Pets · Metro area · California
Pet businesses in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet businesses in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 81 out of 100: High
Ranked #12 of 387 scored metro areas
#4 of 25 scored metro areas based in California
- Listings
- 1,361
- 272 chain locations (20%)
- Official establishments
- 651
- +12.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.5B
- On pets · $1,053 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.1M
- 28% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.4
- 10% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 4,769,007
- +3.5% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario 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 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario 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
The Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metro area scores 81 (high) on the Groundwork market score for pet businesses, ranking #12 of 387 scored metro areas and #4 of 25 scored metro areas based in California. That puts it in the top 10% of metro areas for pet businesses.
Households in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metro area spend about $1.5B a year on pets, or $1,053 per household, 16% above the U.S. average. That is about $1.1M of household spending for each business on map listings, 28% above the U.S. figure of $878K.
The Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metro area has 1,361 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 272 of them (20%) are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. That comes to 9.4 for every 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 10.4.
In 2023, official counts showed 651 businesses with payroll in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metro area classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores, up 12.8% from 2019. That is one for every 2,228 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 50 SBA-backed loans worth $30.2M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metro area. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metro area grew 3.5%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario 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 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metro area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.4 | 9.3 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $1.1M | $1.2M | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 2,228 | 1,875 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +12.8% | +11.6% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.5% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $1,053 | $1,149 | $909 |
| Median household income | $89,662 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 81 | 68 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 651+12.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 6,898
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $321.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 1,933Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,361272 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,739The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 50
- Amount
- $30.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario 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 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 4,769,007+3.5% since 2020
- Households
- 1,450,250
- Median age
- 36.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 27,277 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 171
- Median household income
- $89,662+37.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $114,388
- Median home value
- $536,300
- Jobs located here
- 1,656,299
- Daytime population
- 4,318,676Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario 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 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario 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 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario 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 |
Other business types in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario 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 businesses81
- Veterinarians84
- Pet grooming and boarding79
- Pet stores57
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 1,361 pet businesses in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metro area. 272 of them (20%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 651 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 12.8% from 2019. Official counts also show 1,933 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area spend on pets?
About $1.5B a year, or $1,053 per household. That is 16% above the U.S. average (an index of 116, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,361 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $1.1M per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 1,450,250 households in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
The Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metro area has 9.4 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $1.1M, 28% above the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metro area would have about 1,739, against 1,361 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,228 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 12.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metro area at 4,769,007 people in 2025, up 3.5% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 1,450,250 households. Median household income in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metro area is $89,662, 11% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 37.7%, 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 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metro area scores 81 for pet businesses (high), #12 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 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario 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 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario 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 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario 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.