Groundwork

Pets · County · California

Pet businesses in Placer County, CA

The pet businesses in Placer County, CA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 72 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #223 of 2,200 scored counties
#18 of 54 scored counties in California

Listings
198
51 chain locations (26%)
Official establishments
116
+19.6% since 2019
Household spending a year
$196.7M
On pets · $1,246 a household
Spending per listing
$994K
13% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
12.5
20% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
442,081
+8.9% since 2020

See the pet businesses around any address in Placer 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 Placer 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

As of September 2026, map listings count 198 pet businesses in Placer County. Chain locations make up 26% of them, against 17% across the U.S. That is 12.5 per 10,000 households, 20% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.

At $1,246 per household (37% above the U.S. average), households in Placer County spend about $196.7M a year on pets. Spread across 198 pet businesses, that is $994K per business, 13% above the U.S. figure of $878K.

Official counts show 116 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Placer County in 2023, up 19.6% from 2019. That is one for every 1,362 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Another 271 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $7.5M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Placer County.

Population estimates put the population change in Placer County from 2020 to 2025 at +8.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For pet businesses, Placer County has a Groundwork market score of 72 (upper middle): #223 of 2,200 scored counties and #18 of 54 scored counties in California. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Placer 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 Placer County, CA compared with California and the U.S.
MeasurePlacer CountyCaliforniaU.S.
Listings per 10k households12.59.310.4
Spending per listing$994K$1.2M$878K
Households per official establishment1,3621,8751,852
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+19.6%+11.6%+11.4%
Population growth, 2020–2025+8.9%−0.4%+3.1%
Spending per household on pets$1,246$1,149$909
Median household income$115,998$99,122$80,734
Groundwork market score7268

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
97 → 116+19.6% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,669
Annual payroll, 2023
$89.1M
One-person businesses, 2023
271Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
19851 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
224The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
5
Amount
$7.5M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
442,081+8.9% since 2020
Households
157,954
Median age
43.8
Homes lived in by their owners
75%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
1,407 sq. mi.
People per square mile
298
Median household income
$115,998+29.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$150,239
Median home value
$688,100
Jobs located here
187,169
Daytime population
424,461Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Placer 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 Placer 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 Placer 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
18Placer County, CA7219812.5$994K+8.9%#223 of 2,200

Other business types in Placer County

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

Questions

How many pet businesses are in Placer County, CA?

Placer County has 198 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 51 of them (26%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 116 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 19.6% from 2019. Official counts list 271 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $196.7M a year, or $1,246 per household. That is 37% above the U.S. average (an index of 137, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 198 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $994K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 157,954 households in Placer County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Placer County has 12.5 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 20% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $994K, 13% above the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Placer County would have about 224, against 198 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,362 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 19.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.

How fast is Placer County, CA growing?

Population estimates put Placer County at 442,081 people in 2025, up 8.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 157,954 households. The median household income in Placer County is $115,998 a year, 44% above 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. Placer County scores 72 for pet businesses (upper middle), #223 of 2,200 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Placer 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 Placer 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.