Pets · Small-town market · Iowa
Pet businesses in the Oskaloosa, IA area
The pet businesses in the Oskaloosa, IA area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 30 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #456 of 527 scored small-town markets
#13 of 15 scored small-town markets based in Iowa
- Listings
- 12
- 2 chain locations (17%)
- Official establishments
- 9
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $6.8M
- On pets · $779 a household
- Spending per listing
- $568K
- 35% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.7
- 32% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 21,880
- −1.2% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in the Oskaloosa 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 Oskaloosa 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 Oskaloosa area has a Groundwork market score of 30 (lower middle): #456 of 527 scored small-town markets and #13 of 15 scored small-town markets based in Iowa. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
At $779 per household (14% below the U.S. average), households in the Oskaloosa area spend about $6.8M a year on pets. Spread across 12 pet businesses, that is $568K per business, 35% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
There are 12 pet businesses on map listings in the Oskaloosa area as of September 2026. 2 of them (17%) are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 13.7, 32% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
In 2023, official counts showed 9 businesses with payroll in the Oskaloosa area classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores. That is one for every 971 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Oskaloosa area declined 1.2%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Oskaloosa 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 | Oskaloosa area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.7 | 12.9 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $568K | $654K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 971 | 1,542 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +13.4% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.2% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $779 | $843 | $909 |
| Median household income | $70,940 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 30 | 26 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 9
- Employees, 2023
- 34
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $818K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 4Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 122 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 8The 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 Oskaloosa 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 Oskaloosa area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 21,880−1.2% since 2020
- Households
- 8,743
- Median age
- 39.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 571 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 39
- Median household income
- $70,940+29.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $86,932
- Median home value
- $157,800
- Jobs located here
- 8,845
- Daytime population
- 19,874Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Oskaloosa 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 Oskaloosa 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 Oskaloosa 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 |
| 13Oskaloosa, IA | 30 | 12 | 13.7 | $568K | −1.2% | #456 of 527 |
Other business types in the Oskaloosa 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 businesses30
- Veterinarians
- Pet grooming and boarding
- Pet stores
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in the Oskaloosa, IA area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 12 pet businesses in the Oskaloosa area. 2 of them (17%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 9 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023. Official counts also show 4 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Oskaloosa, IA area spend on pets?
About $6.8M a year, or $779 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 12 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $568K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 8,743 households in the Oskaloosa area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Oskaloosa, IA area compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
The Oskaloosa area has 13.7 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 32% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $568K, 35% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, the Oskaloosa area would have about 8, against 12 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 971 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.
How fast is the Oskaloosa, IA area growing?
Population estimates put the Oskaloosa area at 21,880 people in 2025, down 1.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 8,743 households. Median household income in the Oskaloosa area is $70,940, 12% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.4%, 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 Oskaloosa area scores 30 for pet businesses (lower middle), #456 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 Oskaloosa 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 Oskaloosa area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Oskaloosa 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 Oskaloosa 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.