Market rankings · Pets
Top markets for pet businesses
Every U.S. metro area, small-town market and county, ranked by the Groundwork market score for pet businesses. The score weighs household spending per business, households per business, population growth and spending power.
- Listings in the U.S.
- 133,768
- 23,293 chain locations (17%)
- Official establishments
- 69,768
- +11.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $117.5B
- On pets
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.4
- Spending per listing: $878K
A site report maps the pet businesses on map listings around the address by name and distance, and the spending within reach.
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
There are 133,768 pet businesses on map listings in the U.S. as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 17% of them. That is 10.4 per 10,000 households.
Households in the U.S. spend about $117.5B a year on pets, or $909 per household. Spread across 133,768 pet businesses, that is $878K per business.
In 2023, official counts showed 69,768 businesses with payroll in the U.S. classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores, up 11.4% from 2019. They employ 772,324 people, with $33.8B in annual payroll. Official counts also show 180,847 one-person businesses without payroll.
The Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT metro area has the highest market score for pet businesses among 387 scored metro areas, at 90. In the 10 highest-scoring metro areas, the median spending per business is 39% above the U.S. figure, and the median rate of listings per household is 25% below the U.S. rate.
Top markets
These tables (CSV)Ranked by the Groundwork market score, which weighs household spending per competitor, households per business with payroll, population growth and spending power against every other market of the same kind. How the score works.
Top metro areas of 1 million people or more
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6Fresno, CA | 84 | 259 | 7.0 | $1.4M | +3.2% |
| 7Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV | 84 | 705 | 8.2 | $1.2M | +5.8% |
| 8Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 84 | 2,367 | 8.9 | $1.1M | +10.3% |
| 11Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 81 | 1,932 | 8.1 | $1.5M | +3.3% |
| 12Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 81 | 1,361 | 9.4 | $1.1M | +3.5% |
| 13San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 80 | 493 | 7.3 | $2M | −0.6% |
| 20Urban Honolulu, HI | 78 | 230 | 6.8 | $1.7M | −2.3% |
| 21Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 77 | 1,837 | 9.7 | $1.1M | +7.3% |
| 25Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | 76 | 838 | 9.5 | $1.2M | +3.2% |
| 27Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 76 | 2,832 | 9.8 | $1.1M | +10.6% |
| 28Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 75 | 2,243 | 9.7 | $1.1M | +5.9% |
| 40Richmond, VA | 73 | 489 | 9.2 | $1.1M | +5.5% |
| 41San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | 73 | 922 | 9.5 | $968K | +9.5% |
| 42Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN | 73 | 864 | 10.4 | $947K | +8.7% |
| 45Salt Lake City-Murray, UT | 72 | 445 | 9.9 | $1.1M | +3.8% |
Top 50 metro areas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT | 90 | 194 | 9.4 | $1.2M | +14.5% |
| 2Stockton-Lodi, CA | 88 | 187 | 7.6 | $1.4M | +5.5% |
