Pets · Metro area · Illinois
Pet businesses in the Rockford, IL metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet businesses in the Rockford, IL metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 45 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #236 of 387 scored metro areas
#3 of 8 scored metro areas based in Illinois
- Listings
- 140
- 21 chain locations (15%)
- Official establishments
- 61
- +8.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $108.4M
- On pets · $800 a household
- Spending per listing
- $774K
- 12% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.3
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 337,242
- −0.3% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in the Rockford metro 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 Rockford metro 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 140 pet businesses in the Rockford metro area. Chain locations make up 15% of them, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 10.3, in line with the U.S. rate of 10.4.
Households in the Rockford metro area spend about $108.4M a year on pets, or $800 per household, 12% below the U.S. average. Spread across 140 pet businesses, that is $774K per business, 12% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
In 2023, official counts showed 61 businesses with payroll in the Rockford metro area classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores, up 8.9% from 2019. That is one for every 2,221 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Another 162 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $50K has gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Rockford metro area.
Population estimates show the Rockford metro area declined 0.3% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for pet businesses in the Rockford metro area is 45 (lower middle), #236 of 387 scored metro areas and #3 of 8 scored metro areas based in Illinois.
How the Rockford metro 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 | Rockford metro area | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.3 | 9.9 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $774K | $935K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 2,221 | 1,977 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +8.9% | +7.6% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.3% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $800 | $925 | $909 |
| Median household income | $68,033 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 45 | 55 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 61+8.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 659
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $25.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 162Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 14021 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 123The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $50K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Rockford metro 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 Rockford metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 337,242−0.3% since 2020
- Households
- 135,474
- Median age
- 40.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 794 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 424
- Median household income
- $68,033+21.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $89,321
- Median home value
- $171,300
- Jobs located here
- 135,218
- Daytime population
- 319,715Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Rockford metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 Rockford metro 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 metro areas in Illinois for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Illinois (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Rockford metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Illinois
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 68 | 3,281 | 9.0 | $1.1M | 0.0% | #60 of 387 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | 56 | 1,123 | 9.7 | $928K | −0.2% | #148 of 387 |
| 2Kankakee, IL | 45 | 43 | 10.5 | $793K | −1.7% | #235 of 387 |
| 3Rockford, IL | 45 | 140 | 10.3 | $774K | −0.3% | #236 of 387 |
| 4Decatur, IL | 44 | 39 | 9.0 | $846K | −4.3% | #240 of 387 |
| 5Bloomington, IL | 42 | 79 | 11.3 | $789K | +0.1% | #258 of 387 |
| 6Peoria, IL | 39 | 167 | 10.9 | $773K | −1.3% | #281 of 387 |
| 7Champaign-Urbana, IL | 39 | 106 | 10.8 | $747K | +1.5% | #282 of 387 |
| Cape Girardeau, MO-IL | 34 | 48 | 12.5 | $616K | +1.7% | #313 of 387 |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | 33 | 190 | 11.8 | $708K | −0.9% | #318 of 387 |
Other business types in the Rockford metro 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 businesses45
- Veterinarians57
- Pet grooming and boarding30
- Pet stores48
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in the Rockford, IL metro area?
There are 140 pet businesses on map listings in the Rockford metro area as of September 2026. 21 of them (15%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 61 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 8.9% from 2019. Official counts list 162 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Rockford, IL metro area spend on pets?
About $108.4M a year, or $800 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 140 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $774K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 135,474 households in the Rockford metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Rockford, IL metro area compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
The Rockford metro area has 10.3 pet businesses per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $774K, 12% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, the Rockford metro area would have about 123, against 140 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,221 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 the Rockford, IL metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Rockford metro area at 337,242 people in 2025, down 0.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 135,474 households. The median household income in the Rockford metro area is $68,033 a year, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 21.4% 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. The Rockford metro area scores 45 for pet businesses (lower middle), #236 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Rockford metro 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 Rockford metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Rockford metro 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 Rockford metro 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.