Pets · County · California
Pet businesses in Kern County, CA
How Kern 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 81 out of 100: High
Ranked #59 of 2,200 scored counties
#7 of 54 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 228
- 30 chain locations (13%)
- Official establishments
- 85
- −2.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $260.6M
- On pets · $914 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.1M
- 30% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.0
- 23% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 927,068
- +2.3% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Kern 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 Kern 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
For pet businesses, Kern County has a Groundwork market score of 81 (high): #59 of 2,200 scored counties and #7 of 54 scored counties in California. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for pet businesses.
As of September 2026, map listings count 228 pet businesses in Kern County. 30 of them (13%) are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 8.0, 23% below the U.S. rate of 10.4.
At $914 per household (in line with the U.S. average), households in Kern County spend about $260.6M a year on pets. That works out to $1.1M per business, 30% above the U.S. figure of $878K.
Official counts show 85 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Kern County in 2023, down 2.3% from 2019. That is one for every 3,352 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $1.3M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Kern County. Population estimates show Kern County grew 2.3% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Kern 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 | Kern County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.0 | 9.3 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $1.1M | $1.2M | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 3,352 | 1,875 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −2.3% | +11.6% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.3% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $914 | $1,149 | $909 |
| Median household income | $70,210 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 81 | 68 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 87 → 85−2.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,046
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $43.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 291Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 22830 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 297The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $1.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Kern 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 Kern County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 927,068+2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 284,931
- Median age
- 33.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 60%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 8,135 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 112
- Median household income
- $70,210+31.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $93,147
- Median home value
- $338,300
- Jobs located here
- 302,967
- Daytime population
- 882,683Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Kern 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 Kern 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 Kern 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 |
Other business types in Kern 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 businesses81
- Veterinarians80
- Pet grooming and boarding81
- Pet stores72
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Kern County, CA?
Kern County has 228 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 30 of them (13%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 85 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, down 2.3% from 2019. Another 291 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Kern County, CA spend on pets?
About $260.6M a year, or $914 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 101, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 228 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $1.1M per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 284,931 households in Kern County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Kern County, CA compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Kern County has 8.0 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 23% below the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $1.1M, 30% above the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Kern County would have about 297, against 228 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,352 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is Kern County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Kern County at 927,068 people in 2025, up 2.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 284,931 households. The median household income in Kern County is $70,210 a year, 13% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.6% 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. Kern County scores 81 for pet businesses (high), #59 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Kern 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 Kern County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Kern 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 Kern 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.