Pets · County · California
Pet businesses in Alameda County, CA
How Alameda County, CA 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 73 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #185 of 2,200 scored counties
#15 of 54 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 427
- 99 chain locations (23%)
- Official establishments
- 253
- +2.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $797.4M
- On pets · $1,333 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.9M
- 2.1 times the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.1
- 32% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,636,630
- −2.6% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Alameda 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 Alameda 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
Alameda County scores 73 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for pet businesses, ranking #185 of 2,200 scored counties and #15 of 54 scored counties in California. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for pet businesses.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 427 pet businesses in Alameda County. Chain locations make up 23% of them, against 17% across the U.S. That is 7.1 per 10,000 households, 32% below the U.S. rate of 10.4.
Household spending on pets in Alameda County comes to about $797.4M a year: $1,333 per household, 47% above the U.S. average. That works out to $1.9M per business, 2.1 times the U.S. figure of $878K.
In 2023, official counts showed 253 businesses with payroll in Alameda County classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores, up 2.0% from 2019. That is one for every 2,365 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 14 SBA-backed loans worth $22.3M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Alameda County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Alameda County declined 2.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Alameda County compares
The same measures for California 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 | Alameda County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.1 | 9.3 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $1.9M | $1.2M | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 2,365 | 1,875 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +2.0% | +11.6% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.6% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $1,333 | $1,149 | $909 |
| Median household income | $129,367 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 73 | 68 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 248 → 253+2.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,460
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $177.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 994Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 42799 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 908The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 14
- Amount
- $22.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Alameda 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 Alameda County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,636,630−2.6% since 2020
- Households
- 598,246
- Median age
- 40.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 54%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 738 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 2,237
- Median household income
- $129,367+30.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $177,147
- Median home value
- $1,090,100
- Jobs located here
- 831,131
- Daytime population
- 1,673,490Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Alameda 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 Alameda 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 California
Every California market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in California for pet businesses, numbered among those based in California, with Alameda County marked.
Top counties in California
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1San Benito County, CA | 90 | 22 | 10.7 | $1.2M | +8.6% | #6 of 2,200 |
| 2Yuba County, CA | 87 | 29 | 10.1 | $927K | +8.2% | #17 of 2,200 |
| 3San Joaquin County, CA | 86 | 187 | 7.6 | $1.4M | +5.5% | #19 of 2,200 |
| 4Merced County, CA | 84 | 68 | 7.9 | $1.1M | +5.1% | #39 of 2,200 |
| 5Fresno County, CA | 82 | 212 | 6.5 | $1.5M | +2.6% | #45 of 2,200 |
| 6Tulare County, CA | 81 | 106 | 7.4 | $1.2M | +2.4% | #57 of 2,200 |
| 7Kern County, CA | 81 | 228 | 8.0 | $1.1M | +2.3% | #59 of 2,200 |
| 8Sacramento County, CA | 80 | 452 | 7.9 | $1.4M | +2.0% | #68 of 2,200 |
| 9Riverside County, CA | 80 | 782 | 10.1 | $1.1M | +5.0% | #71 of 2,200 |
| 10Madera County, CA | 80 | 47 | 10.4 | $919K | +7.4% | #75 of 2,200 |
| 15Alameda County, CA | 73 | 427 | 7.1 | $1.9M | −2.6% | #185 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Alameda 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 businesses73
- Veterinarians75
- Pet grooming and boarding78
- Pet stores72
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Alameda County, CA?
There are 427 pet businesses on map listings in Alameda County as of September 2026. 99 of them (23%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 253 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 2.0% from 2019. Official counts list 994 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Alameda County, CA spend on pets?
About $797.4M a year, or $1,333 per household. That is 47% above the U.S. average (an index of 147, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 427 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $1.9M per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 598,246 households in Alameda County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Alameda County, CA compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Alameda County has 7.1 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 32% below the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $1.9M, 2.1 times the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Alameda County would have about 908, against 427 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,365 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is Alameda County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Alameda County at 1,636,630 people in 2025, down 2.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 598,246 households. The median household income in Alameda County is $129,367 a year, 60% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.1% 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. Alameda County scores 73 for pet businesses (upper middle), #185 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Alameda 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 Alameda County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Alameda 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 Alameda 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.