Groundwork

Food and drink · Small-town market · Wisconsin

Bakeries and dessert shops in the Whitewater-Elkhorn, WI area

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for bakeries and dessert shops in the Whitewater-Elkhorn, WI area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 48 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #279 of 507 scored small-town markets
#10 of 13 scored small-town markets based in Wisconsin

Listings
45
8 chain locations (18%)
Official establishments
34
All snack bars and retail bakeries · +36.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$177.2M
On food away from home · $4,113 a household
Spending per listing
$3.9M
5% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
10.4
6% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
106,127
+0.8% since 2020

See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in the Whitewater-Elkhorn area

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 the Whitewater-Elkhorn area. 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

As of September 2026, map listings count 45 bakeries and dessert shops in the Whitewater-Elkhorn area. 8 of them (18%) are chain locations, against 35% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 10.4, 6% above the U.S. rate of 9.8.

Households in the Whitewater-Elkhorn area spend about $177.2M a year on food away from home, or $4,113 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That works out to $3.9M per shop, 5% 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.

In 2023, official counts showed 34 businesses with payroll in the Whitewater-Elkhorn area classed as snack bars and retail bakeries, up 36.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,267 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. Official counts also show 5 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $710K has gone to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in the Whitewater-Elkhorn area.

Population estimates put the population change in the Whitewater-Elkhorn area from 2020 to 2025 at +0.8%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Whitewater-Elkhorn area scores 48 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for bakeries and dessert shops, ranking #279 of 507 scored small-town markets and #10 of 13 scored small-town markets based in Wisconsin.

How the Whitewater-Elkhorn area 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.

Bakeries and dessert shops in Whitewater-Elkhorn, WI area compared with Wisconsin and the U.S.
MeasureWhitewater-Elkhorn areaWisconsinU.S.
Listings per 10k households10.47.69.8
Spending per listing$3.9M$5.2M$4.1M
Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries)1,2671,7351,369
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+36.0%+35.1%+24.6%
Population growth, 2020–2025+0.8%+1.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$4,113$3,959$4,070
Median household income$80,520$77,485$80,734
Groundwork market score4864

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
34All snack bars and retail bakeries · +36.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
300
Annual payroll, 2023
$7.1M
One-person businesses, 2023
5All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
458 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
43The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$710K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in the Whitewater-Elkhorn area, 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 the Whitewater-Elkhorn area

Population, 2025 estimate
106,127+0.8% since 2020
Households
43,087
Median age
42.4
Homes lived in by their owners
71%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
555 sq. mi.
People per square mile
190
Median household income
$80,520+26.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$109,464
Median home value
$302,700
Jobs located here
43,660
Daytime population
95,627Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Whitewater-Elkhorn area?

These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Whitewater-Elkhorn area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Bakeries and dessert shops across Wisconsin

Every Wisconsin market ranked →

The highest-scoring small-town markets in Wisconsin for bakeries and dessert shops, numbered among those based in Wisconsin, with the Whitewater-Elkhorn area marked.

Top small-town markets in Wisconsin

Small-town markets in Wisconsin ranked for bakeries and dessert shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Sparta, WI7552.7$13.4M+0.6%#28 of 507
2Watertown-Fort Atkinson, WI74195.4$7.3M+0.3%#32 of 507
3Beaver Dam, WI73246.7$5.7M−0.3%#39 of 507
4Stevens Point-Plover, WI69248.1$4.8M+2.2%#68 of 507
5Menomonie, WI67126.9$5.5M+1.7%#74 of 507
6Marinette, WI-MI65196.5$5.3M+0.3%#99 of 507
7Manitowoc, WI62277.7$4.8M+0.4%#120 of 507
8Platteville, WI54157.5$4.8M+0.9%#211 of 507
9Wisconsin Rapids-Marshfield, WI53216.5$5.5M−0.2%#218 of 507
10Whitewater-Elkhorn, WI484510.4$3.9M+0.8%#279 of 507

Other business types in the Whitewater-Elkhorn area

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

Questions

How many bakeries and dessert shops are in the Whitewater-Elkhorn, WI area?

The Whitewater-Elkhorn area has 45 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings as of September 2026. 8 of them (18%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 34 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in 2023, up 36.0% from 2019. That count covers all snack bars and retail bakeries (coffee shops and cafes included), not only bakeries and dessert shops. Another 5 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in the Whitewater-Elkhorn, WI area spend on food away from home?

About $177.2M a year, or $4,113 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 101, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 45 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $3.9M 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 43,087 households in the Whitewater-Elkhorn area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Whitewater-Elkhorn, WI area compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?

The Whitewater-Elkhorn area has 10.4 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 6% above the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $3.9M, 5% below the U.S. figure of $4.1M. At the national ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending, the Whitewater-Elkhorn area would have about 43, against 45 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,267 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S. The official count rose 36.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.6% for the U.S.

How fast is the Whitewater-Elkhorn, WI area growing?

Population estimates put the Whitewater-Elkhorn area at 106,127 people in 2025, up 0.8% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 43,087 households. Median household income in the Whitewater-Elkhorn area is $80,520, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.3%, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Whitewater-Elkhorn area scores 48 for bakeries and dessert shops (lower middle), #279 of 507 scored small-town markets.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Whitewater-Elkhorn area. 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 the Whitewater-Elkhorn area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Whitewater-Elkhorn area?

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 the Whitewater-Elkhorn area. 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.