Pets · County · California
Pet businesses in Merced County, CA
How Merced 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 84 out of 100: High
Ranked #39 of 2,200 scored counties
#4 of 54 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 68
- 17 chain locations (25%)
- Official establishments
- 23
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $74.9M
- On pets · $870 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.1M
- 25% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.9
- 24% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 297,260
- +5.1% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Merced 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 Merced 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
Merced County scores 84 (high) on the Groundwork market score for pet businesses, ranking #39 of 2,200 scored counties and #4 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 68 pet businesses in Merced County. Chain locations make up 25% of them, against 17% across the U.S. That is 7.9 per 10,000 households, 24% below the U.S. rate of 10.4.
Households in Merced County spend about $74.9M a year on pets, or $870 per household, 4% below the U.S. average. Spread across 68 pet businesses, that is $1.1M per business, 25% above the U.S. figure of $878K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Merced County was 23 in 2023. That is one for every 3,742 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Population estimates show Merced County grew 5.1% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Merced 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 | Merced County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.9 | 9.3 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $1.1M | $1.2M | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 3,742 | 1,875 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +11.6% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.1% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $870 | $1,149 | $909 |
| Median household income | $65,510 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 84 | 68 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 19 → 23
- Employees, 2023
- 248
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $11.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 57Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6817 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 85The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Merced 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 Merced County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 297,260+5.1% since 2020
- Households
- 86,055
- Median age
- 32.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 54%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 1,938 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 150
- Median household income
- $65,510+22.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $87,781
- Median home value
- $391,800
- Jobs located here
- 77,775
- Daytime population
- 255,124Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Merced 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 Merced 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 Merced 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 Merced 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 businesses84
- Veterinarians85
- Pet grooming and boarding83
- Pet stores61
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Merced County, CA?
Merced County has 68 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 17 of them (25%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 23 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023. Official counts also show 57 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Merced County, CA spend on pets?
About $74.9M a year, or $870 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 68 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $1.1M per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 86,055 households in Merced County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Merced County, CA compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Merced County has 7.9 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 24% below the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $1.1M, 25% above the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Merced County would have about 85, against 68 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,742 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.
How fast is Merced County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Merced County at 297,260 people in 2025, up 5.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 86,055 households. The median household income in Merced County is $65,510 a year, 19% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 22.1% 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. Merced County scores 84 for pet businesses (high), #39 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Merced 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 Merced County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Merced 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 Merced 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.