Pets · County · Iowa
Pet businesses in Polk County, IA
How Polk County, IA compares with other counties and the U.S. for pet businesses: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 62 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #577 of 2,200 scored counties
#6 of 71 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 223
- 39 chain locations (17%)
- Official establishments
- 145
- +30.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $187.6M
- On pets · $913 a household
- Spending per listing
- $841K
- 4% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.9
- 5% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 516,546
- +4.8% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Polk 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 Polk County. 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 223 pet businesses in Polk County. 39 of them (17%) are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. That is 10.9 per 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
At $913 per household (in line with the U.S. average), households in Polk County spend about $187.6M a year on pets. Spread across 223 pet businesses, that is $841K per business, 4% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Polk County was 145 in 2023, up 30.6% from 2019. That is one for every 1,416 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts list 249 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 9 SBA-backed loans worth $5.5M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Polk County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Polk County grew 4.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For pet businesses, Polk County has a Groundwork market score of 62 (upper middle): #577 of 2,200 scored counties and #6 of 71 scored counties in Iowa.
How Polk 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.
| Measure | Polk County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.9 | 12.9 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $841K | $654K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,416 | 1,542 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +30.6% | +13.4% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.8% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $913 | $843 | $909 |
| Median household income | $83,576 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 62 | 26 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 111 → 145+30.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,102
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $75.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 249Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 22339 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 214The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 9
- Amount
- $5.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Polk 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 Polk County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 516,546+4.8% since 2020
- Households
- 205,358
- Median age
- 37.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 573 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 879
- Median household income
- $83,576+23.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $109,398
- Median home value
- $262,100
- Jobs located here
- 309,340
- Daytime population
- 566,731Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Polk 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 Polk County. 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 counties in Iowa for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Iowa, with Polk County marked.
Top counties in Iowa
| 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 |
Other business types in Polk County
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 businesses62
- Veterinarians66
- Pet grooming and boarding57
- Pet stores55
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Polk County, IA?
There are 223 pet businesses on map listings in Polk County as of September 2026. 39 of them (17%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 145 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 30.6% from 2019. Official counts also show 249 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Polk County, IA spend on pets?
About $187.6M a year, or $913 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 100, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 223 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $841K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 205,358 households in Polk County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Polk County, IA compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Polk County has 10.9 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $841K, 4% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Polk County would have about 214, against 223 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,416 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 30.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is Polk County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Polk County at 516,546 people in 2025, up 4.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 205,358 households. The median household income in Polk County is $83,576 a year, 4% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.6% 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. Polk County scores 62 for pet businesses (upper middle), #577 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Polk 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 Polk County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Polk 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 Polk 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.