Market rankings · Iowa
Pet businesses in Iowa
Every metro area, small-town market and county in Iowa, ranked by the Groundwork market score for pet businesses, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 1,697
- 166 chain locations (10%)
- Official establishments
- 853
- +13.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.1B
- On pets
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.9
- 24% above the U.S.
- Spending per listing
- $654K
- 26% below the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #46 of 51
- Market score 26 · Lower middle
A site report maps the pet businesses on map listings around any address in Iowa by name and distance, and the spending within reach.
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
Iowa has 1,697 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 166 of them (10%) are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 12.9, 24% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
Household spending on pets in Iowa comes to about $1.1B a year: $843 per household, 7% below the U.S. average. That is about $654K of household spending for each business on map listings, 26% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
Official counts show 853 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Iowa in 2023, up 13.4% from 2019. That is one for every 1,542 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 11.4% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 38 SBA-backed loans worth $20M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Iowa.
Among the 50 states and DC, Iowa ranks #46 for pet businesses, with a Groundwork market score of 26 (lower middle). Of the 9 scored metro areas in or partly in Iowa, the Omaha metro area scores highest (64). Of the 15 scored small-town markets in or partly in Iowa, the Storm Lake area scores highest (67).
Every market in Iowa for pet businesses
Download the ranking (CSV)Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Iowa, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.
Metro areas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Omaha, NE-IA | 64 | 407 | 10.4 | $882K | +4.2% | #89 of 387 |
| 1Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | 62 | 42 | 7.6 | $1.1M | +1.0% | #98 of 387 |
| 2Iowa City, IA | 56 | 75 | 10.4 | $840K | +4.1% | #153 of 387 |
| 3Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | 55 | 328 | 11.1 | $836K | +6.7% | #158 of 387 |
| 4Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA | 40 | 77 | 11.1 | $726K | +0.5% | #275 of 387 |
| 5Cedar Rapids, IA | 37 | 137 | 12.0 | $723K | +1.0% | #291 of 387 |
| 6Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | 33 | 190 | 11.8 | $708K | −0.9% | #318 of 387 |
| 7Dubuque, IA | 31 | 51 | 12.4 | $684K | +0.1% | #329 of 387 |
| 8Ames, IA | 23 | 77 | 15.4 | $544K | +2.2% | #365 of 387 |
Small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Storm Lake, IA | 67 | 6 | 8.0 | $1M | −1.7% | #79 of 527 |
| 2Le Mars, IA | 58 | 11 | 10.7 | $818K | 0.0% | #160 of 527 |
| 3Marshalltown, IA | 57 | 18 | 11.6 | $674K | −0.5% | #179 of 527 |
| 4Ottumwa, IA | 52 | 18 | 12.9 | $583K | −0.3% | #258 of 527 |
| 5Spirit Lake, IA | 51 | 12 | 13.6 | $641K | +1.7% | #272 of 527 |
| 6Clinton, IA | 50 | 25 | 12.8 | $620K | −0.9% | #279 of 527 |
| 7Carroll, IA | 45 | 12 | 13.6 | $593K | −2.0% | #333 of 527 |
| 8Pella, IA | 45 | 20 | 15.0 | $570K | +2.3% | #336 of 527 |
