Groundwork

Pets · County · Georgia

Pet businesses in DeKalb County, GA

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 75 out of 100: High

Ranked #154 of 2,200 scored counties
#22 of 106 scored counties in Georgia

Listings
209
54 chain locations (26%)
Official establishments
134
+8.9% since 2019
Household spending a year
$285.7M
On pets · $995 a household
Spending per listing
$1.4M
56% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
7.3
30% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
774,394
+1.3% since 2020

See the pet businesses around any address in DeKalb 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 DeKalb 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

For pet businesses, DeKalb County has a Groundwork market score of 75 (high): #154 of 2,200 scored counties and #22 of 106 scored counties in Georgia. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for pet businesses.

As of September 2026, map listings count 209 pet businesses in DeKalb County. Chain locations make up 26% of them, against 17% across the U.S. That comes to 7.3 for every 10,000 households, 30% below the U.S. rate of 10.4.

Household spending on pets in DeKalb County comes to about $285.7M a year: $995 per household, 9% above the U.S. average. Spread across 209 pet businesses, that is $1.4M per business, 56% above the U.S. figure of $878K.

In 2023, official counts showed 134 businesses with payroll in DeKalb County classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores, up 8.9% from 2019. That is one for every 2,144 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 8 SBA-backed loans worth $1.9M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in DeKalb County. Population estimates show DeKalb County grew 1.3% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How DeKalb County 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.

Pet businesses in DeKalb County, GA compared with Georgia and the U.S.
MeasureDeKalb CountyGeorgiaU.S.
Listings per 10k households7.39.810.4
Spending per listing$1.4M$951K$878K
Households per official establishment2,1441,9751,852
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+8.9%+14.0%+11.4%
Population growth, 2020–2025+1.3%+5.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on pets$995$936$909
Median household income$80,644$77,353$80,734
Groundwork market score7571

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
123 → 134+8.9% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,690
Annual payroll, 2023
$62.7M
One-person businesses, 2023
512Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
20954 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
325The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
8
Amount
$1.9M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
774,394+1.3% since 2020
Households
287,239
Median age
37.7
Homes lived in by their owners
59%
Vehicles per household
1.6
Land area
268 sq. mi.
People per square mile
2,860
Median household income
$80,644+29.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$119,811
Median home value
$357,800
Jobs located here
346,946
Daytime population
767,907Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in DeKalb 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 DeKalb 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 Georgia

Every Georgia market ranked →

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

Top counties in Georgia

Counties in Georgia ranked for pet businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Paulding County, GA91477.8$1.3M+12.7%#3 of 2,200
2Pike County, GA9068.9$1.1M+10.5%#7 of 2,200
3Henry County, GA88667.6$1.2M+9.5%#11 of 2,200
4Douglas County, GA87377.1$1.3M+6.6%#13 of 2,200
5Newton County, GA87297.0$1.3M+11.2%#14 of 2,200
6Haralson County, GA85108.5$1M+10.0%#28 of 2,200
7Effingham County, GA852510.3$945K+14.1%#31 of 2,200
8Harris County, GA831713.0$808K+6.8%#44 of 2,200
9Lee County, GA82108.1$1.2M+2.9%#50 of 2,200
10Houston County, GA82599.2$988K+8.5%#53 of 2,200
22DeKalb County, GA752097.3$1.4M+1.3%#154 of 2,200

Other business types in DeKalb County

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

Questions

How many pet businesses are in DeKalb County, GA?

DeKalb County has 209 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 54 of them (26%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 134 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 8.9% from 2019. Another 512 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in DeKalb County, GA spend on pets?

About $285.7M a year, or $995 per household. That is 9% above the U.S. average (an index of 109, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 209 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $1.4M per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 287,239 households in DeKalb County and national spending patterns by income.

How does DeKalb County, GA compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?

DeKalb County has 7.3 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 30% below the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $1.4M, 56% above the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, DeKalb County would have about 325, against 209 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,144 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.

How fast is DeKalb County, GA growing?

Population estimates put DeKalb County at 774,394 people in 2025, up 1.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 287,239 households. The median household income in DeKalb County is $80,644 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.2% 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. DeKalb County scores 75 for pet businesses (high), #154 of 2,200 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in DeKalb 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 DeKalb 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.