Pets · Metro area · Georgia
Pet businesses in the Dalton, GA metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet businesses in the Dalton, GA metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 72 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #46 of 387 scored metro areas
#4 of 14 scored metro areas based in Georgia
- Listings
- 40
- 11 chain locations (28%)
- Official establishments
- 19
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $42.4M
- On pets · $814 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.1M
- 21% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.7
- 26% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 147,819
- +3.5% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in the Dalton 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 Dalton 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 Dalton metro area spend about $42.4M a year on pets, or $814 per household, 11% below the U.S. average. That works out to $1.1M per business, 21% above the U.S. figure of $878K.
There are 40 pet businesses on map listings in the Dalton metro area as of September 2026. 11 of them (28%) are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 7.7, 26% 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 Dalton metro area was 19 in 2023. That is one for every 2,741 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts list 42 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates put the population change in the Dalton metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +3.5%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). For pet businesses, the Dalton metro area has a Groundwork market score of 72 (upper middle): #46 of 387 scored metro areas and #4 of 14 scored metro areas based in Georgia. That puts it in the top quarter of metro areas.
How the Dalton 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 | Dalton metro area | Georgia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.7 | 9.8 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $1.1M | $951K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 2,741 | 1,975 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +14.0% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.5% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $814 | $936 | $909 |
| Median household income | $67,846 | $77,353 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 72 | 71 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 19
- Employees, 2023
- 286
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $11.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 42Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4011 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 48The 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 the Dalton 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 Dalton metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 147,819+3.5% since 2020
- Households
- 52,080
- Median age
- 37.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 635 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 227
- Median household income
- $67,846+39.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $86,684
- Median home value
- $208,800
- Jobs located here
- 67,757
- Daytime population
- 144,718Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Dalton 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 Dalton 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 Dalton 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 |
Other business types in the Dalton 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 businesses72
- Veterinarians62
- Pet grooming and boarding75
- Pet stores66
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in the Dalton, GA metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 40 pet businesses in the Dalton metro area. 11 of them (28%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 19 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023. Official counts also show 42 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Dalton, GA metro area spend on pets?
About $42.4M a year, or $814 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 40 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $1.1M per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 52,080 households in the Dalton metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Dalton, GA metro area compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
The Dalton metro area has 7.7 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 26% below the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $1.1M, 21% above the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, the Dalton metro area would have about 48, against 40 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,741 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.
How fast is the Dalton, GA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Dalton metro area at 147,819 people in 2025, up 3.5% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 52,080 households. Median household income in the Dalton metro area is $67,846, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 39.9%, 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 Dalton metro area scores 72 for pet businesses (upper middle), #46 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 Dalton 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 Dalton metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Dalton 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 Dalton 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.