Pets · County · Iowa
Pet businesses in Shelby County, IA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet businesses in Shelby County, IA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 50 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,100 of 2,200 scored counties
#19 of 71 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 6
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $4.2M
- On pets · $850 a household
- Spending per listing
- $692K
- 21% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.3
- 18% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 11,689
- −0.2% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Shelby 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 Shelby 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
At $850 per household (6% below the U.S. average), households in Shelby County spend about $4.2M a year on pets. That works out to $692K per business, 21% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
Shelby County has 6 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. That is 12.3 per 10,000 households, 18% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
Official counts don’t publish a figure for pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Shelby County, since they leave out counts under 3.
Population estimates put the population change in Shelby County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.2%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for pet businesses in Shelby County is 50 (upper middle), #1,100 of 2,200 scored counties and #19 of 71 scored counties in Iowa.
How Shelby 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 | Shelby County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 12.3 | 12.9 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $692K | $654K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | n/a | 1,542 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +13.4% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.2% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $850 | $843 | $909 |
| Median household income | $72,738 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 50 | 26 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- n/a
- Employees, 2023
- n/a
- Annual payroll, 2023
- n/a
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 60 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 5The 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 Shelby 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 Shelby County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 11,689−0.2% since 2020
- Households
- 4,882
- Median age
- 44.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 591 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 20
- Median household income
- $72,738+25.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $97,055
- Median home value
- $164,000
- Jobs located here
- 5,366
- Daytime population
- 11,696Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Shelby 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 Shelby 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 Shelby 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 |
| 19Shelby County, IA | 50 | 6 | 12.3 | $692K | −0.2% | #1,100 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Shelby 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 businesses50
- 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 Shelby County, IA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 6 pet businesses in Shelby County. None of them are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. No official count is published for pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Shelby County: counts under 3 are left out.
How much do households in Shelby County, IA spend on pets?
About $4.2M a year, or $850 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 6 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $692K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 4,882 households in Shelby County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Shelby County, IA compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Shelby County has 12.3 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 18% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $692K, 21% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Shelby County would have about 5, against 6 on map listings.
How fast is Shelby County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Shelby County at 11,689 people in 2025, down 0.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 4,882 households. Median household income in Shelby County is $72,738, 10% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.4%, 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. 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. Shelby County scores 50 for pet businesses (upper middle), #1,100 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Shelby 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 Shelby County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Shelby 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 Shelby 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.