Pets · Metro area · Indiana
Pet businesses in the Columbus, IN metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet businesses in the Columbus, IN metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 53 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #178 of 387 scored metro areas
#4 of 12 scored metro areas based in Indiana
- Listings
- 42
- 9 chain locations (21%)
- Official establishments
- 16
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $29.1M
- On pets · $872 a household
- Spending per listing
- $693K
- 21% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.6
- 21% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 85,729
- +4.3% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in the Columbus 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 Columbus 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
At $872 per household (4% below the U.S. average), households in the Columbus metro area spend about $29.1M a year on pets. That is about $693K of household spending for each business on map listings, 21% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
There are 42 pet businesses on map listings in the Columbus metro area as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 21% of them, against 17% across the U.S. That is 12.6 per 10,000 households, 21% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
In 2023, official counts showed 16 businesses with payroll in the Columbus metro area classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores. That is one for every 2,085 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Another 39 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Population estimates show the Columbus metro area grew 4.3% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for pet businesses in the Columbus metro area is 53 (upper middle), #178 of 387 scored metro areas and #4 of 12 scored metro areas based in Indiana.
How the Columbus metro area compares
The same measures for Indiana 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 | Columbus metro area | Indiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 12.6 | 10.9 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $693K | $759K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 2,085 | 2,012 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +12.5% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.3% | +2.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $872 | $825 | $909 |
| Median household income | $79,901 | $71,957 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 53 | 47 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 16
- Employees, 2023
- 200
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $6.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 39Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 429 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 33The 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 Columbus 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 Columbus metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 85,729+4.3% since 2020
- Households
- 33,359
- Median age
- 39.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 407 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 205
- Median household income
- $79,901+26.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $102,124
- Median home value
- $232,800
- Jobs located here
- 52,041
- Daytime population
- 94,547Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Columbus 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 Columbus 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 Indiana
Every Indiana market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Indiana for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Indiana (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Columbus metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Indiana
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 68 | 3,281 | 9.0 | $1.1M | 0.0% | #60 of 387 |
| 1Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN | 66 | 864 | 10.3 | $877K | +5.4% | #78 of 387 |
| Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | 59 | 547 | 9.8 | $905K | +2.9% | #122 of 387 |
| Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 59 | 992 | 10.9 | $834K | +2.7% | #126 of 387 |
| 2Fort Wayne, IN | 58 | 183 | 10.0 | $807K | +3.9% | #135 of 387 |
| 3South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI | 55 | 119 | 9.3 | $866K | +0.1% | #157 of 387 |
| 4Columbus, IN | 53 | 42 | 12.6 | $693K | +4.3% | #178 of 387 |
| 5Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN | 45 | 80 | 8.8 | $867K | +2.1% | #229 of 387 |
| 6Bloomington, IN | 41 | 67 | 9.9 | $799K | +2.0% | #265 of 387 |
| 7Muncie, IN | 38 | 53 | 11.5 | $611K | +1.2% | #287 of 387 |
Other business types in the Columbus 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 businesses53
- Veterinarians68
- Pet grooming and boarding40
- Pet stores63
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in the Columbus, IN metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 42 pet businesses in the Columbus metro area. 9 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 16 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023. Official counts list 39 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Columbus, IN metro area spend on pets?
About $29.1M a year, or $872 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 42 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $693K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 33,359 households in the Columbus metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Columbus, IN metro area compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
The Columbus metro area has 12.6 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 21% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $693K, 21% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, the Columbus metro area would have about 33, against 42 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,085 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.
How fast is the Columbus, IN metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Columbus metro area at 85,729 people in 2025, up 4.3% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 33,359 households. Median household income in the Columbus metro area is $79,901, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.0%, 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 Columbus metro area scores 53 for pet businesses (upper middle), #178 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 Columbus 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 Columbus metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Columbus 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 Columbus 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.