Food and drink · County · Washington
Bakeries and dessert shops in Whatcom County, WA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for bakeries and dessert shops in Whatcom County, WA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 59 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #573 of 1,889 scored counties
#12 of 30 scored counties in Washington
- Listings
- 67
- 18 chain locations (27%)
- Official establishments
- 106
- All snack bars and retail bakeries · +6.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $378.3M
- On food away from home · $4,024 a household
- Spending per listing
- $5.6M
- 36% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.1
- 28% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 236,392
- +3.9% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in Whatcom 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 Whatcom 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 67 bakeries and dessert shops in Whatcom County. 18 of them (27%) are chain locations, against 35% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 7.1, 28% below the U.S. rate of 9.8.
At $4,024 per household (in line with the U.S. average), households in Whatcom County spend about $378.3M a year on food away from home. That is about $5.6M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 36% 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 106 businesses with payroll in Whatcom County classed as snack bars and retail bakeries, up 6.0% from 2019. That is one for every 887 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. Another 8 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $909K have gone to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Whatcom County.
Population estimates put the population change in Whatcom County from 2020 to 2025 at +3.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Whatcom County scores 59 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for bakeries and dessert shops, ranking #573 of 1,889 scored counties and #12 of 30 scored counties in Washington.
How Whatcom County compares
The same measures for Washington 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 | Whatcom County | Washington | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.1 | 7.3 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $5.6M | $6.1M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 887 | 902 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +6.0% | +14.9% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.9% | +3.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,024 | $4,501 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $81,784 | $98,141 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 59 | 67 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 100 → 106All snack bars and retail bakeries · +6.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,214
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $27.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 8All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6718 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 91The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $909K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Whatcom 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 Whatcom County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 236,392+3.9% since 2020
- Households
- 94,021
- Median age
- 39.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 2,108 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 109
- Median household income
- $81,784+29.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $109,611
- Median home value
- $585,800
- Jobs located here
- 90,570
- Daytime population
- 221,278Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Whatcom 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 Whatcom 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 Washington
Every Washington market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Washington for bakeries and dessert shops, numbered among those based in Washington, with Whatcom County marked.
Top counties in Washington
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Clark County, WA | 72 | 105 | 5.4 | $8.2M | +5.3% | #214 of 1,889 |
| 2Douglas County, WA | 72 | 10 | 6.3 | $6.5M | +8.0% | #216 of 1,889 |
| 3Mason County, WA | 71 | 12 | 4.6 | $8.7M | +7.8% | #230 of 1,889 |
| 4Snohomish County, WA | 69 | 192 | 6.1 | $7.9M | +4.9% | #278 of 1,889 |
| 5Pierce County, WA | 67 | 179 | 5.1 | $8.7M | +2.5% | #322 of 1,889 |
| 6Lewis County, WA | 64 | 15 | 4.6 | $8.2M | +6.7% | #408 of 1,889 |
| 7Thurston County, WA | 64 | 72 | 6.1 | $7.1M | +2.8% | #412 of 1,889 |
| 8Jefferson County, WA | 64 | 9 | 5.5 | $7M | +2.7% | #413 of 1,889 |
| 9Cowlitz County, WA | 61 | 23 | 5.2 | $7.2M | +3.5% | #490 of 1,889 |
| 10Kitsap County, WA | 61 | 82 | 7.6 | $6M | +2.7% | #496 of 1,889 |
| 12Whatcom County, WA | 59 | 67 | 7.1 | $5.6M | +3.9% | #573 of 1,889 |
Other business types in Whatcom County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes53
- Sit-down restaurants55
- Fast food and sandwich shops79
- Pizza79
- Coffee shops and cafes36
- Bakeries and dessert shops59
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 Whatcom County, WA?
There are 67 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings in Whatcom County as of September 2026. 18 of them (27%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 106 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in 2023, up 6.0% from 2019. That count covers all snack bars and retail bakeries (coffee shops and cafes included), not only bakeries and dessert shops. Official counts list 8 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Whatcom County, WA spend on food away from home?
About $378.3M a year, or $4,024 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 67 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $5.6M 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 94,021 households in Whatcom County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Whatcom County, WA compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
Whatcom County has 7.1 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 28% below the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $5.6M, 36% above the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the national ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, Whatcom County would have about 91, against 67 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 887 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S. The official count rose 6.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.6% for the U.S.
How fast is Whatcom County, WA growing?
Population estimates put Whatcom County at 236,392 people in 2025, up 3.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 94,021 households. Median household income in Whatcom County is $81,784, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.9%, 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. Whatcom County scores 59 for bakeries and dessert shops (upper middle), #573 of 1,889 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Whatcom 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 Whatcom County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Whatcom 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 Whatcom 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.