Pets · County · Florida
Pet businesses in Hardee County, FL
The pet businesses in Hardee County, FL, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 37 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,660 of 2,200 scored counties
#54 of 61 scored counties in Florida
- Listings
- 14
- 2 chain locations (14%)
- Official establishments
- 4
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $6.3M
- On pets · $770 a household
- Spending per listing
- $452K
- 49% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 17.0
- 63% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 25,932
- +2.4% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Hardee 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 Hardee 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
Hardee County scores 37 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for pet businesses, ranking #1,660 of 2,200 scored counties and #54 of 61 scored counties in Florida. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Household spending on pets in Hardee County comes to about $6.3M a year: $770 per household, 15% below the U.S. average. That is about $452K of household spending for each business on map listings, 49% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
There are 14 pet businesses on map listings in Hardee County as of September 2026. 2 of them (14%) are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 17.0, 63% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
In 2023, official counts showed 4 businesses with payroll in Hardee County classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores. That is one for every 2,055 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Population estimates show Hardee County grew 2.4% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Hardee County 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 | Hardee County | Florida | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 17.0 | 11.4 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $452K | $801K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 2,055 | 1,626 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +14.7% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.4% | +8.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $770 | $915 | $909 |
| Median household income | $60,489 | $74,568 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 37 | 54 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 4 → 4
- Employees, 2023
- 35
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 3Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 142 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 7The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Hardee 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 Hardee County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 25,932+2.4% since 2020
- Households
- 8,219
- Median age
- 35.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 638 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 40
- Median household income
- $60,489+56.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $84,981
- Median home value
- $153,600
- Jobs located here
- 6,991
- Daytime population
- 22,490Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Hardee 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 Hardee 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 Florida
Every Florida market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Florida for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Florida, with Hardee County marked.
Top counties in Florida
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Sumter County, FL | 85 | 54 | 7.7 | $1.2M | +21.1% | #26 of 2,200 |
| 2Polk County, FL | 81 | 229 | 7.9 | $1M | +19.8% | #62 of 2,200 |
| 3Jefferson County, FL | 79 | 5 | 8.7 | $939K | +11.1% | #91 of 2,200 |
| 4St. Lucie County, FL | 77 | 146 | 10.6 | $809K | +21.4% | #126 of 2,200 |
| 5Santa Rosa County, FL | 77 | 91 | 12.5 | $794K | +11.7% | #127 of 2,200 |
| 6Hendry County, FL | 76 | 12 | 8.5 | $926K | +21.5% | #145 of 2,200 |
| 7Gulf County, FL | 75 | 6 | 10.1 | $826K | +11.7% | #167 of 2,200 |
| 8Orange County, FL | 73 | 517 | 9.8 | $971K | +6.7% | #197 of 2,200 |
| 9Osceola County, FL | 73 | 140 | 9.8 | $874K | +23.2% | #201 of 2,200 |
| 10Hillsborough County, FL | 72 | 608 | 10.4 | $918K | +7.4% | #228 of 2,200 |
| 54Hardee County, FL | 37 | 14 | 17.0 | $452K | +2.4% | #1,660 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Hardee 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 businesses37
- Veterinarians22
- Pet grooming and boarding
- Pet stores
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Hardee County, FL?
As of September 2026, map listings count 14 pet businesses in Hardee County. 2 of them (14%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023. Official counts list 3 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Hardee County, FL spend on pets?
About $6.3M a year, or $770 per household. That is 15% below the U.S. average (an index of 85, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 14 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $452K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 8,219 households in Hardee County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Hardee County, FL compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Hardee County has 17.0 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 63% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $452K, 49% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Hardee County would have about 7, against 14 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,055 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.
How fast is Hardee County, FL growing?
Population estimates put Hardee County at 25,932 people in 2025, up 2.4% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 8,219 households. Median household income in Hardee County is $60,489, 25% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 56.4%, 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. Hardee County scores 37 for pet businesses (lower middle), #1,660 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Hardee 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 Hardee County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Hardee 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 Hardee 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.