Pets · County · Alabama
Pet businesses in Jefferson County, AL
How Jefferson County, AL compares with other counties and the U.S. for pet businesses: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 66 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #420 of 2,200 scored counties
#12 of 51 scored counties in Alabama
- Listings
- 201
- 48 chain locations (24%)
- Official establishments
- 129
- +20.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $236.4M
- On pets · $876 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.2M
- 34% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.4
- 29% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 665,742
- −1.3% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 201 pet businesses in Jefferson County. Chain locations make up 24% of them, against 17% across the U.S. That is 7.4 per 10,000 households, 29% below the U.S. rate of 10.4.
Household spending on pets in Jefferson County comes to about $236.4M a year: $876 per household, 4% below the U.S. average. That works out to $1.2M per business, 34% above the U.S. figure of $878K.
In 2023, official counts showed 129 businesses with payroll in Jefferson County classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores, up 20.6% from 2019. That is one for every 2,092 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Another 164 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 10 SBA-backed loans worth $2.7M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Jefferson County.
Population estimates show Jefferson County declined 1.3% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. For pet businesses, Jefferson County has a Groundwork market score of 66 (upper middle): #420 of 2,200 scored counties and #12 of 51 scored counties in Alabama. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Jefferson 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 | Jefferson County | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.4 | 9.9 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $1.2M | $843K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 2,092 | 2,051 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +20.6% | +16.5% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.3% | +3.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $876 | $834 | $909 |
| Median household income | $66,388 | $63,999 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 66 | 61 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 107 → 129+20.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,810
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $68.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 164Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 20148 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 269The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 10
- Amount
- $2.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Jefferson 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 Jefferson County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 665,742−1.3% since 2020
- Households
- 269,883
- Median age
- 39.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 1,112 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 601
- Median household income
- $66,388+23.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $99,697
- Median home value
- $240,000
- Jobs located here
- 395,444
- Daytime population
- 777,965Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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 |
| 12Jefferson County, AL | 66 | 201 | 7.4 | $1.2M | −1.3% | #420 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Jefferson 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 businesses66
- Veterinarians53
- Pet grooming and boarding70
- Pet stores72
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Jefferson County, AL?
Jefferson County has 201 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 48 of them (24%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 129 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 20.6% from 2019. Official counts list 164 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Jefferson County, AL spend on pets?
About $236.4M a year, or $876 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 201 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $1.2M per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 269,883 households in Jefferson County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Jefferson County, AL compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Jefferson County has 7.4 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 29% below the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $1.2M, 34% above the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Jefferson County would have about 269, against 201 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,092 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 20.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is Jefferson County, AL growing?
Population estimates put Jefferson County at 665,742 people in 2025, down 1.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 269,883 households. The median household income in Jefferson County is $66,388 a year, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.2% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Jefferson County scores 66 for pet businesses (upper middle), #420 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Jefferson 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 Jefferson County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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.