| 9Spencer, IA | 43 | 10 | 13.7 | $561K | −0.8% | #354 of 527 |
| 10Muscatine, IA | 42 | 21 | 12.1 | $648K | −3.0% | #359 of 527 |
| 11Fort Dodge, IA | 38 | 21 | 13.7 | $561K | −0.4% | #401 of 527 |
| 12Mason City, IA | 37 | 35 | 15.4 | $519K | −1.5% | #417 of 527 |
| 13Oskaloosa, IA | 30 | 12 | 13.7 | $568K | −1.2% | #456 of 527 |
| 14Burlington, IA-IL | 29 | 25 | 12.6 | $590K | −2.5% | #465 of 527 |
| 15Fort Madison, IA | 16 | 26 | 18.2 | $408K | −3.6% | #520 of 527 |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Dallas County, IA | 82 | 38 | 8.9 | $1.2M | +17.8% | #47 of 2,200 |
| 2Johnson County, IA | 73 | 56 | 8.8 | $993K | +4.6% | #195 of 2,200 |
| 3Benton County, IA | 69 | 12 | 11.8 | $759K | +1.8% | #332 of 2,200 |
| 4Woodbury County, IA | 66 | 25 | 6.1 | $1.3M | +0.7% | #415 of 2,200 |
| 5Delaware County, IA | 62 | 6 | 8.1 | $1M | +1.3% | #572 of 2,200 |
| 6Polk County, IA | 62 | 223 | 10.9 | $841K | +4.8% | #577 of 2,200 |
| 7Warren County, IA | 62 | 26 | 12.6 | $755K | +9.0% | #588 of 2,200 |
| 8Buena Vista County, IA | 60 | 6 | 8.0 | $1M | −1.7% | #649 of 2,200 |
| 9Pottawattamie County, IA | 60 | 40 | 10.6 | $770K | −0.7% | #666 of 2,200 |
| 10Tama County, IA | 58 | 5 | 7.4 | $1M | −1.5% | #714 of 2,200 |
| 11Crawford County, IA | 57 | 5 | 7.9 | $989K | −1.5% | #760 of 2,200 |
| 12Hamilton County, IA | 57 | 6 | 9.3 | $868K | −0.5% | #766 of 2,200 |
| 13Black Hawk County, IA | 56 | 54 | 9.9 | $795K | +0.4% | #820 of 2,200 |
| 14Scott County, IA | 55 | 81 | 11.1 | $791K | +0.4% | #862 of 2,200 |
| 15Linn County, IA | 53 | 107 | 11.2 | $779K | +0.7% | #949 of 2,200 |
| 16Marshall County, IA | 52 | 18 | 11.6 | $674K | −0.5% | #1,006 of 2,200 |
| 17Jasper County, IA | 52 | 21 | 14.0 | $582K | +0.9% | #1,023 of 2,200 |
| 18Plymouth County, IA | 51 | 11 | 10.7 | $818K | 0.0% | #1,037 of 2,200 |
| 19Shelby County, IA | 50 | 6 | 12.3 | $692K | −0.2% | #1,100 of 2,200 |
| 20Wapello County, IA | 47 | 18 | 12.9 | $583K | −0.3% | #1,253 of 2,200 |
| 21Clinton County, IA | 46 | 25 | 12.8 | $620K | −0.9% | #1,288 of 2,200 |
| 22Dubuque County, IA | 45 | 51 | 12.4 | $684K | +0.1% | #1,328 of 2,200 |
| 23Dickinson County, IA | 42 | 12 | 13.6 | $641K | +1.7% | #1,431 of 2,200 |
| 24Carroll County, IA | 41 | 12 | 13.6 | $593K | −2.0% | #1,478 of 2,200 |
| 25Madison County, IA | 41 | 11 | 16.4 | $548K | +3.8% | #1,488 of 2,200 |
Show all 99 counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26Harrison County, IA | 41 | 10 | 16.4 | $513K | +0.4% | #1,494 of 2,200 |
| 27Winneshiek County, IA | 41 | 14 | 17.2 | $487K | −1.6% | #1,501 of 2,200 |
| 28Mills County, IA | 41 | 12 | 22.2 | $417K | +2.6% | #1,507 of 2,200 |
| 29Cherokee County, IA | 40 | 6 | 11.9 | $686K | −2.4% | #1,517 of 2,200 |
| 30Clay County, IA | 40 | 10 | 13.7 | $561K | −0.8% | #1,533 of 2,200 |
| 31Cerro Gordo County, IA | 40 | 30 | 15.4 | $518K | −1.5% | #1,539 of 2,200 |
| 32Muscatine County, IA | 38 | 21 | 12.1 | $648K | −3.0% | #1,595 of 2,200 |
| 33Bremer County, IA | 38 | 14 | 14.4 | $602K | +1.1% | #1,603 of 2,200 |
| 34Marion County, IA | 38 | 20 | 15.0 | $570K | +2.3% | #1,607 of 2,200 |
| 35Grundy County, IA | 37 | 9 | 17.6 | $501K | +0.2% | #1,650 of 2,200 |
| 36Boone County, IA | 36 | 17 | 15.5 | $560K | +0.4% | #1,680 of 2,200 |
| 37Story County, IA | 36 | 60 | 15.4 | $540K | +2.7% | #1,687 of 2,200 |
| 38Webster County, IA | 35 | 21 | 13.7 | $561K | −0.4% | #1,717 of 2,200 |
| 39Jefferson County, IA | 34 | 9 | 12.9 | $565K | −2.5% | #1,754 of 2,200 |
