diff --git a/src/marks/axis.js b/src/marks/axis.js
index 7c7944a55f..3a0e644909 100644
--- a/src/marks/axis.js
+++ b/src/marks/axis.js
@@ -672,10 +672,10 @@ export function inferTickFormat(scale, data, ticks, tickFormat, anchor) {
     ? inferTimeFormat(scale.type, data, anchor) ?? formatDefault
     : scale.tickFormat
     ? scale.tickFormat(typeof ticks === "number" ? ticks : null, tickFormat)
+    : typeof tickFormat === "string" && scale.domain().length > 0
+    ? (isTemporal(scale.domain()) ? utcFormat : format)(tickFormat)
     : tickFormat === undefined
     ? formatDefault
-    : typeof tickFormat === "string"
-    ? (isTemporal(scale.domain()) ? utcFormat : format)(tickFormat)
     : constant(tickFormat);
 }
 
diff --git a/test/output/tickFormatEmptyDomain.svg b/test/output/tickFormatEmptyDomain.svg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..38e50ca56f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/output/tickFormatEmptyDomain.svg
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+<svg class="plot" fill="currentColor" font-family="system-ui, sans-serif" font-size="10" text-anchor="middle" width="640" height="80" viewBox="0 0 640 80" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">
+  <style>
+    :where(.plot) {
+      --plot-background: white;
+      display: block;
+      height: auto;
+      height: intrinsic;
+      max-width: 100%;
+    }
+
+    :where(.plot text),
+    :where(.plot tspan) {
+      white-space: pre;
+    }
+  </style>
+  <rect aria-label="frame" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" transform="translate(0.5,0.5)" x="40" y="20" width="580" height="30"></rect>
+</svg>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/output/tickFormatEmptyFacetDomain.svg b/test/output/tickFormatEmptyFacetDomain.svg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..38e50ca56f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/output/tickFormatEmptyFacetDomain.svg
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+<svg class="plot" fill="currentColor" font-family="system-ui, sans-serif" font-size="10" text-anchor="middle" width="640" height="80" viewBox="0 0 640 80" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">
+  <style>
+    :where(.plot) {
+      --plot-background: white;
+      display: block;
+      height: auto;
+      height: intrinsic;
+      max-width: 100%;
+    }
+
+    :where(.plot text),
+    :where(.plot tspan) {
+      white-space: pre;
+    }
+  </style>
+  <rect aria-label="frame" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" transform="translate(0.5,0.5)" x="40" y="20" width="580" height="30"></rect>
+</svg>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/plots/index.ts b/test/plots/index.ts
index 3176991d75..f54398dca7 100644
--- a/test/plots/index.ts
+++ b/test/plots/index.ts
@@ -309,6 +309,7 @@ export * from "./style-overrides.js";
 export * from "./symbol-set.js";
 export * from "./text-overflow.js";
 export * from "./this-is-just-to-say.js";
+export * from "./tick-format.js";
 export * from "./time-axis.js";
 export * from "./tip-format.js";
 export * from "./tip.js";
diff --git a/test/plots/tick-format.ts b/test/plots/tick-format.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..66b2898f9e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/plots/tick-format.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+import * as Plot from "@observablehq/plot";
+
+export async function tickFormatEmptyDomain() {
+  return Plot.plot({y: {tickFormat: "%W"}, marks: [Plot.barX([]), Plot.frame()]});
+}
+
+export async function tickFormatEmptyFacetDomain() {
+  return Plot.plot({fy: {tickFormat: "%W"}, marks: [Plot.barX([]), Plot.frame()]});
+}