Pets · County · Kentucky
Pet businesses in Nelson County, KY
How Nelson County, KY 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 57 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #782 of 2,200 scored counties
#16 of 82 scored counties in Kentucky
- Listings
- 22
- 1 chain location (5%)
- Official establishments
- 11
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $16M
- On pets · $834 a household
- Spending per listing
- $726K
- 17% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.5
- 11% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 49,036
- +4.8% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Nelson 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 Nelson 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
Households in Nelson County spend about $16M a year on pets, or $834 per household, 8% below the U.S. average. That works out to $726K per business, 17% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
Nelson County has 22 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. One of them (5%) is a chain location, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 11.5, 11% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
In 2023, official counts showed 11 businesses with payroll in Nelson County classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores. That is one for every 1,741 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Another 21 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Nelson County grew 4.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for pet businesses in Nelson County is 57 (upper middle), #782 of 2,200 scored counties and #16 of 82 scored counties in Kentucky.
How Nelson 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 | Nelson County | Kentucky | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.5 | 11.5 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $726K | $719K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,741 | 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 | $834 | $824 | $909 |
| Median household income | $69,562 | $63,726 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 57 | 38 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 5 → 11
- Employees, 2023
- 87
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 21Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 221 chain location
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 18The 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 Nelson 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 Nelson County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 49,036+4.8% since 2020
- Households
- 19,150
- Median age
- 40.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 419 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 114
- Median household income
- $69,562+15.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $87,639
- Median home value
- $238,000
- Jobs located here
- 18,213
- Daytime population
- 41,912Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Nelson 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 Nelson 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 Nelson 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 |
| 16Nelson County, KY | 57 | 22 | 11.5 | $726K | +4.8% | #782 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Nelson 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 businesses57
- Veterinarians56
- Pet grooming and boarding49
- Pet stores
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Nelson County, KY?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 22 pet businesses in Nelson County. One of them (5%) is a chain location. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 11 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023. Official counts list 21 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Nelson County, KY spend on pets?
About $16M a year, or $834 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 22 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $726K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 19,150 households in Nelson County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Nelson County, KY compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Nelson County has 11.5 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 11% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $726K, 17% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Nelson County would have about 18, against 22 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,741 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.
How fast is Nelson County, KY growing?
Population estimates put Nelson County at 49,036 people in 2025, up 4.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 19,150 households. Median household income in Nelson County is $69,562, 14% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 15.7%, 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. Nelson County scores 57 for pet businesses (upper middle), #782 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Nelson 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 Nelson County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Nelson 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 Nelson 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.