Pets · Small-town market · Illinois
Pet businesses in the Sterling, IL area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet businesses in the Sterling, IL area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 62 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #129 of 527 scored small-town markets
#2 of 20 scored small-town markets based in Illinois
- Listings
- 24
- 3 chain locations (13%)
- Official establishments
- 3
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $17.8M
- On pets · $768 a household
- Spending per listing
- $740K
- 16% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.4
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 54,121
- −2.6% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in the Sterling 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 Sterling 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
Household spending on pets in the Sterling area comes to about $17.8M a year: $768 per household, 16% below the U.S. average. Spread across 24 pet businesses, that is $740K per business, 16% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
The Sterling area has 24 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 3 are chain locations, or 13%, against 17% across the U.S. That comes to 10.4 for every 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 10.4.
In 2023, official counts showed 3 businesses with payroll in the Sterling area classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores. That is one for every 7,707 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts list 20 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates put the population change in the Sterling area from 2020 to 2025 at −2.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for pet businesses in the Sterling area is 62 (upper middle), #129 of 527 scored small-town markets and #2 of 20 scored small-town markets based in Illinois. That puts it in the top quarter of small-town markets.
How the Sterling 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 | Sterling area | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.4 | 9.9 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $740K | $935K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 7,707 | 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 | $768 | $925 | $909 |
| Median household income | $67,500 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 62 | 55 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 3
- Employees, 2023
- 39
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 20Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 243 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 20The 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 Sterling 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 Sterling area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 54,121−2.6% since 2020
- Households
- 23,120
- Median age
- 43.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 684 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 80
- Median household income
- $67,500+24.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $86,592
- Median home value
- $127,100
- Jobs located here
- 20,819
- Daytime population
- 50,543Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Sterling 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 Sterling 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 Sterling 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 |
Other business types in the Sterling 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 businesses62
- Veterinarians65
- Pet grooming and boarding35
- Pet stores
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in the Sterling, IL area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 24 pet businesses in the Sterling area. 3 of them (13%) 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. Official counts also show 20 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Sterling, IL area spend on pets?
About $17.8M a year, or $768 per household. That is 16% below the U.S. average (an index of 84, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 24 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $740K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 23,120 households in the Sterling area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Sterling, IL area compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
The Sterling area has 10.4 pet businesses per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $740K, 16% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, the Sterling area would have about 20, against 24 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 7,707 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.
How fast is the Sterling, IL area growing?
Population estimates put the Sterling area at 54,121 people in 2025, down 2.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 23,120 households. Median household income in the Sterling area is $67,500, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.5%, 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 Sterling area scores 62 for pet businesses (upper middle), #129 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 Sterling 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 Sterling area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Sterling 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 Sterling 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.