Pets · County · California
Pet businesses in Santa Clara County, CA
The pet businesses in Santa Clara County, CA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 78 out of 100: High
Ranked #98 of 2,200 scored counties
#13 of 54 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 471
- 119 chain locations (25%)
- Official establishments
- 262
- +3.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $981.7M
- On pets · $1,489 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.1M
- 2.4 times the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.1
- 32% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,914,391
- −0.9% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara 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
For pet businesses, Santa Clara County has a Groundwork market score of 78 (high): #98 of 2,200 scored counties and #13 of 54 scored counties in California. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for pet businesses.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 471 pet businesses in Santa Clara County. Of those, 119 are chain locations, or 25%, against 17% across the U.S. That comes to 7.1 for every 10,000 households, 32% below the U.S. rate of 10.4.
Households in Santa Clara County spend about $981.7M a year on pets, or $1,489 per household, 64% above the U.S. average. That is about $2.1M of household spending for each business on map listings, 2.4 times the U.S. figure of $878K.
In 2023, official counts showed 262 businesses with payroll in Santa Clara County classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores, up 3.6% from 2019. That is one for every 2,517 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 12 SBA-backed loans worth $17.6M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Santa Clara County. Population estimates show Santa Clara County declined 0.9% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Santa Clara 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 | Santa Clara County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.1 | 9.3 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $2.1M | $1.2M | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 2,517 | 1,875 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +3.6% | +11.6% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.9% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $1,489 | $1,149 | $909 |
| Median household income | $164,281 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 78 | 68 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 253 → 262+3.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,035
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $164.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 895Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 471119 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,118The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 12
- Amount
- $17.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,914,391−0.9% since 2020
- Households
- 659,353
- Median age
- 39.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 55%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,291 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,473
- Median household income
- $164,281+32.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $227,008
- Median home value
- $1,490,600
- Jobs located here
- 1,140,081
- Daytime population
- 2,082,732Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara 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 |
| 13Santa Clara County, CA | 78 | 471 | 7.1 | $2.1M | −0.9% | #98 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Santa Clara 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 businesses78
- Veterinarians80
- Pet grooming and boarding80
- Pet stores77
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Santa Clara County, CA?
There are 471 pet businesses on map listings in Santa Clara County as of September 2026. 119 of them (25%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 262 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 3.6% from 2019. Another 895 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Santa Clara County, CA spend on pets?
About $981.7M a year, or $1,489 per household. That is 64% above the U.S. average (an index of 164, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 471 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $2.1M per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 659,353 households in Santa Clara County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Santa Clara County, CA compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Santa Clara County has 7.1 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 32% below the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $2.1M, 2.4 times the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Santa Clara County would have about 1,118, against 471 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,517 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is Santa Clara County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Santa Clara County at 1,914,391 people in 2025, down 0.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 659,353 households. The median household income in Santa Clara County is $164,281 a year, twice the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 32.4% 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. Santa Clara County scores 78 for pet businesses (high), #98 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara 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.