Pets · Metro area · Georgia
Pet businesses in the Columbus, GA-AL metro area
The pet businesses in the Columbus, GA-AL metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 50 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #195 of 387 scored metro areas
#11 of 14 scored metro areas based in Georgia
- Listings
- 118
- 19 chain locations (16%)
- Official establishments
- 56
- +29.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $100.6M
- On pets · $789 a household
- Spending per listing
- $853K
- 3% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.3
- 11% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 324,830
- −1.3% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in the Columbus 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 Columbus 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
Households in the Columbus metro area spend about $100.6M a year on pets, or $789 per household, 13% below the U.S. average. That works out to $853K per business, 3% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
The Columbus metro area has 118 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 19 of them (16%) are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. That is 9.3 per 10,000 households, 11% below the U.S. rate of 10.4.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Columbus metro area was 56 in 2023, up 29.3% from 2019. That is one for every 2,277 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Another 122 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $6,000 has gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Columbus metro area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Columbus metro area declined 1.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Columbus metro area scores 50 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for pet businesses, ranking #195 of 387 scored metro areas and #11 of 14 scored metro areas based in Georgia.
How the Columbus 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 | Columbus metro area | Georgia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.3 | 9.8 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $853K | $951K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 2,277 | 1,975 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +29.3% | +14.0% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.3% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $789 | $936 | $909 |
| Median household income | $59,336 | $77,353 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 50 | 71 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 56+29.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 566
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $17.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 122Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 11819 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 115The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $6,000
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Columbus 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 Columbus metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 324,830−1.3% since 2020
- Households
- 127,512
- Median age
- 37.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 58%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 2,786 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 117
- Median household income
- $59,336+24.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $81,434
- Median home value
- $197,300
- Jobs located here
- 110,573
- Daytime population
- 319,730Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Columbus 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 Columbus 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 Columbus 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 |
| 11Columbus, GA-AL | 50 | 118 | 9.3 | $853K | −1.3% | #195 of 387 |
Other business types in the Columbus 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 businesses50
- Veterinarians38
- Pet grooming and boarding51
- Pet stores60
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in the Columbus, GA-AL metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 118 pet businesses in the Columbus metro area. 19 of them (16%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 56 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 29.3% from 2019. Official counts list 122 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Columbus, GA-AL metro area spend on pets?
About $100.6M a year, or $789 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 118 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $853K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 127,512 households in the Columbus metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Columbus, GA-AL metro area compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
The Columbus metro area has 9.3 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 11% below the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $853K, 3% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, the Columbus metro area would have about 115, against 118 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,277 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 29.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is the Columbus, GA-AL metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Columbus metro area at 324,830 people in 2025, down 1.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 127,512 households. Median household income in the Columbus metro area is $59,336, 27% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.7%, 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 Columbus metro area scores 50 for pet businesses (upper middle), #195 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 Columbus 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 Columbus metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Columbus 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 Columbus 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.