Pets · County · Maine
Pet businesses in Penobscot County, ME
How Penobscot County, ME 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 21 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,102 of 2,200 scored counties
#13 of 16 scored counties in Maine
- Listings
- 102
- 11 chain locations (11%)
- Official establishments
- 46
- +15.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $37.8M
- On pets · $579 a household
- Spending per listing
- $370K
- 58% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 15.6
- 50% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 157,967
- +3.8% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Penobscot 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 Penobscot 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
For pet businesses, Penobscot County has a Groundwork market score of 21 (low): #2,102 of 2,200 scored counties and #13 of 16 scored counties in Maine. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 102 pet businesses in Penobscot County. 11 of them (11%) are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 15.6, 50% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
Household spending on pets in Penobscot County comes to about $37.8M a year: $579 per household, 36% below the U.S. average. That is about $370K of household spending for each business on map listings, 58% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Penobscot County was 46 in 2023, up 15.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,418 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $1.5M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Penobscot County. Population estimates put the population change in Penobscot County from 2020 to 2025 at +3.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Penobscot County 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 | Penobscot County | Maine | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 15.6 | 14.8 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $370K | $421K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,418 | 1,265 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +15.0% | +22.6% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.8% | +3.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $579 | $622 | $909 |
| Median household income | $66,356 | $74,733 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 21 | 16 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 40 → 46+15.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 412
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $17M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 79Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 10211 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 43The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $1.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Penobscot 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 Penobscot County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 157,967+3.8% since 2020
- Households
- 65,221
- Median age
- 43.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 3,397 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 46
- Median household income
- $66,356+30.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $88,290
- Median home value
- $214,100
- Jobs located here
- 73,466
- Daytime population
- 158,403Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Penobscot 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 Penobscot 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 Maine
Every Maine market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Maine for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Maine, with Penobscot County marked.
Top counties in Maine
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Piscataquis County, ME | 55 | 5 | 6.0 | $893K | +3.5% | #859 of 2,200 |
| 2Franklin County, ME | 41 | 17 | 13.4 | $399K | +4.6% | #1,508 of 2,200 |
| 3Somerset County, ME | 38 | 29 | 12.5 | $414K | +2.3% | #1,623 of 2,200 |
| 4Androscoggin County, ME | 34 | 55 | 11.7 | $488K | +4.8% | #1,769 of 2,200 |
| 5Aroostook County, ME | 29 | 36 | 12.0 | $434K | −0.7% | #1,912 of 2,200 |
| 6Oxford County, ME | 27 | 28 | 11.6 | $473K | +4.2% | #1,962 of 2,200 |
| 7York County, ME | 25 | 137 | 15.0 | $450K | +4.8% | #2,012 of 2,200 |
| 8Washington County, ME | 25 | 23 | 16.2 | $319K | +0.8% | #2,024 of 2,200 |
| 9Cumberland County, ME | 23 | 221 | 16.7 | $434K | +4.5% | #2,060 of 2,200 |
| 10Kennebec County, ME | 22 | 87 | 16.0 | $362K | +3.5% | #2,084 of 2,200 |
| 13Penobscot County, ME | 21 | 102 | 15.6 | $370K | +3.8% | #2,102 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Penobscot 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 businesses21
- Veterinarians40
- Pet grooming and boarding17
- Pet stores37
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Penobscot County, ME?
Penobscot County has 102 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 11 of them (11%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 46 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 15.0% from 2019. Another 79 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Penobscot County, ME spend on pets?
About $37.8M 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 102 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $370K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 65,221 households in Penobscot County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Penobscot County, ME compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Penobscot County has 15.6 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 50% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $370K, 58% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Penobscot County would have about 43, against 102 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,418 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 15.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is Penobscot County, ME growing?
Population estimates put Penobscot County at 157,967 people in 2025, up 3.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 65,221 households. The median household income in Penobscot County is $66,356 a year, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.6% 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. Penobscot County scores 21 for pet businesses (low), #2,102 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Penobscot 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 Penobscot County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Penobscot 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 Penobscot 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.