Pets · Small-town market · Connecticut
Pet businesses in the Putnam, CT area
How the Putnam, CT 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 23 out of 100: Low
Ranked #501 of 527 scored small-town markets
#2 of 2 scored small-town markets based in Connecticut
- Listings
- 67
- 12 chain locations (18%)
- Official establishments
- 30
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $27.3M
- On pets · $694 a household
- Spending per listing
- $408K
- 54% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 17.0
- 63% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 98,096
- +3.0% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in the Putnam 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 Putnam 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
For pet businesses, the Putnam area has a Groundwork market score of 23 (low): #501 of 527 scored small-town markets and #2 of 2 scored small-town markets based in Connecticut. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
As of September 2026, map listings count 67 pet businesses in the Putnam area. Chain locations make up 18% of them, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 17.0, 63% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
Household spending on pets in the Putnam area comes to about $27.3M a year: $694 per household, 24% below the U.S. average. Spread across 67 pet businesses, that is $408K per business, 54% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
Official counts show 30 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Putnam area in 2023. That is one for every 1,314 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $50K has gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Putnam area. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Putnam area grew 3.0%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Putnam 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 | Putnam area | Connecticut | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 17.0 | 11.1 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $408K | $671K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,314 | 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 | $694 | $742 | $909 |
| Median household income | $90,589 | $95,781 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 23 | 29 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 30
- Employees, 2023
- 274
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $11.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 86Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6712 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 31The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $50K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Putnam 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 Putnam area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 98,096+3.0% since 2020
- Households
- 39,412
- Median age
- 44.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 554 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 174
- Median household income
- $90,589
- Average household income
- $113,121
- Median home value
- $307,600
- Jobs located here
- 28,462
- Daytime population
- 79,653Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Putnam 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 Putnam 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 small-town markets in Connecticut for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Connecticut, with the Putnam area marked.
Top small-town markets in Connecticut
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Torrington, CT | 29 | 68 | 14.2 | $509K | +2.2% | #468 of 527 |
| 2Putnam, CT | 23 | 67 | 17.0 | $408K | +3.0% | #501 of 527 |
Other business types in the Putnam 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 businesses23
- Veterinarians22
- Pet grooming and boarding39
- Pet stores60
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in the Putnam, CT area?
The Putnam area has 67 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 12 of them (18%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 30 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023. Official counts also show 86 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Putnam, CT area spend on pets?
About $27.3M a year, or $694 per household. That is 24% below the U.S. average (an index of 76, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 67 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $408K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 39,412 households in the Putnam area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Putnam, CT area compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
The Putnam area has 17.0 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 63% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $408K, 54% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, the Putnam area would have about 31, against 67 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,314 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.
How fast is the Putnam, CT area growing?
Population estimates put the Putnam area at 98,096 people in 2025, up 3.0% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 39,412 households. The median household income in the Putnam area is $90,589 a year, 12% 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 Putnam area scores 23 for pet businesses (low), #501 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 Putnam 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 Putnam area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Putnam 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 Putnam 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.