Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Virginia

Bakeries and dessert shops in Roanoke County, VA

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for bakeries and dessert shops in Roanoke County, VA, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 75 out of 100: High

Ranked #160 of 1,889 scored counties
#20 of 79 scored counties in Virginia

Listings
22
8 chain locations (36%)
Official establishments
13
All snack bars and retail bakeries
Household spending a year
$158.6M
On food away from home · $3,991 a household
Spending per listing
$7.2M
74% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
5.5
44% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
97,150
+0.2% since 2020

See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in Roanoke 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 Roanoke County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Roanoke County scores 75 (high) on the Groundwork market score for bakeries and dessert shops, ranking #160 of 1,889 scored counties and #20 of 79 scored counties in Virginia. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for bakeries and dessert shops.

As of September 2026, map listings count 22 bakeries and dessert shops in Roanoke County. Of those, 8 are chain locations, or 36%, against 35% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 5.5, 44% below the U.S. rate of 9.8.

At $3,991 per household (2% below the U.S. average), households in Roanoke County spend about $158.6M a year on food away from home. Spread across 22 bakeries and dessert shops, that is $7.2M per shop, 74% 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 Roanoke County in 2023. That is one for every 3,056 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. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Roanoke County grew 0.2%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Roanoke County compares

The same measures for Virginia 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.

Bakeries and dessert shops in Roanoke County, VA compared with Virginia and the U.S.
MeasureRoanoke CountyVirginiaU.S.
Listings per 10k households5.58.59.8
Spending per listing$7.2M$5.2M$4.1M
Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries)3,0562,0201,369
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+21.9%+24.6%
Population growth, 2020–2025+0.2%+2.8%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,991$4,372$4,070
Median household income$83,709$93,170$80,734
Groundwork market score7580

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
9 → 13All snack bars and retail bakeries
Employees, 2023
142
Annual payroll, 2023
$3.1M
One-person businesses, 2023
0All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
228 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
38The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
0
Amount
$0

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Roanoke 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 Roanoke County

Population, 2025 estimate
97,150+0.2% since 2020
Households
39,725
Median age
44.1
Homes lived in by their owners
76%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
251 sq. mi.
People per square mile
387
Median household income
$83,709+21.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$108,750
Median home value
$286,000
Jobs located here
38,065
Daytime population
88,794Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Roanoke 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 Roanoke County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Bakeries and dessert shops across Virginia

Every Virginia market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Virginia for bakeries and dessert shops, numbered among those based in Virginia, with Roanoke County marked.

Top counties in Virginia

Counties in Virginia ranked for bakeries and dessert shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1New Kent County, VA9455.4$8.9M+21.2%#3 of 1,889
2Stafford County, VA94346.5$8.2M+8.3%#4 of 1,889
3Orange County, VA9196.1$7.1M+10.1%#12 of 1,889
4Isle of Wight County, VA9095.7$7.4M+6.7%#14 of 1,889
5Chesterfield County, VA90906.4$7M+8.7%#16 of 1,889
6Louisa County, VA8995.8$7M+13.6%#23 of 1,889
7Spotsylvania County, VA89377.1$6.7M+10.5%#24 of 1,889
8Suffolk city, VA88266.9$6.1M+10.4%#28 of 1,889
9Fluvanna County, VA8754.8$8.9M+6.2%#29 of 1,889
10Frederick County, VA86287.9$5.6M+8.8%#40 of 1,889
20Roanoke County, VA75225.5$7.2M+0.2%#160 of 1,889

Other business types in Roanoke County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many bakeries and dessert shops are in Roanoke County, VA?

Roanoke County has 22 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings as of September 2026. 8 of them (36%) 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.

How much do households in Roanoke County, VA spend on food away from home?

About $158.6M a year, or $3,991 per household. That is 2% below the U.S. average (an index of 98, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 22 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $7.2M 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 39,725 households in Roanoke County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Roanoke County, VA compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?

Roanoke County has 5.5 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 44% below the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $7.2M, 74% above the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the national ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, Roanoke County would have about 38, against 22 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,056 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S.

How fast is Roanoke County, VA growing?

Population estimates put Roanoke County at 97,150 people in 2025, up 0.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 39,725 households. Median household income in Roanoke County is $83,709, 4% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 21.4%, 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. Roanoke County scores 75 for bakeries and dessert shops (high), #160 of 1,889 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Roanoke 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 Roanoke County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Roanoke 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 Roanoke 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.