Groundwork

Pets · County · Iowa

Pet businesses in Dallas County, IA

The pet businesses in Dallas County, IA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 82 out of 100: High

Ranked #47 of 2,200 scored counties
#1 of 71 scored counties in Iowa

Listings
38
8 chain locations (21%)
Official establishments
23
0.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$44.9M
On pets · $1,057 a household
Spending per listing
$1.2M
34% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
8.9
14% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
118,457
+17.8% since 2020

See the pet businesses around any address in Dallas 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 Dallas 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

For pet businesses, Dallas County has a Groundwork market score of 82 (high): #47 of 2,200 scored counties and #1 of 71 scored counties in Iowa. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for pet businesses.

Map listings as of September 2026 show 38 pet businesses in Dallas County. Of those, 8 are chain locations, or 21%, against 17% across the U.S. That is 8.9 per 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 10.4.

Households in Dallas County spend about $44.9M a year on pets, or $1,057 per household, 16% above the U.S. average. That is about $1.2M of household spending for each business on map listings, 34% above the U.S. figure of $878K.

Official counts show 23 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Dallas County in 2023, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 1,847 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $5.2M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Dallas County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Dallas County grew 17.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Dallas County compares

The same measures for Iowa 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 Dallas County, IA compared with Iowa and the U.S.
MeasureDallas CountyIowaU.S.
Listings per 10k households8.912.910.4
Spending per listing$1.2M$654K$878K
Households per official establishment1,8471,5421,852
Official establishment growth, 2019–20230.0%+13.4%+11.4%
Population growth, 2020–2025+17.8%+1.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on pets$1,057$843$909
Median household income$102,379$75,059$80,734
Groundwork market score8226

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
23 → 230.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
184
Annual payroll, 2023
$7.1M
One-person businesses, 2023
48Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
388 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
51The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
3
Amount
$5.2M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
118,457+17.8% since 2020
Households
42,471
Median age
36.8
Homes lived in by their owners
69%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
588 sq. mi.
People per square mile
184
Median household income
$102,379+15.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$137,324
Median home value
$355,600
Jobs located here
53,926
Daytime population
106,998Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Dallas 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 Dallas 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 Iowa

Every Iowa market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Iowa for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Iowa, with Dallas County marked.

Top counties in Iowa

Counties in Iowa ranked for pet businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Dallas County, IA82388.9$1.2M+17.8%#47 of 2,200
2Johnson County, IA73568.8$993K+4.6%#195 of 2,200
3Benton County, IA691211.8$759K+1.8%#332 of 2,200
4Woodbury County, IA66256.1$1.3M+0.7%#415 of 2,200
5Delaware County, IA6268.1$1M+1.3%#572 of 2,200
6Polk County, IA6222310.9$841K+4.8%#577 of 2,200
7Warren County, IA622612.6$755K+9.0%#588 of 2,200
8Buena Vista County, IA6068.0$1M−1.7%#649 of 2,200
9Pottawattamie County, IA604010.6$770K−0.7%#666 of 2,200
10Tama County, IA5857.4$1M−1.5%#714 of 2,200

Other business types in Dallas County

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

Questions

How many pet businesses are in Dallas County, IA?

There are 38 pet businesses on map listings in Dallas County as of September 2026. 8 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 23 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, unchanged from 2019. Another 48 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in Dallas County, IA spend on pets?

About $44.9M a year, or $1,057 per household. That is 16% above the U.S. average (an index of 116, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 38 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $1.2M per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 42,471 households in Dallas County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Dallas County, IA compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?

Dallas County has 8.9 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $1.2M, 34% above the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Dallas County would have about 51, against 38 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,847 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 Dallas County, IA growing?

Population estimates put Dallas County at 118,457 people in 2025, up 17.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 42,471 households. The median household income in Dallas County is $102,379 a year, 27% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 15.7% 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. Dallas County scores 82 for pet businesses (high), #47 of 2,200 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Dallas 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 Dallas County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Dallas 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 Dallas 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.