Pets · County · Massachusetts
Pet businesses in Barnstable County, MA
The pet businesses in Barnstable County, MA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 28 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,927 of 2,200 scored counties
#12 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts
- Listings
- 146
- 18 chain locations (12%)
- Official establishments
- 91
- +8.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $78.4M
- On pets · $741 a household
- Spending per listing
- $537K
- 39% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.8
- 33% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 233,539
- +2.4% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Barnstable 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 Barnstable 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
For pet businesses, Barnstable County has a Groundwork market score of 28 (lower middle): #1,927 of 2,200 scored counties and #12 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $741 per household (18% below the U.S. average), households in Barnstable County spend about $78.4M a year on pets. That works out to $537K per business, 39% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
Barnstable County has 146 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 12% of them, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 13.8, 33% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
In 2023, official counts showed 91 businesses with payroll in Barnstable County classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores, up 8.3% from 2019. That is one for every 1,162 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $1.1M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Barnstable County. Population estimates put the population change in Barnstable County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.4%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Barnstable County compares
The same measures for Massachusetts 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 | Barnstable County | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.8 | 10.2 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $537K | $759K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,162 | 1,798 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +8.3% | +8.3% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.4% | +2.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $741 | $776 | $909 |
| Median household income | $95,241 | $103,960 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 28 | 36 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 84 → 91+8.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 850
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $45.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 229Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 14618 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 89The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $1.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Barnstable 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 Barnstable County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 233,539+2.4% since 2020
- Households
- 105,777
- Median age
- 53.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 81%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 394 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 588
- Median household income
- $95,241+28.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $134,349
- Median home value
- $629,000
- Jobs located here
- 87,424
- Daytime population
- 221,377Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Barnstable 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 Barnstable 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 Massachusetts
Every Massachusetts market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Massachusetts for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Massachusetts, with Barnstable County marked.
Top counties in Massachusetts
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Suffolk County, MA | 68 | 162 | 5.0 | $1.5M | +0.1% | #336 of 2,200 |
| 2Middlesex County, MA | 66 | 614 | 9.7 | $908K | +2.8% | #430 of 2,200 |
| 3Norfolk County, MA | 56 | 313 | 11.0 | $798K | +2.2% | #818 of 2,200 |
| 4Hampden County, MA | 50 | 147 | 8.0 | $767K | +0.2% | #1,088 of 2,200 |
| 5Essex County, MA | 46 | 323 | 10.3 | $742K | +2.3% | #1,268 of 2,200 |
| 6Worcester County, MA | 44 | 379 | 11.3 | $648K | +3.7% | #1,360 of 2,200 |
| 7Plymouth County, MA | 41 | 279 | 13.7 | $590K | +3.5% | #1,479 of 2,200 |
| 8Bristol County, MA | 40 | 259 | 11.1 | $616K | +2.9% | #1,524 of 2,200 |
| 9Nantucket County, MA | 37 | 10 | 19.0 | $490K | +3.6% | #1,653 of 2,200 |
| 10Dukes County, MA | 30 | 14 | 18.5 | $454K | +3.1% | #1,876 of 2,200 |
| 12Barnstable County, MA | 28 | 146 | 13.8 | $537K | +2.4% | #1,927 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Barnstable 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 businesses28
- Veterinarians34
- Pet grooming and boarding25
- Pet stores32
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Barnstable County, MA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 146 pet businesses in Barnstable County. 18 of them (12%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 91 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 8.3% from 2019. Official counts list 229 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Barnstable County, MA spend on pets?
About $78.4M a year, or $741 per household. That is 18% below the U.S. average (an index of 82, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 146 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $537K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 105,777 households in Barnstable County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Barnstable County, MA compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Barnstable County has 13.8 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 33% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $537K, 39% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Barnstable County would have about 89, against 146 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,162 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is Barnstable County, MA growing?
Population estimates put Barnstable County at 233,539 people in 2025, up 2.4% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 105,777 households. Median household income in Barnstable County is $95,241, 18% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.1%, 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. Barnstable County scores 28 for pet businesses (lower middle), #1,927 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Barnstable 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 Barnstable County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Barnstable 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 Barnstable 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.