Groundwork

Pets · County · Maryland

Pet businesses in Harford County, MD

The pet businesses in Harford County, MD, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 69 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #306 of 2,200 scored counties
#11 of 23 scored counties in Maryland

Listings
105
17 chain locations (16%)
Official establishments
62
+10.7% since 2019
Household spending a year
$116.4M
On pets · $1,144 a household
Spending per listing
$1.1M
26% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
10.3
In line with the U.S.
Population, 2025
266,446
+2.0% since 2020

See the pet businesses around any address in Harford 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 Harford 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 105 pet businesses in Harford County. 17 of them (16%) are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. That is 10.3 per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 10.4.

Household spending on pets in Harford County comes to about $116.4M a year: $1,144 per household, 26% above the U.S. average. That works out to $1.1M per business, 26% above the U.S. figure of $878K.

Official counts show 62 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Harford County in 2023, up 10.7% from 2019. That is one for every 1,642 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts also show 193 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $6.5M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Harford County.

Population estimates show Harford County grew 2.0% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for pet businesses in Harford County is 69 (upper middle), #306 of 2,200 scored counties and #11 of 23 scored counties in Maryland. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Harford 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 Harford County, MD compared with Maryland and the U.S.
MeasureHarford CountyMarylandU.S.
Listings per 10k households10.38.610.4
Spending per listing$1.1M$1.3M$878K
Households per official establishment1,6422,0951,852
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+10.7%+1.0%+11.4%
Population growth, 2020–2025+2.0%+1.4%+3.1%
Spending per household on pets$1,144$1,117$909
Median household income$112,265$103,678$80,734
Groundwork market score6980

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
56 → 62+10.7% over the period
Employees, 2023
796
Annual payroll, 2023
$30.2M
One-person businesses, 2023
193Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
10517 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
133The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
4
Amount
$6.5M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
266,446+2.0% since 2020
Households
101,795
Median age
41.6
Homes lived in by their owners
80%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
437 sq. mi.
People per square mile
603
Median household income
$112,265+25.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$133,186
Median home value
$386,400
Jobs located here
87,506
Daytime population
226,500Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Harford 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 Harford 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 Harford 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
11Harford County, MD6910510.3$1.1M+2.0%#306 of 2,200

Other business types in Harford County

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

Questions

How many pet businesses are in Harford County, MD?

Harford County has 105 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 17 of them (16%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 62 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 10.7% from 2019. Another 193 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

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

About $116.4M a year, or $1,144 per household. That is 26% above the U.S. average (an index of 126, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 105 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $1.1M per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 101,795 households in Harford County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Harford County has 10.3 pet businesses per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $1.1M, 26% above the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Harford County would have about 133, against 105 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,642 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 10.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.

How fast is Harford County, MD growing?

Population estimates put Harford County at 266,446 people in 2025, up 2.0% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 101,795 households. The median household income in Harford County is $112,265 a year, 39% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 25.9% 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. Harford County scores 69 for pet businesses (upper middle), #306 of 2,200 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Harford 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 Harford 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.