Groundwork

Pets · County · Maryland

Pet businesses in Baltimore city, MD

The pet businesses in Baltimore city, MD, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 74 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #170 of 2,200 scored counties
#6 of 23 scored counties in Maryland

Listings
119
20 chain locations (17%)
Official establishments
50
−12.3% since 2019
Household spending a year
$214.5M
On pets · $839 a household
Spending per listing
$1.8M
2.1 times the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
4.7
55% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
569,997
−2.3% since 2020

See the pet businesses around any address in Baltimore city

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 Baltimore city. 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

For pet businesses, Baltimore city has a Groundwork market score of 74 (upper middle): #170 of 2,200 scored counties and #6 of 23 scored counties in Maryland. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for pet businesses.

At $839 per household (8% below the U.S. average), households in Baltimore city spend about $214.5M a year on pets. Spread across 119 pet businesses, that is $1.8M per business, 2.1 times the U.S. figure of $878K.

Baltimore city has 119 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 20 of them (17%) are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 4.7, 55% below the U.S. rate of 10.4.

Official counts show 50 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Baltimore city in 2023, down 12.3% from 2019. That is one for every 5,113 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $2.8M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Baltimore city. Population estimates show Baltimore city declined 2.3% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Baltimore city compares

The same measures for Maryland 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 Baltimore city, MD compared with Maryland and the U.S.
MeasureBaltimore cityMarylandU.S.
Listings per 10k households4.78.610.4
Spending per listing$1.8M$1.3M$878K
Households per official establishment5,1132,0951,852
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−12.3%+1.0%+11.4%
Population growth, 2020–2025−2.3%+1.4%+3.1%
Spending per household on pets$839$1,117$909
Median household income$62,177$103,678$80,734
Groundwork market score7480

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
57 → 50−12.3% over the period
Employees, 2023
497
Annual payroll, 2023
$14.6M
One-person businesses, 2023
367Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
11920 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
244The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
7
Amount
$2.8M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Baltimore city, 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 Baltimore city

Population, 2025 estimate
569,997−2.3% since 2020
Households
255,668
Median age
37.5
Homes lived in by their owners
48%
Vehicles per household
1.1
Land area
81 sq. mi.
People per square mile
7,082
Median household income
$62,177+23.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$89,312
Median home value
$229,600
Jobs located here
344,611
Daytime population
667,322Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Baltimore city?

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 Baltimore city. 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 Maryland

Every Maryland market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Maryland for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Maryland, with Baltimore city marked.

Top counties in Maryland

Counties in Maryland ranked for pet businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Charles County, MD88559.0$1.3M+5.9%#10 of 2,200
2Prince George’s County, MD851333.8$2.8M+0.5%#21 of 2,200
3Dorchester County, MD8475.2$1.6M+3.4%#35 of 2,200
4Cecil County, MD774912.1$837K+3.2%#124 of 2,200
5Montgomery County, MD763087.9$1.6M+1.3%#133 of 2,200
6Baltimore city, MD741194.7$1.8M−2.3%#170 of 2,200
7Baltimore County, MD722607.8$1.3M−0.7%#211 of 2,200
8Frederick County, MD7213312.7$969K+11.0%#226 of 2,200
9St. Mary’s County, MD715212.3$982K+2.4%#247 of 2,200
10Calvert County, MD703811.4$1.1M+1.7%#271 of 2,200

Other business types in Baltimore city

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

Questions

How many pet businesses are in Baltimore city, MD?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 119 pet businesses in Baltimore city. 20 of them (17%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 50 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, down 12.3% from 2019. Official counts also show 367 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Baltimore city, MD spend on pets?

About $214.5M a year, or $839 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 119 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $1.8M per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 255,668 households in Baltimore city and national spending patterns by income.

How does Baltimore city, MD compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?

Baltimore city has 4.7 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 55% below the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $1.8M, 2.1 times the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Baltimore city would have about 244, against 119 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 5,113 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count fell 12.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.

How fast is Baltimore city, MD growing?

Population estimates put Baltimore city at 569,997 people in 2025, down 2.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 255,668 households. Median household income in Baltimore city is $62,177, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 23.4%, 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. Baltimore city scores 74 for pet businesses (upper middle), #170 of 2,200 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Baltimore city. 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 Baltimore city

Screening a site or an acquisition in Baltimore city?

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 Baltimore city. 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.