Pets · Small-town market · Maine
Pet businesses in the Augusta-Waterville, ME area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet businesses in the Augusta-Waterville, ME area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 23 out of 100: Low
Ranked #506 of 527 scored small-town markets
The only scored small-town market based in Maine
- Listings
- 87
- 11 chain locations (13%)
- Official establishments
- 34
- +17.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $31.5M
- On pets · $579 a household
- Spending per listing
- $362K
- 59% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 16.0
- 54% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 129,067
- +3.5% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in the Augusta-Waterville area
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 the Augusta-Waterville area. 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
The Augusta-Waterville area scores 23 (low) on the Groundwork market score for pet businesses, ranking #506 of 527 scored small-town markets and the only scored small-town market based in Maine. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
As of September 2026, map listings count 87 pet businesses in the Augusta-Waterville area. Of those, 11 are chain locations, or 13%, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 16.0, 54% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
Household spending on pets in the Augusta-Waterville area comes to about $31.5M a year: $579 per household, 36% below the U.S. average. That is about $362K of household spending for each business on map listings, 59% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
Official counts show 34 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Augusta-Waterville area in 2023, up 17.2% from 2019. That is one for every 1,597 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $2.3M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Augusta-Waterville area. Population estimates show the Augusta-Waterville area grew 3.5% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Augusta-Waterville area compares
The same measures for Maine 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 | Augusta-Waterville area | Maine | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 16.0 | 14.8 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $362K | $421K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,597 | 1,265 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +17.2% | +22.6% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.5% | +3.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $579 | $622 | $909 |
| Median household income | $69,077 | $74,733 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 23 | 16 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 34+17.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 304
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $14.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 69Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 8711 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 36The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $2.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Augusta-Waterville area, 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 the Augusta-Waterville area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 129,067+3.5% since 2020
- Households
- 54,312
- Median age
- 43.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 868 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 146
- Median household income
- $69,077+24.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $88,742
- Median home value
- $238,200
- Jobs located here
- 65,677
- Daytime population
- 134,017Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Augusta-Waterville area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Augusta-Waterville area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardOther business types in the Augusta-Waterville area
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 businesses23
- Veterinarians30
- Pet grooming and boarding28
- Pet stores51
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in the Augusta-Waterville, ME area?
The Augusta-Waterville area has 87 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 11 of them (13%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 34 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 17.2% from 2019. Another 69 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Augusta-Waterville, ME area spend on pets?
About $31.5M a year, or $579 per household. That is 36% below the U.S. average (an index of 64, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 87 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $362K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 54,312 households in the Augusta-Waterville area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Augusta-Waterville, ME area compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
The Augusta-Waterville area has 16.0 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 54% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $362K, 59% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, the Augusta-Waterville area would have about 36, against 87 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,597 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 17.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is the Augusta-Waterville, ME area growing?
Population estimates put the Augusta-Waterville area at 129,067 people in 2025, up 3.5% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 54,312 households. The median household income in the Augusta-Waterville area is $69,077 a year, 14% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 24.8% 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Augusta-Waterville area scores 23 for pet businesses (low), #506 of 527 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Augusta-Waterville area. 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 the Augusta-Waterville area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Augusta-Waterville area?
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 the Augusta-Waterville area. 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.