Groundwork

Pets · County · Maryland

Pet businesses in Baltimore County, MD

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet businesses in Baltimore County, MD, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 72 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #211 of 2,200 scored counties
#7 of 23 scored counties in Maryland

Listings
260
60 chain locations (23%)
Official establishments
155
−3.7% since 2019
Household spending a year
$345.2M
On pets · $1,037 a household
Spending per listing
$1.3M
51% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
7.8
25% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
847,650
−0.7% since 2020

See the pet businesses around any address in Baltimore 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 Baltimore County. 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

Baltimore County scores 72 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for pet businesses, ranking #211 of 2,200 scored counties and #7 of 23 scored counties in Maryland. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for pet businesses.

Map listings as of September 2026 show 260 pet businesses in Baltimore County. Chain locations make up 23% of them, against 17% across the U.S. That is 7.8 per 10,000 households, 25% below the U.S. rate of 10.4.

Household spending on pets in Baltimore County comes to about $345.2M a year: $1,037 per household, 14% above the U.S. average. That works out to $1.3M per business, 51% above the U.S. figure of $878K.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Baltimore County was 155 in 2023, down 3.7% from 2019. That is one for every 2,147 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $2.4M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Baltimore County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Baltimore County declined 0.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Baltimore County 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 County, MD compared with Maryland and the U.S.
MeasureBaltimore CountyMarylandU.S.
Listings per 10k households7.88.610.4
Spending per listing$1.3M$1.3M$878K
Households per official establishment2,1472,0951,852
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−3.7%+1.0%+11.4%
Population growth, 2020–2025−0.7%+1.4%+3.1%
Spending per household on pets$1,037$1,117$909
Median household income$91,768$103,678$80,734
Groundwork market score7280

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
161 → 155−3.7% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,982
Annual payroll, 2023
$92.4M
One-person businesses, 2023
476Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
26060 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
393The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
6
Amount
$2.4M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
847,650−0.7% since 2020
Households
332,801
Median age
41.1
Homes lived in by their owners
66%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
598 sq. mi.
People per square mile
1,422
Median household income
$91,768+19.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$122,863
Median home value
$349,300
Jobs located here
385,518
Daytime population
833,745Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Baltimore 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 Baltimore County. 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 County 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 County

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

Questions

How many pet businesses are in Baltimore County, MD?

There are 260 pet businesses on map listings in Baltimore County as of September 2026. 60 of them (23%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 155 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, down 3.7% from 2019. Another 476 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

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

About $345.2M a year, or $1,037 per household. That is 14% above the U.S. average (an index of 114, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 260 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $1.3M per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 332,801 households in Baltimore County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Baltimore County has 7.8 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 25% below the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $1.3M, 51% above the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Baltimore County would have about 393, against 260 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,147 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count fell 3.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.

How fast is Baltimore County, MD growing?

Population estimates put Baltimore County at 847,650 people in 2025, down 0.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 332,801 households. The median household income in Baltimore County is $91,768 a year, 14% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 19.4% 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. Baltimore County scores 72 for pet businesses (upper middle), #211 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 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 Baltimore County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Baltimore 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 Baltimore 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.