Pets · Small-town market · Georgia
Pet businesses in the Waycross, GA area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet businesses in the Waycross, GA area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 41 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #376 of 527 scored small-town markets
#21 of 23 scored small-town markets based in Georgia
- Listings
- 27
- 3 chain locations (11%)
- Official establishments
- 10
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $14.7M
- On pets · $715 a household
- Spending per listing
- $544K
- 38% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.1
- 26% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 57,670
- +3.0% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in the Waycross 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 Waycross 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 Waycross area spend about $14.7M a year on pets, or $715 per household, 21% below the U.S. average. That works out to $544K per business, 38% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
The Waycross area has 27 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 3 of them (11%) are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 13.1, 26% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
In 2023, official counts showed 10 businesses with payroll in the Waycross area classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores. That is one for every 2,056 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts list 16 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates put the population change in the Waycross area from 2020 to 2025 at +3.0%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). For pet businesses, the Waycross area has a Groundwork market score of 41 (lower middle): #376 of 527 scored small-town markets and #21 of 23 scored small-town markets based in Georgia.
How the Waycross 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 | Waycross area | Georgia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.1 | 9.8 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $544K | $951K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 2,056 | 1,975 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +14.0% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.0% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $715 | $936 | $909 |
| Median household income | $51,821 | $77,353 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 41 | 71 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 10
- Employees, 2023
- 60
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 16Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 273 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 17The 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 Waycross 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 Waycross area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 57,670+3.0% since 2020
- Households
- 20,562
- Median age
- 38.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 1,240 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 45
- Median household income
- $51,821+34.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $70,222
- Median home value
- $126,600
- Jobs located here
- 19,660
- Daytime population
- 54,001Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Waycross area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 Waycross 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 small-town markets in Georgia for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Georgia, with the Waycross area marked.
Top small-town markets in Georgia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Calhoun, GA | 79 | 24 | 11.2 | $743K | +6.9% | #18 of 527 |
| 2Cedartown, GA | 76 | 16 | 10.1 | $766K | +6.0% | #26 of 527 |
| 3Statesboro, GA | 75 | 31 | 8.9 | $874K | +8.0% | #30 of 527 |
| 4Thomaston, GA | 74 | 9 | 8.5 | $899K | +2.7% | #35 of 527 |
| 5LaGrange, GA-AL | 74 | 39 | 9.7 | $784K | +3.0% | #37 of 527 |
| 6Cornelia, GA | 74 | 20 | 11.9 | $703K | +9.3% | #39 of 527 |
| 7Kingsland, GA | 72 | 27 | 12.4 | $692K | +9.5% | #47 of 527 |
| 8Moultrie, GA | 68 | 15 | 8.9 | $824K | +3.3% | #68 of 527 |
| 9Tifton, GA | 68 | 19 | 10.0 | $737K | +1.7% | #71 of 527 |
| 10Jefferson, GA | 67 | 41 | 14.4 | $687K | +29.3% | #82 of 527 |
| 21Waycross, GA | 41 | 27 | 13.1 | $544K | +3.0% | #376 of 527 |
Other business types in the Waycross 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 businesses41
- Veterinarians68
- Pet grooming and boarding62
- Pet stores33
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in the Waycross, GA area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 27 pet businesses in the Waycross area. 3 of them (11%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 10 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023. Official counts also show 16 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Waycross, GA area spend on pets?
About $14.7M a year, or $715 per household. That is 21% below the U.S. average (an index of 79, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 27 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $544K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 20,562 households in the Waycross area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Waycross, GA area compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
The Waycross area has 13.1 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 26% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $544K, 38% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, the Waycross area would have about 17, against 27 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,056 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.
How fast is the Waycross, GA area growing?
Population estimates put the Waycross area at 57,670 people in 2025, up 3.0% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 20,562 households. Median household income in the Waycross area is $51,821, 36% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 34.7%, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Waycross area scores 41 for pet businesses (lower middle), #376 of 527 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Waycross 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 Waycross area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Waycross 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 Waycross 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.