Groundwork

Pets · County · Indiana

Pet businesses in St. Joseph County, IN

The pet businesses in St. Joseph County, IN, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 62 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #576 of 2,200 scored counties
#14 of 83 scored counties in Indiana

Listings
96
13 chain locations (14%)
Official establishments
40
+17.7% since 2019
Household spending a year
$85.4M
On pets · $796 a household
Spending per listing
$890K
In line with the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
9.0
13% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
272,861
+0.1% since 2020

See the pet businesses around any address in St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey 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 96 pet businesses in St. Joseph County. Chain locations make up 14% of them, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 9.0, 13% below the U.S. rate of 10.4.

Household spending on pets in St. Joseph County comes to about $85.4M a year: $796 per household, 12% below the U.S. average. That is about $890K of household spending for each business on map listings, in line with the U.S. figure of $878K.

Official counts show 40 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in St. Joseph County in 2023, up 17.7% from 2019. That is one for every 2,681 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts list 86 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $500K have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in St. Joseph County.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of St. Joseph County grew 0.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for pet businesses in St. Joseph County is 62 (upper middle), #576 of 2,200 scored counties and #14 of 83 scored counties in Indiana.

How St. Joseph 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.

Pet businesses in St. Joseph County, IN compared with Indiana and the U.S.
MeasureSt. Joseph CountyIndianaU.S.
Listings per 10k households9.010.910.4
Spending per listing$890K$759K$878K
Households per official establishment2,6812,0121,852
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+17.7%+12.5%+11.4%
Population growth, 2020–2025+0.1%+2.7%+3.1%
Spending per household on pets$796$825$909
Median household income$66,868$71,957$80,734
Groundwork market score6247

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
34 → 40+17.7% over the period
Employees, 2023
600
Annual payroll, 2023
$22.1M
One-person businesses, 2023
86Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
9613 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
97The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
3
Amount
$500K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph County

Population, 2025 estimate
272,861+0.1% since 2020
Households
107,252
Median age
38.0
Homes lived in by their owners
69%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
458 sq. mi.
People per square mile
596
Median household income
$66,868+26.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$92,212
Median home value
$192,800
Jobs located here
124,747
Daytime population
277,571Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Pet businesses across Indiana

Every Indiana market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Indiana for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Indiana, with St. Joseph County marked.

Top counties in Indiana

Counties in Indiana ranked for pet businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Lake County, IN761256.4$1.3M+1.1%#134 of 2,200
2Hendricks County, IN74659.7$1M+10.2%#176 of 2,200
3Hamilton County, IN7016712.2$950K+10.9%#281 of 2,200
4Marion County, IN693047.6$1M+1.6%#310 of 2,200
5Harrison County, IN69159.7$832K+1.9%#326 of 2,200
6Posey County, IN6898.5$1M−0.8%#346 of 2,200
7Franklin County, IN6899.8$873K+2.2%#356 of 2,200
8Allen County, IN671499.5$852K+4.2%#394 of 2,200
9Clark County, IN675510.7$762K+7.5%#406 of 2,200
10Floyd County, IN65319.7$910K+2.0%#469 of 2,200
14St. Joseph County, IN62969.0$890K+0.1%#576 of 2,200

Other business types in St. Joseph County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many pet businesses are in St. Joseph County, IN?

St. Joseph County has 96 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 13 of them (14%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 40 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 17.7% from 2019. Official counts also show 86 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in St. Joseph County, IN spend on pets?

About $85.4M a year, or $796 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 96 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $890K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 107,252 households in St. Joseph County and national spending patterns by income.

How does St. Joseph County, IN compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?

St. Joseph County has 9.0 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $890K, in line with the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, St. Joseph County would have about 97, against 96 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,681 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 17.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.

How fast is St. Joseph County, IN growing?

Population estimates put St. Joseph County at 272,861 people in 2025, up 0.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 107,252 households. The median household income in St. Joseph County is $66,868 a year, 17% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.7% 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. St. Joseph County scores 62 for pet businesses (upper middle), #576 of 2,200 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph County

Screening a site or an acquisition in St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph 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.