Pets · Metro area · Massachusetts
Pet businesses in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet businesses in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 41 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #266 of 387 scored metro areas
#2 of 6 scored metro areas based in Massachusetts
- Listings
- 2,021
- 365 chain locations (18%)
- Official establishments
- 1,168
- +10.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.6B
- On pets · $823 a household
- Spending per listing
- $790K
- 10% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.4
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 5,034,221
- +2.3% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton metro area
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 the Boston-Cambridge-Newton metro area. 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 the Boston-Cambridge-Newton metro area comes to about $1.6B a year: $823 per household, 10% below the U.S. average. That works out to $790K per business, 10% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
There are 2,021 pet businesses on map listings in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton metro area as of September 2026. 365 of them (18%) are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 10.4, in line with the U.S. rate of 10.4.
In 2023, official counts showed 1,168 businesses with payroll in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton metro area classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores, up 10.9% from 2019. That is one for every 1,662 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Another 4,147 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 86 SBA-backed loans worth $34.5M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton metro area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +2.3%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for pet businesses in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton metro area is 41 (lower middle), #266 of 387 scored metro areas and #2 of 6 scored metro areas based in Massachusetts.
How the Boston-Cambridge-Newton metro area 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 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton metro area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.4 | 10.2 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $790K | $759K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,662 | 1,798 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +10.9% | +8.3% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.3% | +2.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $823 | $776 | $909 |
| Median household income | $115,863 | $103,960 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 41 | 36 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 1,168+10.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 17,368
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $793.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 4,147Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2,021365 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,818The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 86
- Amount
- $34.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton metro area, 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 the Boston-Cambridge-Newton metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 5,034,221+2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 1,940,688
- Median age
- 40.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 3,486 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,421
- Median household income
- $115,863+28.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $159,721
- Median home value
- $646,300
- Jobs located here
- 2,811,395
- Daytime population
- 5,216,901Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Boston-Cambridge-Newton metro area. 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 metro areas in Massachusetts for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Massachusetts (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Boston-Cambridge-Newton metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Massachusetts
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Springfield, MA | 44 | 147 | 8.0 | $767K | +0.2% | #242 of 387 |
| 2Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 41 | 2,021 | 10.4 | $790K | +2.3% | #266 of 387 |
| 3Worcester, MA | 32 | 379 | 11.3 | $648K | +3.7% | #325 of 387 |
| Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | 25 | 746 | 11.0 | $620K | +2.1% | #357 of 387 |
| 4Amherst Town-Northampton, MA | 23 | 96 | 15.5 | $447K | +10.4% | #367 of 387 |
| 5Barnstable Town, MA | 16 | 146 | 13.8 | $537K | +2.4% | #379 of 387 |
| 6Pittsfield, MA | 15 | 71 | 12.3 | $519K | −1.2% | #382 of 387 |
Other business types in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton metro area
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 businesses41
- Veterinarians60
- Pet grooming and boarding26
- Pet stores47
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 2,021 pet businesses in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton metro area. 365 of them (18%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 1,168 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 10.9% from 2019. Official counts list 4,147 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area spend on pets?
About $1.6B a year, or $823 per household. That is 10% below the U.S. average (an index of 90, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 2,021 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $790K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 1,940,688 households in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
The Boston-Cambridge-Newton metro area has 10.4 pet businesses per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $790K, 10% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, the Boston-Cambridge-Newton metro area would have about 1,818, against 2,021 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,662 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 10.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Boston-Cambridge-Newton metro area at 5,034,221 people in 2025, up 2.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 1,940,688 households. Median household income in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton metro area is $115,863, 44% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.3%, 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. The Boston-Cambridge-Newton metro area scores 41 for pet businesses (lower middle), #266 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton metro area. 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 the Boston-Cambridge-Newton metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton metro area?
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 the Boston-Cambridge-Newton metro area. 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.