Pets · County · Delaware
Pet businesses in Sussex County, DE
How Sussex County, DE 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 74 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #182 of 2,200 scored counties
#2 of 3 scored counties in Delaware
- Listings
- 123
- 17 chain locations (14%)
- Official establishments
- 53
- −3.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $101.1M
- On pets · $950 a household
- Spending per listing
- $822K
- 6% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.6
- 12% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 277,140
- +16.1% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Sussex 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 Sussex 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
The Groundwork market score for pet businesses in Sussex County is 74 (upper middle), #182 of 2,200 scored counties and #2 of 3 scored counties in Delaware. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for pet businesses.
At $950 per household (5% above the U.S. average), households in Sussex County spend about $101.1M a year on pets. That works out to $822K per business, 6% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
Sussex County has 123 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 14% of them, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 11.6, 12% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Sussex County was 53 in 2023, down 3.6% from 2019. That is one for every 2,008 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $3.3M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Sussex County. Population estimates show Sussex County grew 16.1% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Sussex County compares
The same measures for Delaware 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 | Sussex County | Delaware | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.6 | 9.6 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $822K | $1M | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 2,008 | 2,062 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −3.6% | +3.2% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +16.1% | +6.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $950 | $980 | $909 |
| Median household income | $81,497 | $84,954 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 74 | 83 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 55 → 53−3.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 428
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $17.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 187Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 12317 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 115The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $3.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Sussex 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 Sussex County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 277,140+16.1% since 2020
- Households
- 106,441
- Median age
- 49.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 82%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 936 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 273
- Median household income
- $81,497+29.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $109,287
- Median home value
- $382,600
- Jobs located here
- 85,870
- Daytime population
- 239,628Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Sussex 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 Sussex 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 Delaware
Every Delaware market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Delaware for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Delaware, with Sussex County marked.
Top counties in Delaware
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1New Castle County, DE | 79 | 184 | 8.2 | $1.3M | +3.0% | #81 of 2,200 |
| 2Sussex County, DE | 74 | 123 | 11.6 | $822K | +16.1% | #182 of 2,200 |
| 3Kent County, DE | 66 | 79 | 11.1 | $796K | +6.8% | #443 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Sussex 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 businesses74
- Veterinarians91
- Pet grooming and boarding73
- Pet stores49
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Sussex County, DE?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 123 pet businesses in Sussex County. 17 of them (14%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 53 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, down 3.6% from 2019. Another 187 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Sussex County, DE spend on pets?
About $101.1M a year, or $950 per household. That is 5% above the U.S. average (an index of 105, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 123 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $822K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 106,441 households in Sussex County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Sussex County, DE compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Sussex County has 11.6 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 12% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $822K, 6% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Sussex County would have about 115, against 123 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,008 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count fell 3.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is Sussex County, DE growing?
Population estimates put Sussex County at 277,140 people in 2025, up 16.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 106,441 households. Median household income in Sussex County is $81,497, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.0%, 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. Sussex County scores 74 for pet businesses (upper middle), #182 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Sussex 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 Sussex County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Sussex 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 Sussex 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.