Pets · Metro area · Iowa
Pet businesses in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet businesses in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 55 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #158 of 387 scored metro areas
#3 of 8 scored metro areas based in Iowa
- Listings
- 328
- 49 chain locations (15%)
- Official establishments
- 203
- +23.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $274.3M
- On pets · $930 a household
- Spending per listing
- $836K
- 5% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.1
- 7% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 758,539
- +6.7% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area
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 the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area. 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
Household spending on pets in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area comes to about $274.3M a year: $930 per household, 2% above the U.S. average. That works out to $836K per business, 5% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
The Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area has 328 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 49 of them (15%) are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. That comes to 11.1 for every 10,000 households, 7% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
In 2023, official counts showed 203 businesses with payroll in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores, up 23.3% from 2019. That is one for every 1,452 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts also show 367 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 12 SBA-backed loans worth $10.7M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +6.7%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area scores 55 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for pet businesses, ranking #158 of 387 scored metro areas and #3 of 8 scored metro areas based in Iowa.
How the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area 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.
| Measure | Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.1 | 12.9 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $836K | $654K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,452 | 1,542 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +23.3% | +13.4% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.7% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $930 | $843 | $909 |
| Median household income | $85,890 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 55 | 26 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 203+23.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,536
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $92M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 367Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 32849 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 312The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 12
- Amount
- $10.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area, 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 the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 758,539+6.7% since 2020
- Households
- 294,814
- Median age
- 37.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 3,613 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 202
- Median household income
- $85,890+22.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $112,632
- Median home value
- $267,400
- Jobs located here
- 392,636
- Daytime population
- 765,807Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardPet businesses across Iowa
Every Iowa market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Iowa for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Iowa (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Iowa
| 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 |
Other business types in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area
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 businesses55
- Veterinarians55
- Pet grooming and boarding54
- Pet stores61
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 328 pet businesses in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area. 49 of them (15%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 203 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 23.3% from 2019. Another 367 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area spend on pets?
About $274.3M a year, or $930 per household. That is 2% above the U.S. average (an index of 102, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 328 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $836K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 294,814 households in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
The Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area has 11.1 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 7% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $836K, 5% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area would have about 312, against 328 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,452 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 23.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area at 758,539 people in 2025, up 6.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 294,814 households. Median household income in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area is $85,890, 6% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.5%, 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. The Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area scores 55 for pet businesses (upper middle), #158 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area. 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 the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area?
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 the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area. 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.