| 3Midland, TX | 88 | 54 | 7.8 | $1.4M | +9.8% |
| 4Odessa, TX | 86 | 37 | 5.7 | $1.5M | +5.0% |
| 5Wildwood-The Villages, FL | 86 | 54 | 7.7 | $1.2M | +21.1% |
| 6Fresno, CA | 84 | 259 | 7.0 | $1.4M | +3.2% |
| 7Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV | 84 | 705 | 8.2 | $1.2M | +5.8% |
| 8Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 84 | 2,367 | 8.9 | $1.1M | +10.3% |
| 9Yuma, AZ | 83 | 52 | 6.6 | $1.3M | +9.2% |
| 10Merced, CA | 82 | 68 | 7.9 | $1.1M | +5.1% |
| 11Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 81 | 1,932 | 8.1 | $1.5M | +3.3% |
| 12Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 81 | 1,361 | 9.4 | $1.1M | +3.5% |
| 13San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 80 | 493 | 7.3 | $2M | −0.6% |
| 14Laredo, TX | 80 | 42 | 5.2 | $1.5M | +5.2% |
| 15Visalia, CA | 80 | 106 | 7.4 | $1.2M | +2.4% |
| 16Bakersfield-Delano, CA | 80 | 228 | 8.0 | $1.1M | +2.3% |
| 17Hanford-Corcoran, CA | 79 | 25 | 5.7 | $1.6M | +1.0% |
| 18Logan, UT-ID | 79 | 42 | 8.5 | $1.1M | +8.8% |
| 19Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL | 79 | 229 | 7.9 | $1M | +19.8% |
| 20Urban Honolulu, HI | 78 | 230 | 6.8 | $1.7M | −2.3% |
| 21Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 77 | 1,837 | 9.7 | $1.1M | +7.3% |
| 22Kennewick-Richland, WA | 77 | 113 | 10.5 | $992K | +6.5% |
| 23Yuba City, CA | 77 | 63 | 10.2 | $949K | +3.3% |
| 24McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX | 76 | 169 | 6.3 | $1.2M | +5.6% |
| 25Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | 76 | 838 | 9.5 | $1.2M | +3.2% |
| 26Walla Walla, WA | 76 | 19 | 8.1 | $1.2M | −0.4% |
| 27Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 76 | 2,832 | 9.8 | $1.1M | +10.6% |
| 28Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 75 | 2,243 | 9.7 | $1.1M | +5.9% |
| 29Ogden, UT | 75 | 229 | 10.7 | $1M | +5.3% |
| 30Gainesville, GA | 75 | 76 | 10.3 | $922K | +11.4% |
| 31El Centro, CA | 74 | 18 | 3.6 | $2.3M | +1.1% |
| 32Kahului-Wailuku, HI | 74 | 45 | 8.1 | $1.4M | −2.5% |
| 33Tuscaloosa, AL | 74 | 69 | 6.5 | $1.2M | +2.9% |
| 34Vallejo, CA | 74 | 154 | 9.8 | $1.2M | +0.6% |
| 35Goldsboro, NC | 74 | 33 | 6.9 | $1.1M | +3.8% |
| 36Warner Robins, GA | 74 | 75 | 10.1 | $900K | +8.2% |
| 37Yakima, WA | 73 | 59 | 6.7 | $1.3M | +1.0% |
| 38Rocky Mount, NC | 73 | 36 | 6.2 | $1.3M | +2.8% |
| 39Modesto, CA | 73 | 157 | 8.8 | $1.1M | +0.7% |
| 40Richmond, VA | 73 | 489 | 9.2 | $1.1M | +5.5% |
| 41San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | 73 | 922 | 9.5 | $968K | +9.5% |
| 42Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN | 73 | 864 | 10.4 | $947K | +8.7% |
| 43Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV | 73 | 123 | 10.4 | $874K | +7.1% |
| 44Brownsville-Harlingen, TX | 72 | 81 | 5.9 | $1.3M | +3.0% |
| 45Salt Lake City-Murray, UT | 72 | 445 | 9.9 | $1.1M | +3.8% |
| 46Dalton, GA | 72 | 40 | 7.7 | $1.1M | +3.5% |
| 47Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | 71 | 978 | 8.7 | $1.2M | +0.4% |
| 48Memphis, TN-MS-AR | 70 | 366 | 7.0 | $1.2M | −0.3% |
| 49Pueblo, CO | 70 | 55 | 8.0 | $1.1M | +0.6% |
| 50Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | 70 | 1,073 | 10.8 | $1M | +14.0% |
Top 25 small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Kapaa, HI | 88 | 14 | 5.9 | $1.9M | +0.3% |
| 2Cambridge, MD | 88 | 7 | 5.2 | $1.6M | +3.4% |
| 3Shelton, WA | 88 | 24 | 9.2 | $1.1M | +7.8% |
