coffee shops and cafes40
- Bakeries and dessert shops30
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 Chittenden County, VT?
There are 125 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings in Chittenden County as of September 2026. 26 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 70 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in 2023, up 22.8% from 2019. That count covers all snack bars and retail bakeries (coffee shops and cafes included), not only bakeries and dessert shops. Another 11 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Chittenden County, VT spend on food away from home?
About $314.6M a year, or $4,403 per household. That is 8% above the U.S. average (an index of 108, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 125 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $2.5M 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 71,456 households in Chittenden County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Chittenden County, VT compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
Chittenden County has 17.5 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 79% above the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $2.5M, 39% below the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the national ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, Chittenden County would have about 76, against 125 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,021 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S. The official count rose 22.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.6% for the U.S.
How fast is Chittenden County, VT growing?
Population estimates put Chittenden County at 169,115 people in 2025, up 0.4% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 71,456 households. Median household income in Chittenden County is $96,759, 20% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 31.4%, 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. Chittenden County scores 30 for bakeries and dessert shops (lower middle), #1,626 of 1,889 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Chittenden 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 Chittenden County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Chittenden 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 Chittenden 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.