| 40Guthrie County, IA | 33 | 9 | 19.6 | $438K | +1.6% | #1,802 of 2,200 |
| 41Butler County, IA | 32 | 8 | 13.6 | $595K | −2.0% | #1,814 of 2,200 |
| 42Iowa County, IA | 31 | 9 | 13.0 | $616K | −1.0% | #1,839 of 2,200 |
| 43Chickasaw County, IA | 31 | 7 | 14.0 | $573K | −2.8% | #1,842 of 2,200 |
| 44O’Brien County, IA | 31 | 9 | 15.5 | $507K | +0.5% | #1,846 of 2,200 |
| 45Allamakee County, IA | 31 | 16 | 26.9 | $291K | +1.2% | #1,854 of 2,200 |
| 46Buchanan County, IA | 29 | 13 | 15.8 | $517K | +1.3% | #1,898 of 2,200 |
| 47Fayette County, IA | 29 | 12 | 14.4 | $509K | −2.1% | #1,899 of 2,200 |
| 48Sioux County, IA | 28 | 51 | 40.2 | $223K | +2.5% | #1,949 of 2,200 |
| 49Mitchell County, IA | 27 | 10 | 21.8 | $378K | +0.6% | #1,969 of 2,200 |
| 50Lyon County, IA | 27 | 16 | 35.7 | $234K | +3.6% | #1,972 of 2,200 |
| 51Des Moines County, IA | 26 | 22 | 12.8 | $582K | −2.0% | #1,978 of 2,200 |
| 52Montgomery County, IA | 25 | 6 | 13.1 | $571K | −3.2% | #2,001 of 2,200 |
| 53Mahaska County, IA | 25 | 12 | 13.7 | $568K | −1.2% | #2,003 of 2,200 |
| 54Jones County, IA | 25 | 18 | 22.0 | $368K | +2.9% | #2,021 of 2,200 |
| 55Hancock County, IA | 23 | 7 | 15.0 | $505K | −2.2% | #2,053 of 2,200 |
| 56Page County, IA | 22 | 8 | 12.8 | $563K | −2.3% | #2,068 of 2,200 |
| 57Louisa County, IA | 22 | 8 | 18.9 | $437K | −3.7% | #2,077 of 2,200 |
| 58Washington County, IA | 22 | 19 | 21.2 | $389K | +0.6% | #2,080 of 2,200 |
| 59Floyd County, IA | 21 | 10 | 15.4 | $505K | −4.4% | #2,090 of 2,200 |
| 60Clayton County, IA | 21 | 12 | 16.0 | $482K | −1.1% | #2,093 of 2,200 |
| 61Cedar County, IA | 21 | 15 | 19.7 | $427K | −0.7% | #2,097 of 2,200 |
| 62Poweshiek County, IA | 20 | 16 | 20.5 | $396K | −1.4% | #2,115 of 2,200 |
| 63Henry County, IA | 19 | 11 | 14.4 | $536K | −5.4% | #2,119 of 2,200 |
| 64Winnebago County, IA | 19 | 7 | 15.1 | $501K | −3.8% | #2,120 of 2,200 |
| 65Union County, IA | 18 | 8 | 15.6 | $446K | −2.5% | #2,138 of 2,200 |
| 66Lee County, IA | 16 | 26 | 18.2 | $408K | −3.6% | #2,158 of 2,200 |
| 67Jackson County, IA | 16 | 21 | 25.5 | $318K | −0.8% | #2,163 of 2,200 |
| 68Cass County, IA | 15 | 12 | 20.5 | $368K | −1.2% | #2,169 of 2,200 |
| 69Hardin County, IA | 14 | 15 | 21.3 | $349K | −2.2% | #2,175 of 2,200 |
| 70Kossuth County, IA | 13 | 15 | 22.9 | $336K | −3.2% | #2,181 of 2,200 |
| 71Appanoose County, IA | 6 | 13 | 25.0 | $275K | −1.7% | #2,198 of 2,200 |
| Wright County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 5.6 | $1.4M | −0.9% | |
| Franklin County, IA | Not scored | 6 | 14.3 | $500K | −1.2% | |
| Keokuk County, IA | Not scored | 8 | 19.7 | $384K | −2.0% | |
| Calhoun County, IA | Not scored | 11 | 27.5 | $283K | −3.4% | |
| Sac County, IA | Not scored | 7 | 16.3 | $479K | −2.7% | |
| Clarke County, IA | Not scored | 5 | 12.3 | $641K | −1.6% | |
| Humboldt County, IA | Not scored | 7 | 16.6 | $486K | −2.0% | |
| Howard County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 10.6 | $715K | −0.8% | |
| Emmet County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 2.5 | $2.9M | −2.5% | |
| Davis County, IA | Not scored | 6 | 18.7 | $435K | +1.3% | |
| Palo Alto County, IA | Not scored | 5 | 13.2 | $604K | −1.0% | |
| Lucas County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 2.7 | $2.6M | +2.6% | |
| Greene County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 7.6 | $1M | −1.0% | |
| Monona County, IA | Not scored | 8 | 20.6 | $367K | −2.4% | |
