Groundwork

Pets · County · California

Pet businesses in Marin County, CA

How Marin 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 54 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #888 of 2,200 scored counties
#38 of 54 scored counties in California

Listings
138
28 chain locations (20%)
Official establishments
96
−3.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$146.9M
On pets · $1,426 a household
Spending per listing
$1.1M
21% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
13.4
29% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
253,694
−2.9% since 2020

See the pet businesses around any address in Marin 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 Marin County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey 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 138 pet businesses in Marin County. Of those, 28 are chain locations, or 20%, against 17% across the U.S. That comes to 13.4 for every 10,000 households, 29% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.

Household spending on pets in Marin County comes to about $146.9M a year: $1,426 per household, 57% above the U.S. average. That works out to $1.1M per business, 21% above the U.S. figure of $878K.

Official counts show 96 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Marin County in 2023, down 3.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,073 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts list 299 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $6.1M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Marin County.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Marin County declined 2.9%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For pet businesses, Marin County has a Groundwork market score of 54 (upper middle): #888 of 2,200 scored counties and #38 of 54 scored counties in California.

How Marin 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.

Pet businesses in Marin County, CA compared with California and the U.S.
MeasureMarin CountyCaliforniaU.S.
Listings per 10k households13.49.310.4
Spending per listing$1.1M$1.2M$878K
Households per official establishment1,0731,8751,852
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−3.0%+11.6%+11.4%
Population growth, 2020–2025−2.9%−0.4%+3.1%
Spending per household on pets$1,426$1,149$909
Median household income$149,091$99,122$80,734
Groundwork market score5468

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
99 → 96−3.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,088
Annual payroll, 2023
$61.7M
One-person businesses, 2023
299Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
13828 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
167The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
3
Amount
$6.1M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Marin 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 Marin County

Population, 2025 estimate
253,694−2.9% since 2020
Households
103,018
Median age
47.7
Homes lived in by their owners
65%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
520 sq. mi.
People per square mile
496
Median household income
$149,091+29.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$232,579
Median home value
$1,507,300
Jobs located here
110,704
Daytime population
260,594Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Marin 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 Marin County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Pet businesses across California

Every California market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in California for pet businesses, numbered among those based in California, with Marin County marked.

Top counties in California

Counties in California ranked for pet businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1San Benito County, CA902210.7$1.2M+8.6%#6 of 2,200
2Yuba County, CA872910.1$927K+8.2%#17 of 2,200
3San Joaquin County, CA861877.6$1.4M+5.5%#19 of 2,200
4Merced County, CA84687.9$1.1M+5.1%#39 of 2,200
5Fresno County, CA822126.5$1.5M+2.6%#45 of 2,200
6Tulare County, CA811067.4$1.2M+2.4%#57 of 2,200
7Kern County, CA812288.0$1.1M+2.3%#59 of 2,200
8Sacramento County, CA804527.9$1.4M+2.0%#68 of 2,200
9Riverside County, CA8078210.1$1.1M+5.0%#71 of 2,200
10Madera County, CA804710.4$919K+7.4%#75 of 2,200
38Marin County, CA5413813.4$1.1M−2.9%#888 of 2,200

Other business types in Marin County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many pet businesses are in Marin County, CA?

There are 138 pet businesses on map listings in Marin County as of September 2026. 28 of them (20%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 96 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, down 3.0% from 2019. Official counts also show 299 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Marin County, CA spend on pets?

About $146.9M a year, or $1,426 per household. That is 57% above the U.S. average (an index of 157, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 138 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $1.1M per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 103,018 households in Marin County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Marin County, CA compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?

Marin County has 13.4 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 29% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $1.1M, 21% above the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Marin County would have about 167, against 138 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,073 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count fell 3.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.

How fast is Marin County, CA growing?

Population estimates put Marin County at 253,694 people in 2025, down 2.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 103,018 households. The median household income in Marin County is $149,091 a year, 85% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.4% 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. Marin County scores 54 for pet businesses (upper middle), #888 of 2,200 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Marin 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 Marin County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Marin 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 Marin 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.