Groundwork

Pets · County · Iowa

Pet businesses in Wapello County, IA

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet businesses in Wapello County, IA, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 47 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,253 of 2,200 scored counties
#20 of 71 scored counties in Iowa

Listings
18
2 chain locations (11%)
Official establishments
3
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$10.5M
On pets · $750 a household
Spending per listing
$583K
34% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
12.9
24% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
35,210
−0.3% since 2020

See the pet businesses around any address in Wapello 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 Wapello County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey 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 18 pet businesses in Wapello County. Of those, 2 are chain locations, or 11%, against 17% across the U.S. That is 12.9 per 10,000 households, 24% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.

At $750 per household (18% below the U.S. average), households in Wapello County spend about $10.5M a year on pets. Spread across 18 pet businesses, that is $583K per business, 34% below the U.S. figure of $878K.

In 2023, official counts showed 3 businesses with payroll in Wapello County classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores. That is one for every 4,666 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts list 8 one-person businesses without payroll.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Wapello County declined 0.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For pet businesses, Wapello County has a Groundwork market score of 47 (lower middle): #1,253 of 2,200 scored counties and #20 of 71 scored counties in Iowa.

How Wapello 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.

Pet businesses in Wapello County, IA compared with Iowa and the U.S.
MeasureWapello CountyIowaU.S.
Listings per 10k households12.912.910.4
Spending per listing$583K$654K$878K
Households per official establishment4,6661,5421,852
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+13.4%+11.4%
Population growth, 2020–2025−0.3%+1.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on pets$750$843$909
Median household income$64,766$75,059$80,734
Groundwork market score4726

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
3 → 3
Employees, 2023
12
Annual payroll, 2023
$191K
One-person businesses, 2023
8Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
182 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
12The 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 Wapello 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 Wapello County

Population, 2025 estimate
35,210−0.3% since 2020
Households
13,997
Median age
40.5
Homes lived in by their owners
68%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
432 sq. mi.
People per square mile
82
Median household income
$64,766+40.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$82,469
Median home value
$125,100
Jobs located here
15,175
Daytime population
34,077Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Wapello 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 Wapello County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Pet businesses across Iowa

Every Iowa market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Iowa for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Iowa, with Wapello County marked.

Top counties in Iowa

Counties in Iowa ranked for pet businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Dallas County, IA82388.9$1.2M+17.8%#47 of 2,200
2Johnson County, IA73568.8$993K+4.6%#195 of 2,200
3Benton County, IA691211.8$759K+1.8%#332 of 2,200
4Woodbury County, IA66256.1$1.3M+0.7%#415 of 2,200
5Delaware County, IA6268.1$1M+1.3%#572 of 2,200
6Polk County, IA6222310.9$841K+4.8%#577 of 2,200
7Warren County, IA622612.6$755K+9.0%#588 of 2,200
8Buena Vista County, IA6068.0$1M−1.7%#649 of 2,200
9Pottawattamie County, IA604010.6$770K−0.7%#666 of 2,200
10Tama County, IA5857.4$1M−1.5%#714 of 2,200
20Wapello County, IA471812.9$583K−0.3%#1,253 of 2,200

Other business types in Wapello County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many pet businesses are in Wapello County, IA?

There are 18 pet businesses on map listings in Wapello County as of September 2026. 2 of them (11%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023. Official counts also show 8 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Wapello County, IA spend on pets?

About $10.5M a year, or $750 per household. That is 18% below the U.S. average (an index of 82, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 18 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $583K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 13,997 households in Wapello County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Wapello County, IA compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?

Wapello County has 12.9 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 24% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $583K, 34% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Wapello County would have about 12, against 18 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 4,666 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.

How fast is Wapello County, IA growing?

Population estimates put Wapello County at 35,210 people in 2025, down 0.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 13,997 households. The median household income in Wapello County is $64,766 a year, 20% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 40.1% 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. Wapello County scores 47 for pet businesses (lower middle), #1,253 of 2,200 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Wapello 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 Wapello County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Wapello 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 Wapello 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.