Food and drink · County · Vermont
Bakeries and dessert shops in Washington County, VT
The bakeries and dessert shops in Washington County, VT, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 31 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,603 of 1,889 scored counties
#7 of 12 scored counties in Vermont
- Listings
- 46
- 5 chain locations (11%)
- Official establishments
- 18
- All snack bars and retail bakeries
- Household spending a year
- $104.2M
- On food away from home · $4,030 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.3M
- 45% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 17.8
- 82% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 59,652
- −0.2% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in Washington 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 Washington 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 Washington County is 31 (lower middle), #1,603 of 1,889 scored counties and #7 of 12 scored counties in Vermont. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 46 bakeries and dessert shops in Washington County. Chain locations make up 11% of them, against 35% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 17.8, 82% above the U.S. rate of 9.8.
At $4,030 per household (in line with the U.S. average), households in Washington County spend about $104.2M a year on food away from home. Spread across 46 bakeries and dessert shops, that is $2.3M per shop, 45% 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.
Official counts show 18 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Washington County in 2023. That is one for every 1,436 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, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $565K have gone to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Washington County. Population estimates put the population change in Washington County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.2%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Washington 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 | Washington County | Vermont | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 17.8 | 14.8 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $2.3M | $2.7M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 1,436 | 1,334 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +13.3% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.2% | +0.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,030 | $4,013 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $83,449 | $81,203 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 31 | 26 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 19 → 18All snack bars and retail bakeries
- Employees, 2023
- 142
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 465 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 25The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $565K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Washington 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 Washington County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 59,652−0.2% since 2020
- Households
- 25,855
- Median age
- 44.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 687 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 87
- Median household income
- $83,449+32.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $108,553
- Median home value
- $315,000
- Jobs located here
- 30,099
- Daytime population
- 61,944Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Washington 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 Washington 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 Washington 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 Washington County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes45
- Sit-down restaurants49
- Fast food and sandwich shops68
- Pizza65
- Coffee shops and cafes39
- Bakeries and dessert shops31
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 Washington County, VT?
Washington County has 46 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings as of September 2026. 5 of them (11%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 18 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.
How much do households in Washington County, VT spend on food away from home?
About $104.2M a year, or $4,030 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 99, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 46 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $2.3M 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 25,855 households in Washington County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Washington County, VT compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
Washington County has 17.8 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 82% above the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $2.3M, 45% below the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the national ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, Washington County would have about 25, against 46 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,436 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S.
How fast is Washington County, VT growing?
Population estimates put Washington County at 59,652 people in 2025, down 0.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 25,855 households. Median household income in Washington County is $83,449, 3% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 32.9%, 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. Washington County scores 31 for bakeries and dessert shops (lower middle), #1,603 of 1,889 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Washington 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 Washington County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Washington 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 Washington 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.