Pets · Metro area · Arkansas
Pet businesses in the Fort Smith, AR-OK metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet businesses in the Fort Smith, AR-OK metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 41 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #269 of 387 scored metro areas
#4 of 5 scored metro areas based in Arkansas
- Listings
- 105
- 11 chain locations (10%)
- Official establishments
- 43
- −2.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $70.1M
- On pets · $771 a household
- Spending per listing
- $668K
- 24% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.5
- 11% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 234,140
- +3.1% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in the Fort Smith metro area
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 the Fort Smith metro area. 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 $771 per household (15% below the U.S. average), households in the Fort Smith metro area spend about $70.1M a year on pets. That is about $668K of household spending for each business on map listings, 24% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
The Fort Smith metro area has 105 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 11 of them (10%) are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 11.5, 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 the Fort Smith metro area was 43 in 2023, down 2.4% from 2019. That is one for every 2,116 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts also show 100 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $493K have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Fort Smith metro area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Fort Smith metro area grew 3.1%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). For pet businesses, the Fort Smith metro area has a Groundwork market score of 41 (lower middle): #269 of 387 scored metro areas and #4 of 5 scored metro areas based in Arkansas.
How the Fort Smith metro area compares
The same measures for Arkansas 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 | Fort Smith metro area | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.5 | 10.8 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $668K | $743K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 2,116 | 2,048 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −2.4% | +10.9% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.1% | +3.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $771 | $802 | $909 |
| Median household income | $58,468 | $60,773 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 41 | 49 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 43−2.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 342
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $13.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 100Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 10511 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 80The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $493K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Fort Smith metro 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.
Population and households in the Fort Smith metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 234,140+3.1% since 2020
- Households
- 90,992
- Median age
- 39.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,800 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 128
- Median household income
- $58,468
- Average household income
- $82,344
- Median home value
- $171,200
- Jobs located here
- 98,120
- Daytime population
- 234,865Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Fort Smith metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Fort Smith metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardPet businesses across Arkansas
Every Arkansas market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Arkansas for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Arkansas (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Fort Smith metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Arkansas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Memphis, TN-MS-AR | 70 | 366 | 7.0 | $1.2M | −0.3% | #48 of 387 |
| 1Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR | 60 | 243 | 11.3 | $850K | +13.1% | #114 of 387 |
| 2Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR | 56 | 328 | 10.5 | $808K | +3.8% | #154 of 387 |
| 3Jonesboro, AR | 47 | 59 | 11.1 | $705K | +3.6% | #221 of 387 |
| 4Fort Smith, AR-OK | 41 | 105 | 11.5 | $668K | +3.1% | #269 of 387 |
| Texarkana, TX-AR | 39 | 63 | 11.2 | $682K | −0.4% | #285 of 387 |
| 5Hot Springs, AR | 15 | 53 | 12.1 | $626K | −0.6% | #381 of 387 |
Other business types in the Fort Smith metro area
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 businesses41
- Veterinarians32
- Pet grooming and boarding47
- Pet stores70
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in the Fort Smith, AR-OK metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 105 pet businesses in the Fort Smith metro area. 11 of them (10%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 43 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, down 2.4% from 2019. Another 100 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Fort Smith, AR-OK metro area spend on pets?
About $70.1M a year, or $771 per household. That is 15% below the U.S. average (an index of 85, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 105 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $668K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 90,992 households in the Fort Smith metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Fort Smith, AR-OK metro area compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
The Fort Smith metro area has 11.5 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 11% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $668K, 24% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, the Fort Smith metro area would have about 80, against 105 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,116 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is the Fort Smith, AR-OK metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Fort Smith metro area at 234,140 people in 2025, up 3.1% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 90,992 households. Median household income in the Fort Smith metro area is $58,468, 28% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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. The Fort Smith metro area scores 41 for pet businesses (lower middle), #269 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Fort Smith metro area. 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 the Fort Smith metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Fort Smith metro 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 Fort Smith metro 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.