Pets · County · Maryland
Pet businesses in Caroline County, MD
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet businesses in Caroline County, MD, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 64 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #525 of 2,200 scored counties
#15 of 23 scored counties in Maryland
- Listings
- 16
- 4 chain locations (25%)
- Official establishments
- 3
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $10.5M
- On pets · $841 a household
- Spending per listing
- $657K
- 25% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.8
- 23% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 34,116
- +2.5% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Caroline 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 Caroline 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
At $841 per household (8% below the U.S. average), households in Caroline County spend about $10.5M a year on pets. That works out to $657K per business, 25% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
Caroline County has 16 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 4 of them (25%) are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 12.8, 23% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Caroline County was 3 in 2023. That is one for every 4,165 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts also show 26 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates show Caroline County grew 2.5% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For pet businesses, Caroline County has a Groundwork market score of 64 (upper middle): #525 of 2,200 scored counties and #15 of 23 scored counties in Maryland. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Caroline 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.
| Measure | Caroline County | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 12.8 | 8.6 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $657K | $1.3M | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 4,165 | 2,095 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +1.0% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.5% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $841 | $1,117 | $909 |
| Median household income | $68,457 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 64 | 80 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 3 → 3
- Employees, 2023
- 13
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $461K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 26Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 164 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 12The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Caroline 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 Caroline County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 34,116+2.5% since 2020
- Households
- 12,495
- Median age
- 40.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 319 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 105
- Median household income
- $68,457+16.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $87,383
- Median home value
- $290,100
- Jobs located here
- 8,855
- Daytime population
- 25,447Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Caroline 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 Caroline 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 Maryland
Every Maryland market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Maryland for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Maryland, with Caroline County marked.
Top counties in Maryland
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Charles County, MD | 88 | 55 | 9.0 | $1.3M | +5.9% | #10 of 2,200 |
| 2Prince George’s County, MD | 85 | 133 | 3.8 | $2.8M | +0.5% | #21 of 2,200 |
| 3Dorchester County, MD | 84 | 7 | 5.2 | $1.6M | +3.4% | #35 of 2,200 |
| 4Cecil County, MD | 77 | 49 | 12.1 | $837K | +3.2% | #124 of 2,200 |
| 5Montgomery County, MD | 76 | 308 | 7.9 | $1.6M | +1.3% | #133 of 2,200 |
| 6Baltimore city, MD | 74 | 119 | 4.7 | $1.8M | −2.3% | #170 of 2,200 |
| 7Baltimore County, MD | 72 | 260 | 7.8 | $1.3M | −0.7% | #211 of 2,200 |
| 8Frederick County, MD | 72 | 133 | 12.7 | $969K | +11.0% | #226 of 2,200 |
| 9St. Mary’s County, MD | 71 | 52 | 12.3 | $982K | +2.4% | #247 of 2,200 |
| 10Calvert County, MD | 70 | 38 | 11.4 | $1.1M | +1.7% | #271 of 2,200 |
| 15Caroline County, MD | 64 | 16 | 12.8 | $657K | +2.5% | #525 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Caroline 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 businesses64
- Veterinarians
- Pet grooming and boarding57
- Pet stores
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Caroline County, MD?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 16 pet businesses in Caroline County. 4 of them (25%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023. Another 26 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Caroline County, MD spend on pets?
About $10.5M a year, or $841 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 16 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $657K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 12,495 households in Caroline County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Caroline County, MD compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Caroline County has 12.8 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 23% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $657K, 25% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Caroline County would have about 12, against 16 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 4,165 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.
How fast is Caroline County, MD growing?
Population estimates put Caroline County at 34,116 people in 2025, up 2.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 12,495 households. Median household income in Caroline County is $68,457, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 16.8%, 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. Caroline County scores 64 for pet businesses (upper middle), #525 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Caroline 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 Caroline County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Caroline 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 Caroline 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.