Food and drink · County · Wisconsin
Bakeries and dessert shops in Dane County, WI
The bakeries and dessert shops in Dane County, WI, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 69 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #295 of 1,889 scored counties
#14 of 61 scored counties in Wisconsin
- Listings
- 191
- 58 chain locations (30%)
- Official establishments
- 173
- All snack bars and retail bakeries · +45.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.1B
- On food away from home · $4,376 a household
- Spending per listing
- $5.8M
- 39% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.6
- 22% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 590,375
- +4.9% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in Dane 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 Dane 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
Households in Dane County spend about $1.1B a year on food away from home, or $4,376 per household, 8% above the U.S. average. That works out to $5.8M per shop, 39% above the U.S. figure of $4.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only bakeries and dessert shops.
Dane County has 191 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 30% of them, against 35% across the U.S. That comes to 7.6 for every 10,000 households, 22% below the U.S. rate of 9.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Dane County was 173 in 2023, up 45.4% from 2019. That is one for every 1,454 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 22 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 9 SBA-backed loans worth $2.4M have gone to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Dane County.
Population estimates show Dane County grew 4.9% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Dane County scores 69 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for bakeries and dessert shops, ranking #295 of 1,889 scored counties and #14 of 61 scored counties in Wisconsin. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Dane County compares
The same measures for Wisconsin 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 | Dane County | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.6 | 7.6 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $5.8M | $5.2M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 1,454 | 1,735 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +45.4% | +35.1% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.9% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,376 | $3,959 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $89,975 | $77,485 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 69 | 64 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 119 → 173All snack bars and retail bakeries · +45.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,242
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $46.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 22All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 19158 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 266The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 9
- Amount
- $2.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Dane 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 Dane County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 590,375+4.9% since 2020
- Households
- 251,529
- Median age
- 38.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 57%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 1,197 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 479
- Median household income
- $89,975+21.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $119,712
- Median home value
- $394,800
- Jobs located here
- 369,475
- Daytime population
- 644,560Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Dane 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 Dane 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 Wisconsin
Every Wisconsin market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Wisconsin for bakeries and dessert shops, numbered among those based in Wisconsin, with Dane County marked.
Top counties in Wisconsin
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Washington County, WI | 83 | 26 | 4.6 | $9.6M | +1.8% | #57 of 1,889 |
| 2Pierce County, WI | 81 | 10 | 6.3 | $6.8M | +3.1% | #76 of 1,889 |
| 3Oconto County, WI | 81 | 10 | 5.9 | $6.4M | +2.9% | #77 of 1,889 |
| 4Clark County, WI | 77 | 5 | 3.9 | $9.3M | +1.2% | #124 of 1,889 |
| 5Calumet County, WI | 76 | 11 | 5.1 | $8.2M | +2.9% | #138 of 1,889 |
| 6St. Croix County, WI | 75 | 25 | 6.7 | $7M | +4.7% | #162 of 1,889 |
| 7Winnebago County, WI | 72 | 38 | 5.2 | $7.3M | +1.4% | #215 of 1,889 |
| 8Monroe County, WI | 70 | 5 | 2.7 | $13.4M | +0.6% | #251 of 1,889 |
| 9Jefferson County, WI | 70 | 19 | 5.4 | $7.3M | +0.3% | #255 of 1,889 |
| 10Fond du Lac County, WI | 70 | 23 | 5.3 | $7.2M | +0.5% | #257 of 1,889 |
| 14Dane County, WI | 69 | 191 | 7.6 | $5.8M | +4.9% | #295 of 1,889 |
Other business types in Dane County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes67
- Sit-down restaurants67
- Fast food and sandwich shops76
- Pizza77
- Coffee shops and cafes58
- Bakeries and dessert shops69
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 Dane County, WI?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 191 bakeries and dessert shops in Dane County. 58 of them (30%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 173 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in 2023, up 45.4% 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 22 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Dane County, WI spend on food away from home?
About $1.1B a year, or $4,376 per household. That is 8% above the U.S. average (an index of 108, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 191 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $5.8M 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 251,529 households in Dane County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Dane County, WI compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
Dane County has 7.6 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 22% below the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $5.8M, 39% above the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the U.S. ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, Dane County would have about 266, against 191 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,454 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S. The official count rose 45.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.6% for the U.S.
How fast is Dane County, WI growing?
Population estimates put Dane County at 590,375 people in 2025, up 4.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 251,529 households. The median household income in Dane County is $89,975 a year, 11% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 21.8% 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. Dane County scores 69 for bakeries and dessert shops (upper middle), #295 of 1,889 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Dane 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 Dane County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Dane 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 Dane 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.