Pets · Small-town market · Iowa
Pet businesses in the Fort Dodge, IA area
The pet businesses in the Fort Dodge, IA area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 38 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #401 of 527 scored small-town markets
#11 of 15 scored small-town markets based in Iowa
- Listings
- 21
- 2 chain locations (10%)
- Official establishments
- 8
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $11.8M
- On pets · $766 a household
- Spending per listing
- $561K
- 36% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.7
- 32% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 36,838
- −0.4% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in the Fort Dodge 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 Fort Dodge 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
For pet businesses, the Fort Dodge area has a Groundwork market score of 38 (lower middle): #401 of 527 scored small-town markets and #11 of 15 scored small-town markets based in Iowa. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
Households in the Fort Dodge area spend about $11.8M a year on pets, or $766 per household, 16% below the U.S. average. That works out to $561K per business, 36% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
There are 21 pet businesses on map listings in the Fort Dodge area as of September 2026. 2 of them (10%) are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. That is 13.7 per 10,000 households, 32% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
Official counts show 8 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Fort Dodge area in 2023. That is one for every 1,922 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in the Fort Dodge area from 2020 to 2025 at −0.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Fort Dodge 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 | Fort Dodge area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.7 | 12.9 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $561K | $654K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,922 | 1,542 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +13.4% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.4% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $766 | $843 | $909 |
| Median household income | $68,975 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 38 | 26 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 8
- Employees, 2023
- 43
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 13Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 212 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 13The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Fort Dodge 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 Fort Dodge area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 36,838−0.4% since 2020
- Households
- 15,375
- Median age
- 39.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 716 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 52
- Median household income
- $68,975+45.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $83,997
- Median home value
- $153,800
- Jobs located here
- 17,395
- Daytime population
- 38,670Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Fort Dodge area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 Fort Dodge 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 small-town markets in Iowa for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Iowa, with the Fort Dodge area marked.
Top small-town markets in Iowa
| 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 |
Other business types in the Fort Dodge 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 businesses38
- Veterinarians46
- Pet grooming and boarding52
- Pet stores
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in the Fort Dodge, IA area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 21 pet businesses in the Fort Dodge area. 2 of them (10%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 8 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023. Another 13 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Fort Dodge, IA area spend on pets?
About $11.8M a year, or $766 per household. That is 16% below the U.S. average (an index of 84, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 21 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $561K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 15,375 households in the Fort Dodge area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Fort Dodge, IA area compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
The Fort Dodge area has 13.7 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 32% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $561K, 36% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, the Fort Dodge area would have about 13, against 21 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,922 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.
How fast is the Fort Dodge, IA area growing?
Population estimates put the Fort Dodge area at 36,838 people in 2025, down 0.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 15,375 households. Median household income in the Fort Dodge area is $68,975, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 45.3%, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Fort Dodge area scores 38 for pet businesses (lower middle), #401 of 527 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Fort Dodge 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 Fort Dodge area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Fort Dodge 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 Fort Dodge 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.