Pets · Metro area · Connecticut
Pet businesses in the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet businesses in the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 29 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #340 of 387 scored metro areas
#4 of 5 scored metro areas based in Connecticut
- Listings
- 505
- 95 chain locations (19%)
- Official establishments
- 292
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $341.2M
- On pets · $733 a household
- Spending per listing
- $676K
- 23% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.9
- 5% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,171,426
- +3.0% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro 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 Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro 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
The Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro area scores 29 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for pet businesses, ranking #340 of 387 scored metro areas and #4 of 5 scored metro areas based in Connecticut. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
As of September 2026, map listings count 505 pet businesses in the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro area. Of those, 95 are chain locations, or 19%, against 17% across the U.S. That comes to 10.9 for every 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
Households in the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro area spend about $341.2M a year on pets, or $733 per household, 19% below the U.S. average. Spread across 505 pet businesses, that is $676K per business, 23% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro area was 292 in 2023. That is one for every 1,593 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 22 SBA-backed loans worth $8.4M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro area. Population estimates show the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro area grew 3.0% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro area compares
The same measures for Connecticut 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 | Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro area | Connecticut | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.9 | 11.1 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $676K | $671K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,593 | 1,660 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +5.1% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.0% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $733 | $742 | $909 |
| Median household income | $95,118 | $95,781 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 29 | 29 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 292
- Employees, 2023
- 3,469
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $154.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 615Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 50595 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 388The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 22
- Amount
- $8.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro 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 Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,171,426+3.0% since 2020
- Households
- 465,181
- Median age
- 42.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 1,452 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 794
- Median household income
- $95,118
- Average household income
- $127,867
- Median home value
- $333,500
- Jobs located here
- 597,826
- Daytime population
- 1,193,128Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro 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 Connecticut
Every Connecticut market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Connecticut for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Connecticut, with the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Connecticut
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1New Haven, CT | 43 | 213 | 9.2 | $765K | +2.5% | #254 of 387 |
| 2Waterbury-Shelton, CT | 42 | 165 | 9.2 | $752K | +3.2% | #259 of 387 |
| 3Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | 34 | 442 | 12.5 | $667K | +3.7% | #311 of 387 |
| 4Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | 29 | 505 | 10.9 | $676K | +3.0% | #340 of 387 |
| 5Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT | 25 | 125 | 10.8 | $631K | +2.0% | #355 of 387 |
Other business types in the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro 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 businesses29
- Veterinarians37
- Pet grooming and boarding25
- Pet stores27
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT metro area?
The Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro area has 505 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 95 of them (19%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 292 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023. Official counts also show 615 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT metro area spend on pets?
About $341.2M a year, or $733 per household. That is 19% below the U.S. average (an index of 81, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 505 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $676K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 465,181 households in the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT metro area compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
The Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro area has 10.9 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $676K, 23% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro area would have about 388, against 505 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,593 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.
How fast is the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro area at 1,171,426 people in 2025, up 3.0% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 465,181 households. The median household income in the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro area is $95,118 a year, 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. 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 Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro area scores 29 for pet businesses (lower middle), #340 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro 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 Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro 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 Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro 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.