| Decatur County, IA | Not scored | 5 | 16.4 | $424K | −0.9% | |
| Monroe County, IA | Not scored | 7 | 22.7 | $346K | −2.5% | |
| Adair County, IA | Not scored | 5 | 15.5 | $513K | −1.3% | |
| Worth County, IA | Not scored | 5 | 15.7 | $526K | −1.3% | |
| Van Buren County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 3.5 | $2.1M | −1.2% | |
| Pocahontas County, IA | Not scored | 5 | 16.7 | $442K | −3.5% | |
| Ida County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 9.8 | $765K | −3.4% | |
| Wayne County, IA | Not scored | 5 | 19.5 | $390K | +3.6% | |
| Fremont County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 3.5 | $2.3M | −0.8% | |
| Osceola County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 3.8 | $2.1M | −3.6% | |
| Taylor County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 8.0 | $916K | −0.5% | |
| Audubon County, IA | Not scored | 5 | 19.3 | $394K | −3.0% | |
| Ringgold County, IA | Not scored | 5 | 26.3 | $305K | 0.0% | |
| Adams County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 19.5 | $415K | −2.5% |
Markets with fewer than 5 pet businesses on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Iowa?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 1,697 pet businesses in Iowa. 166 of them (10%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 853 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 13.4% from 2019. Official counts list 1,304 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Iowa spend on pets?
About $1.1B a year, or $843 per household. That is 7% below the U.S. average (an index of 93, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,697 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $654K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 1,315,707 households in Iowa and national spending patterns by income.
How does Iowa compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Iowa has 12.9 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 24% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $654K, 26% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Iowa would have about 1,263, against 1,697 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,542 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 13.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
Which market in Iowa has the highest market score for pet businesses?
Among 9 scored metro areas in or partly in Iowa, the Omaha metro area scores highest, at 64 (upper middle). Among 15 scored small-town markets in or partly in Iowa, the Storm Lake area scores highest, at 67 (upper middle). Among 71 scored counties in Iowa, Dallas County scores highest, at 82 (high). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.
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. Iowa scores 26 for pet businesses (lower middle), #46 of the 50 states and DC.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Iowa. 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.
Pet businesses in other states
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Top markets for pet businesses across the U.S. · All business types in Iowa
Related business types in Iowa
- Veterinarians610 listings
- Pet grooming and boarding507 listings
- Pet stores254 listings
Screening a site or an acquisition in Iowa?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
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.