Groundwork

Pets · County · Florida

Pet businesses in Lee County, FL

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet businesses in Lee County, FL, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 68 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #365 of 2,200 scored counties
#17 of 61 scored counties in Florida

Listings
379
75 chain locations (20%)
Official establishments
190
+18.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$299.8M
On pets · $914 a household
Spending per listing
$791K
10% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
11.6
12% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
875,607
+14.4% since 2020

See the pet businesses around any address in Lee 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 Lee County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

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

What this means

Map listings as of September 2026 show 379 pet businesses in Lee County. Chain locations make up 20% of them, against 17% across the U.S. That is 11.6 per 10,000 households, 12% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.

At $914 per household (in line with the U.S. average), households in Lee County spend about $299.8M a year on pets. That is about $791K of household spending for each business on map listings, 10% below the U.S. figure of $878K.

In 2023, official counts showed 190 businesses with payroll in Lee County classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores, up 18.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,725 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts list 541 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 23 SBA-backed loans worth $16.2M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Lee County.

Population estimates put the population change in Lee County from 2020 to 2025 at +14.4%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For pet businesses, Lee County has a Groundwork market score of 68 (upper middle): #365 of 2,200 scored counties and #17 of 61 scored counties in Florida. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Lee 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.

Pet businesses in Lee County, FL compared with Florida and the U.S.
MeasureLee CountyFloridaU.S.
Listings per 10k households11.611.410.4
Spending per listing$791K$801K$878K
Households per official establishment1,7251,6261,852
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+18.0%+14.7%+11.4%
Population growth, 2020–2025+14.4%+8.7%+3.1%
Spending per household on pets$914$915$909
Median household income$76,107$74,568$80,734
Groundwork market score6854

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
161 → 190+18.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,742
Annual payroll, 2023
$72.6M
One-person businesses, 2023
541Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
37975 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
341The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
23
Amount
$16.2M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Lee 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 Lee County

Population, 2025 estimate
875,607+14.4% since 2020
Households
327,803
Median age
48.0
Homes lived in by their owners
74%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
781 sq. mi.
People per square mile
1,047
Median household income
$76,107+31.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$106,469
Median home value
$362,200
Jobs located here
293,056
Daytime population
793,827Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Lee 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 Lee County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Pet businesses across Florida

Every Florida market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Florida for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Florida, with Lee County marked.

Top counties in Florida

Counties in Florida ranked for pet businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Sumter County, FL85547.7$1.2M+21.1%#26 of 2,200
2Polk County, FL812297.9$1M+19.8%#62 of 2,200
3Jefferson County, FL7958.7$939K+11.1%#91 of 2,200
4St. Lucie County, FL7714610.6$809K+21.4%#126 of 2,200
5Santa Rosa County, FL779112.5$794K+11.7%#127 of 2,200
6Hendry County, FL76128.5$926K+21.5%#145 of 2,200
7Gulf County, FL75610.1$826K+11.7%#167 of 2,200
8Orange County, FL735179.8$971K+6.7%#197 of 2,200
9Osceola County, FL731409.8$874K+23.2%#201 of 2,200
10Hillsborough County, FL7260810.4$918K+7.4%#228 of 2,200
17Lee County, FL6837911.6$791K+14.4%#365 of 2,200

Other business types in Lee County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many pet businesses are in Lee County, FL?

There are 379 pet businesses on map listings in Lee County as of September 2026. 75 of them (20%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 190 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 18.0% from 2019. Official counts also show 541 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Lee County, FL spend on pets?

About $299.8M a year, or $914 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 101, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 379 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $791K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 327,803 households in Lee County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Lee County, FL compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?

Lee County has 11.6 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 12% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $791K, 10% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Lee County would have about 341, against 379 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,725 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 18.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.

How fast is Lee County, FL growing?

Population estimates put Lee County at 875,607 people in 2025, up 14.4% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 327,803 households. The median household income in Lee County is $76,107 a year, 6% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.6% 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. Lee County scores 68 for pet businesses (upper middle), #365 of 2,200 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lee 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 Lee County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Lee 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 Lee 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.