Pets · Small-town market · Illinois
Pet businesses in the Carbondale, IL area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet businesses in the Carbondale, IL area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 26 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #483 of 527 scored small-town markets
#18 of 20 scored small-town markets based in Illinois
- Listings
- 27
- 3 chain locations (11%)
- Official establishments
- 14
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $15.6M
- On pets · $682 a household
- Spending per listing
- $579K
- 34% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.8
- 13% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 52,501
- −1.5% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in the Carbondale 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 Carbondale 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
For pet businesses, the Carbondale area has a Groundwork market score of 26 (lower middle): #483 of 527 scored small-town markets and #18 of 20 scored small-town markets based in Illinois. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
Households in the Carbondale area spend about $15.6M a year on pets, or $682 per household, 25% below the U.S. average. That works out to $579K per business, 34% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
The Carbondale 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 11.8, 13% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
In 2023, official counts showed 14 businesses with payroll in the Carbondale area classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores. That is one for every 1,640 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $253K has gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Carbondale area. Population estimates show the Carbondale area declined 1.5% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Carbondale area compares
The same measures for Illinois 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 | Carbondale area | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.8 | 9.9 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $579K | $935K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,640 | 1,977 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +7.6% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.5% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $682 | $925 | $909 |
| Median household income | $48,763 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 26 | 55 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 14
- Employees, 2023
- 217
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $5.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 24Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 273 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 18The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $253K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Carbondale 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 Carbondale area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 52,501−1.5% since 2020
- Households
- 22,955
- Median age
- 37.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 50%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 584 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 91
- Median household income
- $48,763
- Average household income
- $70,409
- Median home value
- $137,300
- Jobs located here
- 23,658
- Daytime population
- 57,693Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Carbondale 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 Carbondale 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 Illinois
Every Illinois market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Illinois for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Illinois, with the Carbondale area marked.
Top small-town markets in Illinois
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Rochelle, IL | 64 | 20 | 9.6 | $891K | −0.7% | #102 of 527 |
| 2Sterling, IL | 62 | 24 | 10.4 | $740K | −2.6% | #129 of 527 |
| 3Dixon, IL | 61 | 15 | 11.2 | $719K | −3.4% | #136 of 527 |
| 4Canton, IL | 57 | 13 | 9.4 | $781K | −2.0% | #171 of 527 |
| 5Effingham, IL | 53 | 20 | 11.0 | $764K | −0.9% | #234 of 527 |
| 6Danville, IL | 53 | 31 | 10.3 | $697K | −3.7% | #236 of 527 |
| 7Quincy, IL-MO | 51 | 36 | 11.6 | $661K | −2.0% | #271 of 527 |
| 8Lincoln, IL | 50 | 12 | 10.7 | $732K | −2.5% | #277 of 527 |
| 9Taylorville, IL | 46 | 15 | 11.0 | $678K | −1.5% | #322 of 527 |
| 10Jacksonville, IL | 45 | 21 | 13.9 | $556K | −3.1% | #337 of 527 |
| 18Carbondale, IL | 26 | 27 | 11.8 | $579K | −1.5% | #483 of 527 |
Other business types in the Carbondale 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 businesses26
- Veterinarians20
- Pet grooming and boarding33
- Pet stores
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in the Carbondale, IL area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 27 pet businesses in the Carbondale area. 3 of them (11%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 14 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023. Official counts also show 24 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Carbondale, IL area spend on pets?
About $15.6M a year, or $682 per household. That is 25% below the U.S. average (an index of 75, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 27 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $579K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 22,955 households in the Carbondale area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Carbondale, IL area compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
The Carbondale area has 11.8 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 13% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $579K, 34% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, the Carbondale area would have about 18, against 27 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,640 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.
How fast is the Carbondale, IL area growing?
Population estimates put the Carbondale area at 52,501 people in 2025, down 1.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 22,955 households. Median household income in the Carbondale area is $48,763, 40% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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 Carbondale area scores 26 for pet businesses (lower middle), #483 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 Carbondale 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 Carbondale area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Carbondale 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 Carbondale 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.