Pets · County · Maryland
Pet businesses in Carroll County, MD
The pet businesses in Carroll County, MD, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 50 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,101 of 2,200 scored counties
#19 of 23 scored counties in Maryland
- Listings
- 113
- 14 chain locations (12%)
- Official establishments
- 55
- −3.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $77M
- On pets · $1,198 a household
- Spending per listing
- $681K
- 22% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 17.6
- 69% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 176,677
- +2.2% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Carroll 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 Carroll 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
Household spending on pets in Carroll County comes to about $77M a year: $1,198 per household, 32% above the U.S. average. Spread across 113 pet businesses, that is $681K per business, 22% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
There are 113 pet businesses on map listings in Carroll County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 12% of them, against 17% across the U.S. That is 17.6 per 10,000 households, 69% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
In 2023, official counts showed 55 businesses with payroll in Carroll County classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores, down 3.5% from 2019. That is one for every 1,169 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Another 184 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $150K has gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Carroll County.
Population estimates show Carroll County grew 2.2% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for pet businesses in Carroll County is 50 (upper middle), #1,101 of 2,200 scored counties and #19 of 23 scored counties in Maryland.
How Carroll 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 | Carroll County | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 17.6 | 8.6 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $681K | $1.3M | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,169 | 2,095 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −3.5% | +1.0% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.2% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $1,198 | $1,117 | $909 |
| Median household income | $118,211 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 50 | 80 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 57 → 55−3.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 538
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $22.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 184Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 11314 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 88The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $150K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Carroll 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 Carroll County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 176,677+2.2% since 2020
- Households
- 64,285
- Median age
- 42.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 84%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 448 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 392
- Median household income
- $118,211+22.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $142,587
- Median home value
- $434,000
- Jobs located here
- 57,897
- Daytime population
- 147,678Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Carroll 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 Carroll 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 Carroll 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 |
| 19Carroll County, MD | 50 | 113 | 17.6 | $681K | +2.2% | #1,101 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Carroll 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 businesses50
- Veterinarians54
- Pet grooming and boarding49
- Pet stores77
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Carroll County, MD?
As of September 2026, map listings count 113 pet businesses in Carroll County. 14 of them (12%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 55 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, down 3.5% from 2019. Official counts list 184 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Carroll County, MD spend on pets?
About $77M a year, or $1,198 per household. That is 32% above the U.S. average (an index of 132, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 113 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $681K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 64,285 households in Carroll County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Carroll County, MD compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Carroll County has 17.6 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 69% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $681K, 22% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Carroll County would have about 88, against 113 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,169 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count fell 3.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is Carroll County, MD growing?
Population estimates put Carroll County at 176,677 people in 2025, up 2.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 64,285 households. Median household income in Carroll County is $118,211, 46% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.2%, 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. Carroll County scores 50 for pet businesses (upper middle), #1,101 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Carroll 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 Carroll County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Carroll 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 Carroll 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.