Groundwork

Market rankings · District of Columbia

Pet businesses in the District of Columbia

Every metro area, small-town market and county in the District of Columbia, ranked by the Groundwork market score for pet businesses, with competitor counts and household spending for each.

Listings
131
36 chain locations (27%)
Official establishments
78
+11.4% since 2019
Household spending a year
$380.5M
On pets
Listings per 10k households
4.0
62% below the U.S.
Spending per listing
$2.9M
3.3 times the U.S.
Rank among states
#1 of 51
Market score 93 · Very high

A site report maps the pet businesses on map listings around any address in the District of Columbia by name and distance, and the spending within reach.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

The District of Columbia has 131 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 27% of them, against 17% across the U.S. That comes to 4.0 for every 10,000 households, 62% below the U.S. rate of 10.4.

Household spending on pets in the District of Columbia comes to about $380.5M a year: $1,173 per household, 29% above the U.S. average. That is about $2.9M of household spending for each business on map listings, 3.3 times the U.S. figure of $878K.

In 2023, official counts showed 78 businesses with payroll in the District of Columbia classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores, up 11.4% from 2019. That is one for every 4,160 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 11.4% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $2.8M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the District of Columbia.

Among the 50 states and DC, the District of Columbia ranks #1 for pet businesses, with a Groundwork market score of 93 (very high). The one scored metro area in or partly in the District of Columbia, the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area, scores 81.

Every market in the District of Columbia for pet businesses

Download the ranking (CSV)

Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in the District of Columbia, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.

Metro areas

Metro areas reaching the District of Columbia, ranked for pet businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV811,9328.1$1.5M+3.3%#11 of 387

Counties

Counties in the District of Columbia, ranked for pet businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
District of ColumbiaNot scored1314.0$2.9M+3.4%

Markets with fewer than 5 pet businesses on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.

Questions

How many pet businesses are in the District of Columbia?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 131 pet businesses in the District of Columbia. 36 of them (27%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 78 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 11.4% from 2019. Official counts list 1,042 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in the District of Columbia spend on pets?

About $380.5M a year, or $1,173 per household. That is 29% above the U.S. average (an index of 129, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 131 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $2.9M per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 324,491 households in the District of Columbia and national spending patterns by income.

How does the District of Columbia compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?

The District of Columbia has 4.0 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 62% below the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $2.9M, 3.3 times the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, the District of Columbia would have about 433, against 131 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 4,160 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 11.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.

Which market in the District of Columbia has the highest market score for pet businesses?

The one scored metro area in or partly in the District of Columbia is the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area, at 81 (high). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.

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 District of Columbia scores 93 for pet businesses (very high), #1 of the 50 states and DC.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the District of Columbia. 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.

Pet businesses in other states

All 51 states

Top markets for pet businesses across the U.S. · All business types in the District of Columbia

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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.