| 4Anderson Creek, NC | 87 | 44 | 8.8 | $967K | +12.3% |
| 5Winchester, TN | 87 | 16 | 9.2 | $878K | +6.4% |
| 6Clewiston, FL | 86 | 13 | 7.0 | $1.1M | +18.8% |
| 7Moscow, ID | 86 | 13 | 8.0 | $1.1M | +5.6% |
| 8Safford, AZ | 86 | 11 | 8.6 | $988K | +4.0% |
| 9Hilo-Kailua, HI | 83 | 61 | 8.2 | $1.2M | +4.6% |
| 10Hobbs, NM | 82 | 23 | 9.3 | $969K | +0.2% |
| 11Williston, ND | 82 | 18 | 11.9 | $793K | +1.4% |
| 12Elko, NV | 80 | 13 | 6.4 | $1.5M | +2.1% |
| 13Lufkin, TX | 80 | 20 | 6.2 | $1.3M | +1.9% |
| 14Moses Lake, WA | 80 | 35 | 9.9 | $910K | +6.3% |
| 15Bay City, TX | 79 | 10 | 6.5 | $1.2M | +0.5% |
| 16Port Townsend, WA | 79 | 16 | 9.8 | $977K | +2.7% |
| 17Alexandria, MN | 79 | 16 | 9.1 | $934K | +2.6% |
| 18Calhoun, GA | 79 | 24 | 11.2 | $743K | +6.9% |
| 19Hermiston-Pendleton, OR | 78 | 32 | 9.7 | $906K | +1.8% |
| 20Nogales, AZ | 78 | 16 | 9.4 | $816K | +4.8% |
| 21Seaford, DE | 77 | 123 | 11.6 | $822K | +16.1% |
| 22Jacksonville, TX | 77 | 18 | 9.9 | $810K | +5.4% |
| 23Alamosa, CO | 76 | 8 | 7.0 | $1.1M | +2.1% |
| 24Juneau, AK | 76 | 14 | 10.6 | $1.1M | −1.8% |
| 25Enterprise, AL | 76 | 20 | 9.5 | $886K | +6.3% |
Top 25 counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Douglas County, WA | 93 | 11 | 6.9 | $1.5M | +8.0% |
| 2Pinal County, AZ | 91 | 93 | 5.7 | $1.7M | +25.4% |
| 3Paulding County, GA | 91 | 47 | 7.8 | $1.3M | +12.7% |
| 4Wagoner County, OK | 91 | 27 | 8.6 | $1.1M | +14.6% |
| 5Franklin County, WA | 90 | 19 | 6.4 | $1.6M | +5.6% |
| 6San Benito County, CA | 90 | 22 | 10.7 | $1.2M | +8.6% |
| 7Pike County, GA | 90 | 6 | 8.9 | $1.1M | +10.5% |
| 8Pickaway County, OH | 89 | 12 | 5.5 | $1.5M | +7.4% |
| 9Robertson County, TN | 89 | 26 | 9.2 | $994K | +9.9% |
| 10Charles County, MD | 88 | 55 | 9.0 | $1.3M | +5.9% |
| 11Henry County, GA | 88 | 66 | 7.6 | $1.2M | +9.5% |
| 12Ector County, TX | 87 | 37 | 5.7 | $1.5M | +5.0% |
| 13Douglas County, GA | 87 | 37 | 7.1 | $1.3M | +6.6% |
| 14Newton County, GA | 87 | 29 | 7.0 | $1.3M | +11.2% |
| 15Utah County, UT | 87 | 191 | 9.4 | $1.2M | +14.5% |
| 16Mason County, WA | 87 | 24 | 9.2 | $1.1M | +7.8% |
| 17Yuba County, CA | 87 | 29 | 10.1 | $927K | +8.2% |
| 18Fort Bend County, TX | 86 | 242 | 8.3 | $1.4M | +17.4% |
| 19San Joaquin County, CA | 86 | 187 | 7.6 | $1.4M | +5.5% |
| 20Jefferson County, WV | 86 | 28 | 12.3 | $860K | +9.2% |
| 21Prince George’s County, MD | 85 | 133 | 3.8 | $2.8M | +0.5% |
| 22Arlington County, VA | 85 | 68 | 6.1 | $2.2M | +2.1% |
| 23Kauai County, HI | 85 | 14 | 5.9 | $1.9M | +0.3% |
| 24Midland County, TX | 85 | 53 | 7.8 | $1.3M | +10.0% |
| 25Yuma County, AZ | 85 | 52 | 6.6 | $1.3M | +9.2% |
Scored: 387 metro areas, 527 small-town markets and 2,200 counties, each with at least 5 pet businesses on map listings (counties: 10,000 people or more). Spending per listing is all household spending on pets over the listings: demand for each competitor, not revenue. Each market has its own page, reached from its state below.
Excel · free with an account
Every market in one Excel file
Pet businesses figures for all 387 metro areas, 538 small-town markets, 3,144 counties and 51 states: the Groundwork market score and rank, map listings and chains, household spending, businesses with payroll, employees and payroll, one-person businesses, SBA-backed loans, population, income and home value, each linked to its page. Sorted, filterable and ready to screen.
