Pets · County · Illinois
Pet businesses in Mercer County, IL
How Mercer County, IL 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 36 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,697 of 2,200 scored counties
#52 of 83 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 11
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- 3
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $5.5M
- On pets · $839 a household
- Spending per listing
- $501K
- 43% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 16.8
- 62% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 15,229
- −2.6% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Mercer 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 Mercer 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
Mercer County scores 36 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for pet businesses, ranking #1,697 of 2,200 scored counties and #52 of 83 scored counties in Illinois. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 11 pet businesses in Mercer County. None of them are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 16.8, 62% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
At $839 per household (8% below the U.S. average), households in Mercer County spend about $5.5M a year on pets. That works out to $501K per business, 43% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Mercer County in 2023. That is one for every 2,188 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in Mercer County from 2020 to 2025 at −2.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Mercer County 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 | Mercer County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 16.8 | 9.9 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $501K | $935K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 2,188 | 1,977 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +7.6% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.6% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $839 | $925 | $909 |
| Median household income | $74,182 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 36 | 55 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 3 → 3
- Employees, 2023
- 19
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $561K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 4Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 110 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 6The 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 Mercer 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 Mercer County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 15,229−2.6% since 2020
- Households
- 6,565
- Median age
- 43.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 84%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 561 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 28
- Median household income
- $74,182+24.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $92,846
- Median home value
- $146,700
- Jobs located here
- 3,052
- Daytime population
- 11,354Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Mercer 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 Mercer 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 Illinois
Every Illinois market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Illinois for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Illinois, with Mercer County marked.
Top counties in Illinois
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Cook County, IL | 72 | 1,508 | 7.2 | $1.3M | −1.3% | #214 of 2,200 |
| 2Boone County, IL | 72 | 17 | 8.7 | $1M | +0.4% | #221 of 2,200 |
| 3Will County, IL | 66 | 272 | 11.1 | $957K | +2.2% | #426 of 2,200 |
| 4St. Clair County, IL | 65 | 74 | 7.3 | $1.2M | −2.5% | #457 of 2,200 |
| 5Kendall County, IL | 65 | 59 | 13.0 | $819K | +9.9% | #480 of 2,200 |
| 6Kane County, IL | 64 | 213 | 11.5 | $901K | +1.8% | #504 of 2,200 |
| 7DuPage County, IL | 63 | 392 | 11.2 | $989K | +0.3% | #537 of 2,200 |
| 8Piatt County, IL | 63 | 8 | 11.6 | $803K | +0.6% | #555 of 2,200 |
| 9Ogle County, IL | 60 | 20 | 9.6 | $891K | −0.7% | #653 of 2,200 |
| 10Jersey County, IL | 59 | 8 | 10.0 | $863K | −1.5% | #690 of 2,200 |
| 52Mercer County, IL | 36 | 11 | 16.8 | $501K | −2.6% | #1,697 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Mercer 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 businesses36
- Veterinarians
- Pet grooming and boarding18
- Pet stores
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Mercer County, IL?
Mercer County has 11 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023. Another 4 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Mercer County, IL spend on pets?
About $5.5M a year, or $839 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 11 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $501K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 6,565 households in Mercer County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Mercer County, IL compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Mercer County has 16.8 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 62% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $501K, 43% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Mercer County would have about 6, against 11 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,188 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.
How fast is Mercer County, IL growing?
Population estimates put Mercer County at 15,229 people in 2025, down 2.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 6,565 households. The median household income in Mercer County is $74,182 a year, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 24.1% 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. Mercer County scores 36 for pet businesses (lower middle), #1,697 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Mercer 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 Mercer County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Mercer 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 Mercer 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.