Food and drink · County · Wisconsin
Bakeries and dessert shops in Milwaukee County, WI
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for bakeries and dessert shops in Milwaukee County, WI, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 49 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #950 of 1,889 scored counties
#41 of 61 scored counties in Wisconsin
- Listings
- 296
- 90 chain locations (30%)
- Official establishments
- 209
- All snack bars and retail bakeries · +9.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.4B
- On food away from home · $3,633 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.8M
- 16% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.5
- 23% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 924,216
- −1.5% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee 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 296 bakeries and dessert shops in Milwaukee County. Chain locations make up 30% of them, against 35% across the U.S. That is 7.5 per 10,000 households, 23% below the U.S. rate of 9.8.
Household spending on food away from home in Milwaukee County comes to about $1.4B a year: $3,633 per household, 11% below the U.S. average. That is about $4.8M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 16% 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 209 businesses with payroll in Milwaukee County classed as snack bars and retail bakeries, up 9.4% from 2019. That is one for every 1,878 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 35 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 9 SBA-backed loans worth $5.9M have gone to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Milwaukee County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Milwaukee County declined 1.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For bakeries and dessert shops, Milwaukee County has a Groundwork market score of 49 (lower middle): #950 of 1,889 scored counties and #41 of 61 scored counties in Wisconsin.
How Milwaukee 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 | Milwaukee County | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.5 | 7.6 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $4.8M | $5.2M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 1,878 | 1,735 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +9.4% | +35.1% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.5% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,633 | $3,959 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $64,435 | $77,485 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 49 | 64 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 191 → 209All snack bars and retail bakeries · +9.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,940
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $72.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 35All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 29690 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 344The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 9
- Amount
- $5.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 924,216−1.5% since 2020
- Households
- 392,399
- Median age
- 36.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 50%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.5
- Land area
- 241 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 3,837
- Median household income
- $64,435+27.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $88,836
- Median home value
- $230,700
- Jobs located here
- 496,935
- Daytime population
- 971,639Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee 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 |
| 41Milwaukee County, WI | 49 | 296 | 7.5 | $4.8M | −1.5% | #950 of 1,889 |
Other business types in Milwaukee County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes37
- Sit-down restaurants40
- Fast food and sandwich shops51
- Pizza56
- Coffee shops and cafes47
- Bakeries and dessert shops49
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 Milwaukee County, WI?
There are 296 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings in Milwaukee County as of September 2026. 90 of them (30%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 209 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in 2023, up 9.4% 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 35 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Milwaukee County, WI spend on food away from home?
About $1.4B a year, or $3,633 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 296 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $4.8M 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 392,399 households in Milwaukee County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Milwaukee County, WI compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
Milwaukee County has 7.5 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 23% below the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $4.8M, 16% above the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the national ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, Milwaukee County would have about 344, against 296 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,878 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S. The official count rose 9.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.6% for the U.S.
How fast is Milwaukee County, WI growing?
Population estimates put Milwaukee County at 924,216 people in 2025, down 1.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 392,399 households. Median household income in Milwaukee County is $64,435, 20% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 27.3%, 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. Milwaukee County scores 49 for bakeries and dessert shops (lower middle), #950 of 1,889 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee 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.