Pets · Metro area · Maryland
Pet businesses in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet businesses in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 71 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #47 of 387 scored metro areas
#2 of 4 scored metro areas based in Maryland
- Listings
- 978
- 195 chain locations (20%)
- Official establishments
- 582
- +3.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.2B
- On pets · $1,090 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.2M
- 42% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.7
- 16% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 2,857,781
- +0.4% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro 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 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 978 pet businesses in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area. 195 of them (20%) are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. That is 8.7 per 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 10.4.
At $1,090 per household (20% above the U.S. average), households in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area spend about $1.2B a year on pets. That works out to $1.2M per business, 42% above the U.S. figure of $878K.
In 2023, official counts showed 582 businesses with payroll in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores, up 3.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,925 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts also show 2,068 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 27 SBA-backed loans worth $19.5M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +0.4%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for pet businesses in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area is 71 (upper middle), #47 of 387 scored metro areas and #2 of 4 scored metro areas based in Maryland. That puts it in the top quarter of metro areas.
How the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area 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.
| Measure | Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.7 | 8.6 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $1.2M | $1.3M | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,925 | 2,095 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +3.0% | +1.0% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.4% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $1,090 | $1,117 | $909 |
| Median household income | $99,470 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 71 | 80 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 582+3.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 7,544
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $326.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 2,068Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 978195 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,390The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 27
- Amount
- $19.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro 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 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 2,857,781+0.4% since 2020
- Households
- 1,120,269
- Median age
- 40.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 2,602 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,095
- Median household income
- $99,470+21.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $131,059
- Median home value
- $391,300
- Jobs located here
- 1,345,791
- Daytime population
- 2,886,566Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardPet businesses across Maryland
Every Maryland market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Maryland for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Maryland (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Maryland
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 81 | 1,932 | 8.1 | $1.5M | +3.3% | #11 of 387 |
| 1Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV | 73 | 123 | 10.4 | $874K | +7.1% | #43 of 387 |
| 2Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | 71 | 978 | 8.7 | $1.2M | +0.4% | #47 of 387 |
| 3Lexington Park, MD | 65 | 90 | 11.9 | $1M | +2.1% | #80 of 387 |
| 4Salisbury, MD | 53 | 53 | 10.9 | $813K | +2.9% | #172 of 387 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 48 | 2,176 | 8.8 | $851K | +1.4% | #207 of 387 |
Other business types in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro 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 businesses71
- Veterinarians68
- Pet grooming and boarding70
- Pet stores72
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area?
There are 978 pet businesses on map listings in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area as of September 2026. 195 of them (20%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 582 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 3.0% from 2019. Another 2,068 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area spend on pets?
About $1.2B a year, or $1,090 per household. That is 20% above the U.S. average (an index of 120, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 978 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $1.2M per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 1,120,269 households in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
The Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area has 8.7 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $1.2M, 42% above the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area would have about 1,390, against 978 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,925 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area at 2,857,781 people in 2025, up 0.4% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 1,120,269 households. The median household income in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area is $99,470 a year, 23% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 21.9% 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. The Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area scores 71 for pet businesses (upper middle), #47 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro 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 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro 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 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro 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.