Pets · County · California
Pet businesses in San Diego County, CA
The pet businesses in San Diego County, CA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 61 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #609 of 2,200 scored counties
#31 of 54 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 1,363
- 307 chain locations (23%)
- Official establishments
- 803
- +14.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.4B
- On pets · $1,187 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1M
- 16% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.6
- 12% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 3,282,248
- −0.6% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in San Diego 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 San Diego 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
Household spending on pets in San Diego County comes to about $1.4B a year: $1,187 per household, 31% above the U.S. average. Spread across 1,363 pet businesses, that is $1M per business, 16% above the U.S. figure of $878K.
San Diego County has 1,363 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 23% of them, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 11.6, 12% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
In 2023, official counts showed 803 businesses with payroll in San Diego County classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores, up 14.4% from 2019. That is one for every 1,459 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts also show 2,299 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 38 SBA-backed loans worth $30.5M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in San Diego County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of San Diego County declined 0.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for pet businesses in San Diego County is 61 (upper middle), #609 of 2,200 scored counties and #31 of 54 scored counties in California.
How San Diego 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 | San Diego County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.6 | 9.3 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $1M | $1.2M | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,459 | 1,875 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +14.4% | +11.6% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.6% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $1,187 | $1,149 | $909 |
| Median household income | $106,268 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 61 | 68 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 702 → 803+14.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 9,494
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $478.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 2,299Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,363307 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,583The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 38
- Amount
- $30.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in San Diego 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 San Diego County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 3,282,248−0.6% since 2020
- Households
- 1,171,278
- Median age
- 38.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 55%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 4,211 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 781
- Median household income
- $106,268+34.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $141,250
- Median home value
- $854,700
- Jobs located here
- 1,516,991
- Daytime population
- 3,269,716Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in San Diego 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 San Diego 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 San Diego 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 |
| 31San Diego County, CA | 61 | 1,363 | 11.6 | $1M | −0.6% | #609 of 2,200 |
Other business types in San Diego 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 businesses61
- Veterinarians65
- Pet grooming and boarding61
- Pet stores52
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in San Diego County, CA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 1,363 pet businesses in San Diego County. 307 of them (23%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 803 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 14.4% from 2019. Another 2,299 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in San Diego County, CA spend on pets?
About $1.4B a year, or $1,187 per household. That is 31% above the U.S. average (an index of 131, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,363 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $1M per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 1,171,278 households in San Diego County and national spending patterns by income.
How does San Diego County, CA compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
San Diego County has 11.6 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 12% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $1M, 16% above the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, San Diego County would have about 1,583, against 1,363 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,459 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 14.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is San Diego County, CA growing?
Population estimates put San Diego County at 3,282,248 people in 2025, down 0.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 1,171,278 households. Median household income in San Diego County is $106,268, 32% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 34.6%, 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. San Diego County scores 61 for pet businesses (upper middle), #609 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in San Diego 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 San Diego County
Screening a site or an acquisition in San Diego 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 San Diego 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.