Pet businesses by state
Every market in each state ranked, with the state’s highest-scoring metro area.
- AlabamaTop metro area: Tuscaloosa metro area · 74
- AlaskaTop metro area: Anchorage metro area · 62
- ArizonaTop metro area: Yuma metro area · 83
- ArkansasTop metro area: Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers metro area · 60
- CaliforniaTop metro area: Stockton-Lodi metro area · 88
- ColoradoTop metro area: Pueblo metro area · 70
- ConnecticutTop metro area: New Haven metro area · 43
- DelawareTop metro area: Dover metro area · 58
- District of ColumbiaTop metro area: Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area · 81
- FloridaTop metro area: Wildwood-The Villages metro area · 86
- GeorgiaTop metro area: Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metro area · 75
- HawaiiTop metro area: Urban Honolulu metro area · 78
- IdahoTop metro area: Lewiston metro area · 58
- IllinoisTop metro area: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area · 68
- IndianaTop metro area: Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood metro area · 66
- IowaTop metro area: Sioux City metro area · 62
- KansasTop metro area: Lawrence metro area · 41
- KentuckyTop metro area: Owensboro metro area · 62
- LouisianaTop metro area: Baton Rouge metro area · 70
- MaineTop metro area: Lewiston-Auburn metro area · 30
- MarylandTop metro area: Hagerstown-Martinsburg metro area · 73
- MassachusettsTop metro area: Springfield metro area · 44
- MichiganTop metro area: Detroit-Warren-Dearborn metro area · 66
- MinnesotaTop metro area: Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington metro area · 67
- MississippiTop metro area: Jackson metro area · 59
- MissouriTop metro area: Kansas City metro area · 61
- MontanaTop metro area: Helena metro area · 57
- NebraskaTop metro area: Omaha metro area · 64
- NevadaTop metro area: Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas metro area · 84
- New HampshireTop metro area: Manchester-Nashua metro area · 19
- New JerseyTop metro area: Vineland metro area · 64
- New MexicoTop metro area: Albuquerque metro area · 66
- New YorkTop metro area: New York-Newark-Jersey City metro area · 59
- North CarolinaTop metro area: Goldsboro metro area · 74
- North DakotaTop metro area: Fargo metro area · 65
- OhioTop metro area: Columbus metro area · 63
- OklahomaTop metro area: Tulsa metro area · 53
- OregonTop metro area: Salem metro area · 60
- PennsylvaniaTop metro area: Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro area · 48
- Rhode IslandTop metro area: Providence-Warwick metro area · 25
- South CarolinaTop metro area: Spartanburg metro area · 69
- South DakotaTop metro area: Sioux Falls metro area · 70
- TennesseeTop metro area: Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin metro area · 73
- TexasTop metro area: Midland metro area · 88
- UtahTop metro area: Provo-Orem-Lehi metro area · 90
- VermontTop metro area: Burlington-South Burlington metro area · 12
- VirginiaTop metro area: Richmond metro area · 73
- WashingtonTop metro area: Kennewick-Richland metro area · 77
- West VirginiaTop metro area: Morgantown metro area · 67
- WisconsinTop metro area: Sheboygan metro area · 66
- WyomingTop metro area: Cheyenne metro area · 47
Related business types
- Veterinarians43,181 listings
- Pet grooming and boarding46,165 listings
- Pet stores25,966 listings
Questions
Which metro areas have the highest market score for pet businesses?
The top 5 are Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT (90); Stockton-Lodi, CA (88); Midland, TX (88); Odessa, TX (86); and Wildwood-The Villages, FL (86). The score compares each of 387 scored metro areas with the others for pet businesses.
How many pet businesses are in the U.S.?
As of September 2026, map listings count 133,768 pet businesses in the U.S. 23,293 of them (17%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 69,768 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 11.4% from 2019. Another 180,847 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do U.S. households spend on pets?
About $117.5B a year, or $909 per household. Spread across the 133,768 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $878K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 129,209,336 households in the U.S. and national spending patterns by income.
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. Markets with fewer than 5 map listings of the type, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored, since a few businesses can swing their figures.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address anywhere in the U.S. It maps the pet businesses 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.
All business types and every U.S. market · How we measure
Screening a site or an acquisition?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
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.