Pets · County · Colorado
Pet businesses in Boulder County, CO
How Boulder County, CO compares with other counties and the U.S. for pet businesses: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 51 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,035 of 2,200 scored counties
#13 of 37 scored counties in Colorado
- Listings
- 196
- 46 chain locations (23%)
- Official establishments
- 140
- +2.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $163.5M
- On pets · $1,194 a household
- Spending per listing
- $834K
- 5% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 14.3
- 38% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 328,560
- −0.7% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Boulder 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 Boulder 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 $1,194 per household (31% above the U.S. average), households in Boulder County spend about $163.5M a year on pets. That is about $834K of household spending for each business on map listings, 5% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
Boulder County has 196 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 46 of them (23%) are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 14.3, 38% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
Official counts show 140 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Boulder County in 2023, up 2.2% from 2019. That is one for every 979 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts also show 405 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 13 SBA-backed loans worth $6.2M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Boulder County.
Population estimates put the population change in Boulder County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For pet businesses, Boulder County has a Groundwork market score of 51 (upper middle): #1,035 of 2,200 scored counties and #13 of 37 scored counties in Colorado.
How Boulder County compares
The same measures for Colorado 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 | Boulder County | Colorado | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 14.3 | 13.2 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $834K | $838K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 979 | 1,241 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +2.2% | +12.9% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.7% | +3.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $1,194 | $1,110 | $909 |
| Median household income | $103,994 | $95,470 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 51 | 54 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 137 → 140+2.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,995
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $105.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 405Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 19646 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 186The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 13
- Amount
- $6.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Boulder 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 Boulder County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 328,560−0.7% since 2020
- Households
- 137,008
- Median age
- 39.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 726 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 453
- Median household income
- $103,994+25.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $148,846
- Median home value
- $756,300
- Jobs located here
- 190,563
- Daytime population
- 376,803Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Boulder 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 Boulder 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 Colorado
Every Colorado market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Colorado for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Colorado, with Boulder County marked.
Top counties in Colorado
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Adams County, CO | 81 | 179 | 9.5 | $1.1M | +6.6% | #60 of 2,200 |
| 2Denver County, CO | 76 | 295 | 8.8 | $1.3M | +3.2% | #135 of 2,200 |
| 3Park County, CO | 72 | 9 | 10.0 | $1.1M | +5.1% | #218 of 2,200 |
| 4Pueblo County, CO | 72 | 55 | 8.0 | $1.1M | +0.6% | #220 of 2,200 |
| 5Douglas County, CO | 69 | 213 | 15.2 | $944K | +10.9% | #317 of 2,200 |
| 6Arapahoe County, CO | 68 | 284 | 11.0 | $1M | +2.8% | #345 of 2,200 |
| 7Broomfield County, CO | 67 | 44 | 13.9 | $940K | +6.3% | #386 of 2,200 |
| 8Alamosa County, CO | 66 | 5 | 7.5 | $1M | +1.9% | #423 of 2,200 |
| 9Grand County, CO | 64 | 8 | 10.7 | $974K | +4.8% | #497 of 2,200 |
| 10Weld County, CO | 62 | 173 | 13.9 | $775K | +14.2% | #586 of 2,200 |
| 13Boulder County, CO | 51 | 196 | 14.3 | $834K | −0.7% | #1,035 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Boulder 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 businesses51
- Veterinarians43
- Pet grooming and boarding54
- Pet stores40
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Boulder County, CO?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 196 pet businesses in Boulder County. 46 of them (23%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 140 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 2.2% from 2019. Another 405 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Boulder County, CO spend on pets?
About $163.5M a year, or $1,194 per household. That is 31% above the U.S. average (an index of 131, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 196 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $834K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 137,008 households in Boulder County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Boulder County, CO compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Boulder County has 14.3 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 38% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $834K, 5% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Boulder County would have about 186, against 196 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 979 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is Boulder County, CO growing?
Population estimates put Boulder County at 328,560 people in 2025, down 0.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 137,008 households. Median household income in Boulder County is $103,994, 29% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.3%, 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. Boulder County scores 51 for pet businesses (upper middle), #1,035 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Boulder 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 Boulder County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Boulder 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 Boulder 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.