Pets · County · California
Pet businesses in San Francisco County, CA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet businesses in San Francisco County, CA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 71 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #238 of 2,200 scored counties
#20 of 54 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 261
- 24 chain locations (9%)
- Official establishments
- 157
- +6.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $499.8M
- On pets · $1,373 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.9M
- 2.2 times the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.2
- 31% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 826,079
- −5.6% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in San Francisco 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 Francisco 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
At $1,373 per household (51% above the U.S. average), households in San Francisco County spend about $499.8M a year on pets. Spread across 261 pet businesses, that is $1.9M per business, 2.2 times the U.S. figure of $878K.
There are 261 pet businesses on map listings in San Francisco County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 9% of them, against 17% across the U.S. That is 7.2 per 10,000 households, 31% below the U.S. rate of 10.4.
Official counts show 157 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in San Francisco County in 2023, up 6.1% from 2019. That is one for every 2,318 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts also show 715 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 9 SBA-backed loans worth $9M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in San Francisco County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of San Francisco County declined 5.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S. San Francisco County scores 71 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for pet businesses, ranking #238 of 2,200 scored counties and #20 of 54 scored counties in California. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How San Francisco 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 Francisco County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.2 | 9.3 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $1.9M | $1.2M | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 2,318 | 1,875 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +6.1% | +11.6% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −5.6% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $1,373 | $1,149 | $909 |
| Median household income | $140,970 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 71 | 68 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 148 → 157+6.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,225
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $155.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 715Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 26124 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 569The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 9
- Amount
- $9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in San Francisco 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 Francisco County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 826,079−5.6% since 2020
- Households
- 363,970
- Median age
- 41.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 38%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.1
- Land area
- 47 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 17,777
- Median household income
- $140,970+25.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $206,854
- Median home value
- $1,394,500
- Jobs located here
- 747,999
- Daytime population
- 1,133,228Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in San Francisco 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 Francisco 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 Francisco 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 |
| 20San Francisco County, CA | 71 | 261 | 7.2 | $1.9M | −5.6% | #238 of 2,200 |
Other business types in San Francisco 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 businesses71
- Veterinarians80
- Pet grooming and boarding66
- Pet stores69
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in San Francisco County, CA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 261 pet businesses in San Francisco County. 24 of them (9%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 157 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 6.1% from 2019. Another 715 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in San Francisco County, CA spend on pets?
About $499.8M a year, or $1,373 per household. That is 51% above the U.S. average (an index of 151, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 261 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $1.9M per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 363,970 households in San Francisco County and national spending patterns by income.
How does San Francisco County, CA compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
San Francisco County has 7.2 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 31% below the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $1.9M, 2.2 times the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, San Francisco County would have about 569, against 261 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,318 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 6.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is San Francisco County, CA growing?
Population estimates put San Francisco County at 826,079 people in 2025, down 5.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 363,970 households. Median household income in San Francisco County is $140,970, 75% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.4%, 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 Francisco County scores 71 for pet businesses (upper middle), #238 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 Francisco 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 Francisco County
Screening a site or an acquisition in San Francisco 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 Francisco 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.