Pets · County · Florida
Pet businesses in Highlands County, FL
The pet businesses in Highlands County, FL, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 67 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #405 of 2,200 scored counties
#20 of 61 scored counties in Florida
- Listings
- 45
- 7 chain locations (16%)
- Official establishments
- 15
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $34.5M
- On pets · $736 a household
- Spending per listing
- $767K
- 13% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.6
- 8% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 111,122
- +9.7% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Highlands 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 Highlands 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 45 pet businesses in Highlands County. Chain locations make up 16% of them, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 9.6, 8% below the U.S. rate of 10.4.
Household spending on pets in Highlands County comes to about $34.5M a year: $736 per household, 19% below the U.S. average. Spread across 45 pet businesses, that is $767K per business, 13% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
Official counts show 15 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Highlands County in 2023. That is one for every 3,125 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Another 53 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Population estimates show Highlands County grew 9.7% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for pet businesses in Highlands County is 67 (upper middle), #405 of 2,200 scored counties and #20 of 61 scored counties in Florida. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Highlands 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 | Highlands County | Florida | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.6 | 11.4 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $767K | $801K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 3,125 | 1,626 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +14.7% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +9.7% | +8.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $736 | $915 | $909 |
| Median household income | $54,897 | $74,568 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 67 | 54 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 15 → 15
- Employees, 2023
- 145
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 53Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 457 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 39The 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 Highlands 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 Highlands County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 111,122+9.7% since 2020
- Households
- 46,879
- Median age
- 52.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 79%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 1,018 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 104
- Median household income
- $54,897+34.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $71,953
- Median home value
- $187,900
- Jobs located here
- 28,038
- Daytime population
- 94,243Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Highlands 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 Highlands 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 Highlands 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 |
| 20Highlands County, FL | 67 | 45 | 9.6 | $767K | +9.7% | #405 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Highlands 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 businesses67
- Veterinarians70
- Pet grooming and boarding65
- Pet stores48
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Highlands County, FL?
Highlands County has 45 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 7 of them (16%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 15 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023. Official counts list 53 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Highlands County, FL spend on pets?
About $34.5M a year, or $736 per household. That is 19% below the U.S. average (an index of 81, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 45 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $767K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 46,879 households in Highlands County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Highlands County, FL compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Highlands County has 9.6 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $767K, 13% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Highlands County would have about 39, against 45 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,125 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.
How fast is Highlands County, FL growing?
Population estimates put Highlands County at 111,122 people in 2025, up 9.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 46,879 households. The median household income in Highlands County is $54,897 a year, 32% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 34.1% 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. Highlands County scores 67 for pet businesses (upper middle), #405 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Highlands 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 Highlands County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Highlands 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 Highlands 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.