Pets · County · Kentucky
Pet businesses in Mercer County, KY
The pet businesses in Mercer County, KY, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 42 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,458 of 2,200 scored counties
#46 of 82 scored counties in Kentucky
- Listings
- 21
- 1 chain location (5%)
- Official establishments
- 4
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $7.3M
- On pets · $800 a household
- Spending per listing
- $350K
- 60% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 22.9
- 2.2 times the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 23,733
- +4.8% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Mercer 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 Mercer 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 21 pet businesses in Mercer County. One of them (5%) is a chain location, against 17% across the U.S. That is 22.9 per 10,000 households, 2.2 times the U.S. rate of 10.4.
Households in Mercer County spend about $7.3M a year on pets, or $800 per household, 12% below the U.S. average. That works out to $350K per business, 60% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Mercer County in 2023. That is one for every 2,295 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Another 23 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $1.1M has gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Mercer County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Mercer County grew 4.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for pet businesses in Mercer County is 42 (lower middle), #1,458 of 2,200 scored counties and #46 of 82 scored counties in Kentucky.
How Mercer County compares
The same measures for Kentucky 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 | Mercer County | Kentucky | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 22.9 | 11.5 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $350K | $719K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 2,295 | 1,916 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +13.0% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.8% | +2.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $800 | $824 | $909 |
| Median household income | $64,824 | $63,726 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 42 | 38 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 4 → 4
- Employees, 2023
- 28
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 23Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 211 chain location
- 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
- 1
- Amount
- $1.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Mercer 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 Mercer County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 23,733+4.8% since 2020
- Households
- 9,181
- Median age
- 42.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 249 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 92
- Median household income
- $64,824+17.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $82,091
- Median home value
- $202,300
- Jobs located here
- 6,702
- Daytime population
- 19,848Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Mercer 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 Mercer 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 Kentucky
Every Kentucky market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Kentucky for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Kentucky, with Mercer County marked.
Top counties in Kentucky
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Kenton County, KY | 78 | 59 | 8.8 | $1.1M | +3.9% | #109 of 2,200 |
| 2Spencer County, KY | 77 | 10 | 13.7 | $760K | +7.7% | #130 of 2,200 |
| 3Anderson County, KY | 76 | 10 | 10.4 | $833K | +5.5% | #149 of 2,200 |
| 4Bullitt County, KY | 70 | 35 | 11.0 | $841K | +5.0% | #289 of 2,200 |
| 5Campbell County, KY | 69 | 47 | 12.0 | $787K | +2.5% | #329 of 2,200 |
| 6Jefferson County, KY | 67 | 285 | 8.6 | $1M | +1.6% | #383 of 2,200 |
| 7Oldham County, KY | 67 | 29 | 12.6 | $971K | +4.9% | #385 of 2,200 |
| 8Daviess County, KY | 67 | 39 | 9.4 | $885K | +1.5% | #389 of 2,200 |
| 9Hopkins County, KY | 66 | 13 | 7.1 | $1M | −0.5% | #422 of 2,200 |
| 10Warren County, KY | 65 | 62 | 11.1 | $740K | +10.6% | #486 of 2,200 |
| 46Mercer County, KY | 42 | 21 | 22.9 | $350K | +4.8% | #1,458 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Mercer 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 businesses42
- Veterinarians34
- Pet grooming and boarding43
- Pet stores
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Mercer County, KY?
Mercer County has 21 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. One of them (5%) is a chain location. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023. Official counts list 23 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Mercer County, KY spend on pets?
About $7.3M a year, or $800 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 21 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $350K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 9,181 households in Mercer County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Mercer County, KY compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Mercer County has 22.9 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 2.2 times the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $350K, 60% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Mercer County would have about 8, against 21 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,295 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.
How fast is Mercer County, KY growing?
Population estimates put Mercer County at 23,733 people in 2025, up 4.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 9,181 households. The median household income in Mercer County is $64,824 a year, 20% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 17.7% 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. Mercer County scores 42 for pet businesses (lower middle), #1,458 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Mercer 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 Mercer County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Mercer 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 Mercer 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.