Pets · County · Georgia
Pet businesses in Houston County, GA
How Houston County, GA compares with other counties and the U.S. for pet businesses: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 82 out of 100: High
Ranked #53 of 2,200 scored counties
#10 of 106 scored counties in Georgia
- Listings
- 59
- 13 chain locations (22%)
- Official establishments
- 24
- +14.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $58.3M
- On pets · $913 a household
- Spending per listing
- $988K
- 13% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.2
- 12% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 178,214
- +8.5% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Houston 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 Houston County. 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
Houston County scores 82 (high) on the Groundwork market score for pet businesses, ranking #53 of 2,200 scored counties and #10 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 59 pet businesses in Houston County. 13 of them (22%) are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. That comes to 9.2 for every 10,000 households, 12% below the U.S. rate of 10.4.
Households in Houston County spend about $58.3M a year on pets, or $913 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That is about $988K of household spending for each business on map listings, 13% above the U.S. figure of $878K.
Official counts show 24 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Houston County in 2023, up 14.3% from 2019. That is one for every 2,660 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $225K has gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Houston County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Houston County grew 8.5%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Houston 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.
| Measure | Houston County | Georgia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.2 | 9.8 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $988K | $951K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 2,660 | 1,975 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +14.3% | +14.0% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +8.5% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $913 | $936 | $909 |
| Median household income | $80,698 | $77,353 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 82 | 71 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 21 → 24+14.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 288
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $11.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 64Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5913 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 66The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $225K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Houston 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 Houston County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 178,214+8.5% since 2020
- Households
- 63,851
- Median age
- 37.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 376 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 451
- Median household income
- $80,698+30.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $97,172
- Median home value
- $219,800
- Jobs located here
- 49,763
- Daytime population
- 157,925Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Houston 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 Houston County. 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 counties in Georgia for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Georgia, with Houston County marked.
Top counties in Georgia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Paulding County, GA | 91 | 47 | 7.8 | $1.3M | +12.7% | #3 of 2,200 |
| 2Pike County, GA | 90 | 6 | 8.9 | $1.1M | +10.5% | #7 of 2,200 |
| 3Henry County, GA | 88 | 66 | 7.6 | $1.2M | +9.5% | #11 of 2,200 |
| 4Douglas County, GA | 87 | 37 | 7.1 | $1.3M | +6.6% | #13 of 2,200 |
| 5Newton County, GA | 87 | 29 | 7.0 | $1.3M | +11.2% | #14 of 2,200 |
| 6Haralson County, GA | 85 | 10 | 8.5 | $1M | +10.0% | #28 of 2,200 |
| 7Effingham County, GA | 85 | 25 | 10.3 | $945K | +14.1% | #31 of 2,200 |
| 8Harris County, GA | 83 | 17 | 13.0 | $808K | +6.8% | #44 of 2,200 |
| 9Lee County, GA | 82 | 10 | 8.1 | $1.2M | +2.9% | #50 of 2,200 |
| 10Houston County, GA | 82 | 59 | 9.2 | $988K | +8.5% | #53 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Houston County
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 businesses82
- Veterinarians79
- Pet grooming and boarding81
- Pet stores64
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Houston County, GA?
Houston County has 59 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 13 of them (22%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 24 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 14.3% from 2019. Another 64 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Houston County, GA spend on pets?
About $58.3M a year, or $913 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 100, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 59 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $988K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 63,851 households in Houston County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Houston County, GA compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Houston County has 9.2 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 12% below the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $988K, 13% above the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Houston County would have about 66, against 59 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,660 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 14.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is Houston County, GA growing?
Population estimates put Houston County at 178,214 people in 2025, up 8.5% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 63,851 households. The median household income in Houston County is $80,698 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.7% 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. Houston County scores 82 for pet businesses (high), #53 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Houston 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 Houston County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Houston 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 Houston 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.