Pets · Metro area · Georgia
Pet businesses in the Athens-Clarke County, GA metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet businesses in the Athens-Clarke County, GA metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 34 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #312 of 387 scored metro areas
#14 of 14 scored metro areas based in Georgia
- Listings
- 119
- 17 chain locations (14%)
- Official establishments
- 59
- +8.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $74M
- On pets · $859 a household
- Spending per listing
- $622K
- 29% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.8
- 33% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 224,148
- +3.9% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in the Athens-Clarke County 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 Athens-Clarke County 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 Athens-Clarke County metro area is 34 (lower middle), #312 of 387 scored metro areas and #14 of 14 scored metro areas based in Georgia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
At $859 per household (5% below the U.S. average), households in the Athens-Clarke County metro area spend about $74M a year on pets. That is about $622K of household spending for each business on map listings, 29% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
The Athens-Clarke County metro area has 119 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 17 of them (14%) are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. That comes to 13.8 for every 10,000 households, 33% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
In 2023, official counts showed 59 businesses with payroll in the Athens-Clarke County metro area classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores, up 8.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,459 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $9.6M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Athens-Clarke County metro area. Population estimates show the Athens-Clarke County metro area grew 3.9% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Athens-Clarke County metro area compares
The same measures for Georgia 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 | Athens-Clarke County metro area | Georgia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.8 | 9.8 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $622K | $951K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,459 | 1,975 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +8.0% | +14.0% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.9% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $859 | $936 | $909 |
| Median household income | $65,608 | $77,353 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 34 | 71 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 59+8.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 681
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $23.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 183Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 11917 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 84The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 7
- Amount
- $9.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Athens-Clarke County 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 Athens-Clarke County metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 224,148+3.9% since 2020
- Households
- 86,101
- Median age
- 36.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 56%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 1,025 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 215
- Median household income
- $65,608+39.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $94,551
- Median home value
- $310,200
- Jobs located here
- 94,787
- Daytime population
- 224,908Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Athens-Clarke County 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 Athens-Clarke County 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 Georgia
Every Georgia market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Georgia for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Georgia, with the Athens-Clarke County metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Georgia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 75 | 2,243 | 9.7 | $1.1M | +5.9% | #28 of 387 |
| 2Gainesville, GA | 75 | 76 | 10.3 | $922K | +11.4% | #30 of 387 |
| 3Warner Robins, GA | 74 | 75 | 10.1 | $900K | +8.2% | #36 of 387 |
| 4Dalton, GA | 72 | 40 | 7.7 | $1.1M | +3.5% | #46 of 387 |
| 5Valdosta, GA | 67 | 44 | 7.7 | $978K | +3.3% | #67 of 387 |
| 6Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC | 67 | 207 | 8.9 | $972K | +4.7% | #68 of 387 |
| 7Hinesville, GA | 66 | 28 | 9.3 | $816K | +12.6% | #79 of 387 |
| 8Macon-Bibb County, GA | 61 | 81 | 9.1 | $879K | +2.1% | #107 of 387 |
| 9Savannah, GA | 61 | 176 | 10.9 | $839K | +8.1% | #109 of 387 |
| 10Brunswick-St. Simons, GA | 59 | 49 | 10.4 | $821K | +4.4% | #127 of 387 |
| 14Athens-Clarke County, GA | 34 | 119 | 13.8 | $622K | +3.9% | #312 of 387 |
Other business types in the Athens-Clarke County 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 businesses34
- Veterinarians26
- Pet grooming and boarding69
- Pet stores54
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in the Athens-Clarke County, GA metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 119 pet businesses in the Athens-Clarke County metro area. 17 of them (14%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 59 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 8.0% from 2019. Official counts list 183 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Athens-Clarke County, GA metro area spend on pets?
About $74M a year, or $859 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 119 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $622K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 86,101 households in the Athens-Clarke County metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Athens-Clarke County, GA metro area compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
The Athens-Clarke County metro area has 13.8 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 33% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $622K, 29% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, the Athens-Clarke County metro area would have about 84, against 119 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,459 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is the Athens-Clarke County, GA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Athens-Clarke County metro area at 224,148 people in 2025, up 3.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 86,101 households. Median household income in the Athens-Clarke County metro area is $65,608, 19% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 39.0%, 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 Athens-Clarke County metro area scores 34 for pet businesses (lower middle), #312 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 Athens-Clarke County 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 Athens-Clarke County metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Athens-Clarke County 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 Athens-Clarke County 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.