Pets · Metro area · California
Pet businesses in the Chico, CA metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet businesses in the Chico, CA metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 48 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #209 of 387 scored metro areas
#23 of 25 scored metro areas based in California
- Listings
- 92
- 15 chain locations (16%)
- Official establishments
- 48
- +6.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $76.9M
- On pets · $923 a household
- Spending per listing
- $836K
- 5% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.0
- 6% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 209,211
- −0.5% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in the Chico 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 Chico 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 92 pet businesses in the Chico metro area. Of those, 15 are chain locations, or 16%, against 17% across the U.S. That is 11.0 per 10,000 households, 6% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
Households in the Chico metro area spend about $76.9M a year on pets, or $923 per household, 2% above the U.S. average. That is about $836K of household spending for each business on map listings, 5% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
Official counts show 48 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Chico metro area in 2023, up 6.7% from 2019. That is one for every 1,736 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts also show 95 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $3.3M has gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Chico metro area.
Population estimates show the Chico metro area declined 0.5% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Chico metro area scores 48 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for pet businesses, ranking #209 of 387 scored metro areas and #23 of 25 scored metro areas based in California.
How the Chico metro area 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 | Chico metro area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.0 | 9.3 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $836K | $1.2M | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,736 | 1,875 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +6.7% | +11.6% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.5% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $923 | $1,149 | $909 |
| Median household income | $67,928 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 48 | 68 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 48+6.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 509
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $23.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 95Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 9215 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 88The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $3.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Chico 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 Chico metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 209,211−0.5% since 2020
- Households
- 83,312
- Median age
- 38.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 57%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,637 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 127
- Median household income
- $67,928+29.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $95,439
- Median home value
- $424,700
- Jobs located here
- 75,172
- Daytime population
- 203,711Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Chico 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 Chico 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 California
Every California market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in California for pet businesses, numbered among those based in California, with the Chico metro area marked.
Top metro areas in California
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Stockton-Lodi, CA | 88 | 187 | 7.6 | $1.4M | +5.5% | #2 of 387 |
| 2Fresno, CA | 84 | 259 | 7.0 | $1.4M | +3.2% | #6 of 387 |
| 3Merced, CA | 82 | 68 | 7.9 | $1.1M | +5.1% | #10 of 387 |
| 4Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 81 | 1,361 | 9.4 | $1.1M | +3.5% | #12 of 387 |
| 5San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 80 | 493 | 7.3 | $2M | −0.6% | #13 of 387 |
| 6Visalia, CA | 80 | 106 | 7.4 | $1.2M | +2.4% | #15 of 387 |
| 7Bakersfield-Delano, CA | 80 | 228 | 8.0 | $1.1M | +2.3% | #16 of 387 |
| 8Hanford-Corcoran, CA | 79 | 25 | 5.7 | $1.6M | +1.0% | #17 of 387 |
| 9Yuba City, CA | 77 | 63 | 10.2 | $949K | +3.3% | #23 of 387 |
| 10Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | 76 | 838 | 9.5 | $1.2M | +3.2% | #25 of 387 |
| 23Chico, CA | 48 | 92 | 11.0 | $836K | −0.5% | #209 of 387 |
Other business types in the Chico 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 businesses48
- Veterinarians59
- Pet grooming and boarding49
- Pet stores34
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in the Chico, CA metro area?
There are 92 pet businesses on map listings in the Chico metro area as of September 2026. 15 of them (16%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 48 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 6.7% from 2019. Another 95 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Chico, CA metro area spend on pets?
About $76.9M a year, or $923 per household. That is 2% above the U.S. average (an index of 102, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 92 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $836K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 83,312 households in the Chico metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Chico, CA metro area compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
The Chico metro area has 11.0 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 6% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $836K, 5% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, the Chico metro area would have about 88, against 92 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,736 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 6.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is the Chico, CA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Chico metro area at 209,211 people in 2025, down 0.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 83,312 households. The median household income in the Chico metro area is $67,928 a year, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.3% 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. The Chico metro area scores 48 for pet businesses (lower middle), #209 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 Chico 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 Chico metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Chico 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 Chico 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.