Pets · County · Indiana
Pet businesses in Elkhart County, IN
How Elkhart County, IN 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 48 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,199 of 2,200 scored counties
#37 of 83 scored counties in Indiana
- Listings
- 84
- 12 chain locations (14%)
- Official establishments
- 37
- +2.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $57.4M
- On pets · $793 a household
- Spending per listing
- $683K
- 22% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.6
- 12% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 208,774
- +0.9% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Elkhart 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 Elkhart 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 84 pet businesses in Elkhart County. Chain locations make up 14% of them, against 17% across the U.S. That comes to 11.6 for every 10,000 households, 12% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
At $793 per household (13% below the U.S. average), households in Elkhart County spend about $57.4M a year on pets. Spread across 84 pet businesses, that is $683K per business, 22% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Elkhart County was 37 in 2023, up 2.8% from 2019. That is one for every 1,954 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts list 78 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $38K have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Elkhart County.
Population estimates put the population change in Elkhart County from 2020 to 2025 at +0.9%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For pet businesses, Elkhart County has a Groundwork market score of 48 (lower middle): #1,199 of 2,200 scored counties and #37 of 83 scored counties in Indiana.
How Elkhart County 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 | Elkhart County | Indiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.6 | 10.9 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $683K | $759K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,954 | 2,012 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +2.8% | +12.5% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.9% | +2.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $793 | $825 | $909 |
| Median household income | $68,561 | $71,957 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 48 | 47 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 36 → 37+2.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 332
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $13.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 78Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 8412 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 65The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $38K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Elkhart 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 Elkhart County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 208,774+0.9% since 2020
- Households
- 72,309
- Median age
- 36.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 463 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 447
- Median household income
- $68,561+20.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $89,471
- Median home value
- $210,400
- Jobs located here
- 133,676
- Daytime population
- 244,683Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Elkhart 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 Elkhart 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 Indiana
Every Indiana market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Indiana for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Indiana, with Elkhart County marked.
Top counties in Indiana
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Lake County, IN | 76 | 125 | 6.4 | $1.3M | +1.1% | #134 of 2,200 |
| 2Hendricks County, IN | 74 | 65 | 9.7 | $1M | +10.2% | #176 of 2,200 |
| 3Hamilton County, IN | 70 | 167 | 12.2 | $950K | +10.9% | #281 of 2,200 |
| 4Marion County, IN | 69 | 304 | 7.6 | $1M | +1.6% | #310 of 2,200 |
| 5Harrison County, IN | 69 | 15 | 9.7 | $832K | +1.9% | #326 of 2,200 |
| 6Posey County, IN | 68 | 9 | 8.5 | $1M | −0.8% | #346 of 2,200 |
| 7Franklin County, IN | 68 | 9 | 9.8 | $873K | +2.2% | #356 of 2,200 |
| 8Allen County, IN | 67 | 149 | 9.5 | $852K | +4.2% | #394 of 2,200 |
| 9Clark County, IN | 67 | 55 | 10.7 | $762K | +7.5% | #406 of 2,200 |
| 10Floyd County, IN | 65 | 31 | 9.7 | $910K | +2.0% | #469 of 2,200 |
| 37Elkhart County, IN | 48 | 84 | 11.6 | $683K | +0.9% | #1,199 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Elkhart 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 businesses48
- Veterinarians59
- Pet grooming and boarding43
- Pet stores42
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Elkhart County, IN?
Elkhart County has 84 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 12 of them (14%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 37 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 2.8% from 2019. Official counts also show 78 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Elkhart County, IN spend on pets?
About $57.4M a year, or $793 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 84 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $683K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 72,309 households in Elkhart County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Elkhart County, IN compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Elkhart County has 11.6 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 12% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $683K, 22% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Elkhart County would have about 65, against 84 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,954 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is Elkhart County, IN growing?
Population estimates put Elkhart County at 208,774 people in 2025, up 0.9% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 72,309 households. The median household income in Elkhart County is $68,561 a year, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 20.2% 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. Elkhart County scores 48 for pet businesses (lower middle), #1,199 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Elkhart 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 Elkhart County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Elkhart 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 Elkhart 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.