Pets · Small-town market · Colorado
Pet businesses in the Rifle, CO area
How the Rifle, CO area compares with other small-town markets and the U.S. for pet businesses: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 60 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #145 of 527 scored small-town markets
#2 of 10 scored small-town markets based in Colorado
- Listings
- 43
- 1 chain location (2%)
- Official establishments
- 37
- −2.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $35.2M
- On pets · $1,081 a household
- Spending per listing
- $820K
- 7% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.2
- 27% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 80,099
- +1.2% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in the Rifle 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 Rifle 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
At $1,081 per household (19% above the U.S. average), households in the Rifle area spend about $35.2M a year on pets. Spread across 43 pet businesses, that is $820K per business, 7% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
There are 43 pet businesses on map listings in the Rifle area as of September 2026. One of them (2%) is a chain location, against 17% across the U.S. That is 13.2 per 10,000 households, 27% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
In 2023, official counts showed 37 businesses with payroll in the Rifle area classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores, down 2.9% from 2019. That is one for every 882 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts list 66 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $954K have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Rifle area.
Population estimates show the Rifle area grew 1.2% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For pet businesses, the Rifle area has a Groundwork market score of 60 (upper middle): #145 of 527 scored small-town markets and #2 of 10 scored small-town markets based in Colorado.
How the Rifle area 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 | Rifle area | Colorado | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.2 | 13.2 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $820K | $838K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 882 | 1,241 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −2.9% | +12.9% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.2% | +3.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $1,081 | $1,110 | $909 |
| Median household income | $95,635 | $95,470 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 60 | 54 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 37−2.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 242
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $11.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 66Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 431 chain location
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 40The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $954K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Rifle 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 Rifle area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 80,099+1.2% since 2020
- Households
- 32,619
- Median age
- 40.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 3,918 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 20
- Median household income
- $95,635
- Average household income
- $136,246
- Median home value
- $595,100
- Jobs located here
- 42,438
- Daytime population
- 79,095Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Rifle area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 Rifle 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 Colorado
Every Colorado market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Colorado for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Colorado, with the Rifle area marked.
Top small-town markets in Colorado
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Alamosa, CO | 76 | 8 | 7.0 | $1.1M | +2.1% | #23 of 527 |
| 2Rifle, CO | 60 | 43 | 13.2 | $820K | +1.2% | #145 of 527 |
| 3Breckenridge, CO | 56 | 25 | 16.1 | $750K | +1.1% | #195 of 527 |
| 4Montrose, CO | 53 | 26 | 14.4 | $619K | +4.1% | #239 of 527 |
| 5Fort Morgan, CO | 53 | 19 | 17.2 | $496K | +4.2% | #244 of 527 |
| 6Durango, CO | 52 | 39 | 16.0 | $645K | +2.2% | #251 of 527 |
| 7Steamboat Springs, CO | 48 | 29 | 17.4 | $629K | +0.9% | #304 of 527 |
| 8Cañon City, CO | 42 | 29 | 16.1 | $516K | +2.4% | #367 of 527 |
| 9Edwards, CO | 36 | 45 | 20.4 | $579K | −2.4% | #420 of 527 |
| 10Sterling, CO | 24 | 13 | 15.8 | $495K | −2.7% | #493 of 527 |
Other business types in the Rifle 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 businesses60
- Veterinarians42
- Pet grooming and boarding66
- Pet stores83
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in the Rifle, CO area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 43 pet businesses in the Rifle area. One of them (2%) is a chain location. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 37 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, down 2.9% from 2019. Official counts also show 66 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Rifle, CO area spend on pets?
About $35.2M a year, or $1,081 per household. That is 19% above the U.S. average (an index of 119, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 43 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $820K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 32,619 households in the Rifle area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Rifle, CO area compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
The Rifle area has 13.2 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 27% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $820K, 7% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, the Rifle area would have about 40, against 43 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 882 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is the Rifle, CO area growing?
Population estimates put the Rifle area at 80,099 people in 2025, up 1.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 32,619 households. Median household income in the Rifle area is $95,635, 18% above the U.S. median of $80,734.
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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Rifle area scores 60 for pet businesses (upper middle), #145 of 527 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Rifle 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 Rifle area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Rifle 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 Rifle 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.