Pets · Metro area · Florida
Pet businesses in the Gainesville, FL metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet businesses in the Gainesville, FL metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 30 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #338 of 387 scored metro areas
#21 of 22 scored metro areas based in Florida
- Listings
- 211
- 35 chain locations (17%)
- Official establishments
- 108
- +3.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $119M
- On pets · $835 a household
- Spending per listing
- $564K
- 36% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 14.8
- 42% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 359,036
- +5.4% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in the Gainesville 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 Gainesville 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 Groundwork market score for pet businesses in the Gainesville metro area is 30 (lower middle), #338 of 387 scored metro areas and #21 of 22 scored metro areas based in Florida. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 211 pet businesses in the Gainesville metro area. 35 of them (17%) are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. That comes to 14.8 for every 10,000 households, 42% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
Household spending on pets in the Gainesville metro area comes to about $119M a year: $835 per household, 8% below the U.S. average. That works out to $564K per business, 36% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Gainesville metro area was 108 in 2023, up 3.9% from 2019. That is one for every 1,319 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $9.2M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Gainesville metro area. Population estimates show the Gainesville metro area grew 5.4% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Gainesville metro area compares
The same measures for Florida 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 | Gainesville metro area | Florida | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 14.8 | 11.4 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $564K | $801K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,319 | 1,626 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +3.9% | +14.7% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.4% | +8.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $835 | $915 | $909 |
| Median household income | $61,468 | $74,568 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 30 | 54 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 108+3.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,013
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $36.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 310Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 21135 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 136The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $9.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Gainesville 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 Gainesville metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 359,036+5.4% since 2020
- Households
- 142,499
- Median age
- 38.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 59%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 2,344 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 149
- Median household income
- $61,468+31.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $91,169
- Median home value
- $266,200
- Jobs located here
- 152,641
- Daytime population
- 368,793Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Gainesville 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 Gainesville 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 Florida
Every Florida market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Florida for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Florida, with the Gainesville metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Florida
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Wildwood-The Villages, FL | 86 | 54 | 7.7 | $1.2M | +21.1% | #5 of 387 |
| 2Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL | 79 | 229 | 7.9 | $1M | +19.8% | #19 of 387 |
| 3Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL | 67 | 235 | 11.7 | $774K | +6.5% | #71 of 387 |
| 4Naples-Marco Island, FL | 65 | 206 | 12.4 | $840K | +10.6% | #85 of 387 |
| 5Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | 64 | 1,105 | 10.8 | $864K | +10.3% | #90 of 387 |
| 6Jacksonville, FL | 60 | 758 | 11.4 | $827K | +10.7% | #115 of 387 |
| 7Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL | 60 | 379 | 11.6 | $791K | +14.4% | #116 of 387 |
| 8Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 59 | 2,485 | 10.6 | $884K | +4.2% | #124 of 387 |
| 9Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL | 59 | 297 | 11.5 | $810K | +9.1% | #128 of 387 |
| 10Sebring, FL | 59 | 45 | 9.6 | $767K | +9.7% | #129 of 387 |
| 21Gainesville, FL | 30 | 211 | 14.8 | $564K | +5.4% | #338 of 387 |
Other business types in the Gainesville 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 businesses30
- Veterinarians27
- Pet grooming and boarding56
- Pet stores38
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in the Gainesville, FL metro area?
There are 211 pet businesses on map listings in the Gainesville metro area as of September 2026. 35 of them (17%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 108 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 3.9% from 2019. Official counts list 310 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Gainesville, FL metro area spend on pets?
About $119M a year, or $835 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 211 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $564K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 142,499 households in the Gainesville metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Gainesville, FL metro area compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
The Gainesville metro area has 14.8 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 42% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $564K, 36% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, the Gainesville metro area would have about 136, against 211 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,319 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is the Gainesville, FL metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Gainesville metro area at 359,036 people in 2025, up 5.4% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 142,499 households. The median household income in the Gainesville metro area is $61,468 a year, 24% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.2% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. The Gainesville metro area scores 30 for pet businesses (lower middle), #338 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 Gainesville 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 Gainesville metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Gainesville 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 Gainesville 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.