Groundwork

Pets · County · Maryland

Pet businesses in Frederick County, MD

How Frederick County, MD compares with other counties and the U.S. for pet businesses: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 72 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #226 of 2,200 scored counties
#8 of 23 scored counties in Maryland

Listings
133
23 chain locations (17%)
Official establishments
77
+5.5% since 2019
Household spending a year
$128.9M
On pets · $1,232 a household
Spending per listing
$969K
10% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
12.7
22% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
302,883
+11.0% since 2020

See the pet businesses around any address in Frederick 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 Frederick 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

As of September 2026, map listings count 133 pet businesses in Frederick County. 23 of them (17%) are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. That is 12.7 per 10,000 households, 22% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.

Households in Frederick County spend about $128.9M a year on pets, or $1,232 per household, 35% above the U.S. average. That is about $969K of household spending for each business on map listings, 10% above the U.S. figure of $878K.

Official counts show 77 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Frederick County in 2023, up 5.5% from 2019. That is one for every 1,359 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts also show 345 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $2.3M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Frederick County.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Frederick County grew 11.0%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Frederick County scores 72 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for pet businesses, ranking #226 of 2,200 scored counties and #8 of 23 scored counties in Maryland. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Frederick 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 Frederick County, MD compared with Maryland and the U.S.
MeasureFrederick CountyMarylandU.S.
Listings per 10k households12.78.610.4
Spending per listing$969K$1.3M$878K
Households per official establishment1,3592,0951,852
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+5.5%+1.0%+11.4%
Population growth, 2020–2025+11.0%+1.4%+3.1%
Spending per household on pets$1,232$1,117$909
Median household income$122,002$103,678$80,734
Groundwork market score7280

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
73 → 77+5.5% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,046
Annual payroll, 2023
$48.4M
One-person businesses, 2023
345Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
13323 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
147The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
3
Amount
$2.3M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
302,883+11.0% since 2020
Households
104,635
Median age
40.3
Homes lived in by their owners
77%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
661 sq. mi.
People per square mile
434
Median household income
$122,002+24.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$148,311
Median home value
$464,600
Jobs located here
108,637
Daytime population
254,360Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Frederick 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 Frederick 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 Frederick 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 Frederick County

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

Questions

How many pet businesses are in Frederick County, MD?

Frederick County has 133 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 23 of them (17%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 77 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 5.5% from 2019. Another 345 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

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

About $128.9M a year, or $1,232 per household. That is 35% above the U.S. average (an index of 135, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 133 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $969K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 104,635 households in Frederick County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Frederick County has 12.7 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 22% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $969K, 10% above the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Frederick County would have about 147, against 133 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,359 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.

How fast is Frederick County, MD growing?

Population estimates put Frederick County at 302,883 people in 2025, up 11.0% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 104,635 households. The median household income in Frederick County is $122,002 a year, 51% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 24.8% 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. Frederick County scores 72 for pet businesses (upper middle), #226 of 2,200 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Frederick 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 Frederick County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Frederick 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 Frederick 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.