Pets · County · Iowa
Pet businesses in Story County, IA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet businesses in Story County, IA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 36 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,687 of 2,200 scored counties
#37 of 71 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 60
- 9 chain locations (15%)
- Official establishments
- 31
- +24.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $32.4M
- On pets · $832 a household
- Spending per listing
- $540K
- 39% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 15.4
- 48% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 101,291
- +2.7% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Story 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 Story 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
Story County scores 36 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for pet businesses, ranking #1,687 of 2,200 scored counties and #37 of 71 scored counties in Iowa. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Households in Story County spend about $32.4M a year on pets, or $832 per household, 8% below the U.S. average. Spread across 60 pet businesses, that is $540K per business, 39% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
Story County has 60 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 9 of them (15%) are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 15.4, 48% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
In 2023, official counts showed 31 businesses with payroll in Story County classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores, up 24.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,255 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Story County grew 2.7%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Story 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 | Story County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 15.4 | 12.9 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $540K | $654K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,255 | 1,542 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +24.0% | +13.4% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.7% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $832 | $843 | $909 |
| Median household income | $69,685 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 36 | 26 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 25 → 31+24.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 300
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $11.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 67Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 609 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 37The 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 Story 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 Story County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 101,291+2.7% since 2020
- Households
- 38,904
- Median age
- 33.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 56%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 573 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 175
- Median household income
- $69,685+22.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $96,918
- Median home value
- $258,700
- Jobs located here
- 47,997
- Daytime population
- 107,341Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Story 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 Story 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 Story 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 |
| 37Story County, IA | 36 | 60 | 15.4 | $540K | +2.7% | #1,687 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Story 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 businesses36
- Veterinarians28
- Pet grooming and boarding71
- Pet stores31
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Story County, IA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 60 pet businesses in Story County. 9 of them (15%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 31 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 24.0% from 2019. Another 67 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Story County, IA spend on pets?
About $32.4M a year, or $832 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 60 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $540K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 38,904 households in Story County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Story County, IA compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Story County has 15.4 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 48% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $540K, 39% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Story County would have about 37, against 60 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,255 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 24.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is Story County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Story County at 101,291 people in 2025, up 2.7% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 38,904 households. Median household income in Story County is $69,685, 14% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.8%, 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. Story County scores 36 for pet businesses (lower middle), #1,687 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Story 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 Story County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Story 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 Story 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.