Pets · County · Indiana
Pet businesses in Lake County, IN
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet businesses in Lake County, IN, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 76 out of 100: High
Ranked #134 of 2,200 scored counties
#1 of 83 scored counties in Indiana
- Listings
- 125
- 26 chain locations (21%)
- Official establishments
- 59
- 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $161.2M
- On pets · $826 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.3M
- 47% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.4
- 38% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 504,612
- +1.1% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Lake 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 Lake 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
The Groundwork market score for pet businesses in Lake County is 76 (high), #134 of 2,200 scored counties and #1 of 83 scored counties in Indiana. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for pet businesses.
Household spending on pets in Lake County comes to about $161.2M a year: $826 per household, 9% below the U.S. average. That works out to $1.3M per business, 47% above the U.S. figure of $878K.
Lake County has 125 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 26 of them (21%) are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. That comes to 6.4 for every 10,000 households, 38% below the U.S. rate of 10.4.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Lake County was 59 in 2023, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 3,307 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $5.3M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Lake County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Lake County grew 1.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Lake 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 | Lake County | Indiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.4 | 10.9 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $1.3M | $759K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 3,307 | 2,012 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | +12.5% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.1% | +2.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $826 | $825 | $909 |
| Median household income | $71,493 | $71,957 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 76 | 47 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 59 → 590.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,066
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $37.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 123Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 12526 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 184The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $5.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Lake 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 Lake County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 504,612+1.1% since 2020
- Households
- 195,130
- Median age
- 40.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 499 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,003
- Median household income
- $71,493+27.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $93,636
- Median home value
- $230,600
- Jobs located here
- 191,504
- Daytime population
- 472,818Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Lake 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 Lake 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 Lake 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 |
Other business types in Lake 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 businesses76
- Veterinarians74
- Pet grooming and boarding76
- Pet stores63
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Lake County, IN?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 125 pet businesses in Lake County. 26 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 59 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, unchanged from 2019. Another 123 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Lake County, IN spend on pets?
About $161.2M a year, or $826 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 125 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $1.3M per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 195,130 households in Lake County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Lake County, IN compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Lake County has 6.4 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 38% below the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $1.3M, 47% above the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Lake County would have about 184, against 125 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,307 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is Lake County, IN growing?
Population estimates put Lake County at 504,612 people in 2025, up 1.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 195,130 households. Median household income in Lake County is $71,493, 11% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 27.4%, 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. Lake County scores 76 for pet businesses (high), #134 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lake 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 Lake County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Lake 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 Lake 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.