Pets · County · Alabama
Pet businesses in Houston County, AL
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet businesses in Houston County, AL, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 45 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,327 of 2,200 scored counties
#37 of 51 scored counties in Alabama
- Listings
- 50
- 8 chain locations (16%)
- Official establishments
- 30
- 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $34.2M
- On pets · $790 a household
- Spending per listing
- $684K
- 22% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.5
- 11% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 110,318
- +2.8% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Houston County
The site report maps the pet businesses 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 Houston 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
At $790 per household (13% below the U.S. average), households in Houston County spend about $34.2M a year on pets. That works out to $684K per business, 22% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
Houston County has 50 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 16% of them, against 17% across the U.S. That is 11.5 per 10,000 households, 11% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Houston County was 30 in 2023, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 1,443 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts also show 32 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates show Houston County grew 2.8% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for pet businesses in Houston County is 45 (lower middle), #1,327 of 2,200 scored counties and #37 of 51 scored counties in Alabama.
How Houston County compares
The same measures for Alabama and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all pets by the pet businesses 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 | Houston County | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.5 | 9.9 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $684K | $843K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,443 | 2,051 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | +16.5% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.8% | +3.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $790 | $834 | $909 |
| Median household income | $58,626 | $63,999 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 45 | 61 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 30 → 300.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 399
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $11.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 32Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 508 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 39The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Houston 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.
Population and households in Houston County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 110,318+2.8% since 2020
- Households
- 43,302
- Median age
- 40.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 580 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 187
- Median household income
- $58,626+23.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $81,747
- Median home value
- $183,300
- Jobs located here
- 51,974
- Daytime population
- 116,184Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Houston 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 pet businesses on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Houston County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardPet businesses across Alabama
Every Alabama market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Alabama for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Alabama, with Houston County marked.
Top counties in Alabama
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Limestone County, AL | 85 | 47 | 11.5 | $841K | +18.0% | #34 of 2,200 |
| 2Autauga County, AL | 82 | 23 | 10.0 | $895K | +5.1% | #54 of 2,200 |
| 3Tuscaloosa County, AL | 79 | 62 | 6.9 | $1.2M | +3.8% | #82 of 2,200 |
| 4Blount County, AL | 75 | 16 | 7.2 | $1.1M | +1.8% | #157 of 2,200 |
| 5Dale County, AL | 71 | 13 | 6.6 | $1.1M | +1.3% | #241 of 2,200 |
| 6Coffee County, AL | 71 | 20 | 9.5 | $886K | +6.3% | #254 of 2,200 |
| 7Elmore County, AL | 70 | 34 | 10.3 | $861K | +4.2% | #286 of 2,200 |
| 8Madison County, AL | 69 | 195 | 11.8 | $840K | +11.0% | #324 of 2,200 |
| 9Chilton County, AL | 68 | 20 | 11.2 | $709K | +5.9% | #371 of 2,200 |
| 10Lee County, AL | 67 | 67 | 9.6 | $874K | +8.6% | #390 of 2,200 |
| 37Houston County, AL | 45 | 50 | 11.5 | $684K | +2.8% | #1,327 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Houston County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Pets
- Pet businesses45
- Veterinarians51
- Pet grooming and boarding40
- Pet stores34
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Houston County, AL?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 50 pet businesses in Houston County. 8 of them (16%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 30 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, unchanged from 2019. Another 32 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Houston County, AL spend on pets?
About $34.2M a year, or $790 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 50 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $684K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 43,302 households in Houston County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Houston County, AL compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Houston County has 11.5 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 11% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $684K, 22% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Houston County would have about 39, against 50 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,443 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is Houston County, AL growing?
Population estimates put Houston County at 110,318 people in 2025, up 2.8% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 43,302 households. Median household income in Houston County is $58,626, 27% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 23.2%, 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. Houston County scores 45 for pet businesses (lower middle), #1,327 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Houston County. 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.
How the score works · Top markets for pet businesses · All 56 business types in Houston County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Houston 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 Houston 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.