Pets · County · Massachusetts
Pet businesses in Essex County, MA
How Essex County, MA 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 46 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,268 of 2,200 scored counties
#5 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts
- Listings
- 323
- 51 chain locations (16%)
- Official establishments
- 198
- +8.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $239.6M
- On pets · $765 a household
- Spending per listing
- $742K
- 16% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.3
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 826,653
- +2.3% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Essex 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 Essex 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 Essex County comes to about $239.6M a year: $765 per household, 16% below the U.S. average. That is about $742K of household spending for each business on map listings, 16% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
Essex County has 323 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 51 are chain locations, or 16%, against 17% across the U.S. That is 10.3 per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 10.4.
Official counts show 198 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Essex County in 2023, up 8.8% from 2019. That is one for every 1,582 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Another 578 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 21 SBA-backed loans worth $7.1M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Essex County.
Population estimates show Essex County grew 2.3% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For pet businesses, Essex County has a Groundwork market score of 46 (lower middle): #1,268 of 2,200 scored counties and #5 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts.
How Essex 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 | Essex County | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.3 | 10.2 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $742K | $759K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,582 | 1,798 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +8.8% | +8.3% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.3% | +2.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $765 | $776 | $909 |
| Median household income | $101,883 | $103,960 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 46 | 36 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 182 → 198+8.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,989
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $91.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 578Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 32351 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 273The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 21
- Amount
- $7.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Essex 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 Essex County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 826,653+2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 313,147
- Median age
- 42.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 493 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,651
- Median household income
- $101,883+28.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $140,108
- Median home value
- $619,100
- Jobs located here
- 329,644
- Daytime population
- 736,954Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Essex 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 Essex 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 Essex 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 |
Other business types in Essex 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 businesses46
- Veterinarians63
- Pet grooming and boarding32
- Pet stores51
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Essex County, MA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 323 pet businesses in Essex County. 51 of them (16%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 198 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 8.8% from 2019. Official counts list 578 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Essex County, MA spend on pets?
About $239.6M a year, or $765 per household. That is 16% below the U.S. average (an index of 84, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 323 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $742K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 313,147 households in Essex County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Essex County, MA compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Essex County has 10.3 pet businesses per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $742K, 16% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Essex County would have about 273, against 323 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,582 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is Essex County, MA growing?
Population estimates put Essex County at 826,653 people in 2025, up 2.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 313,147 households. Median household income in Essex County is $101,883, 26% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.5%, 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. Essex County scores 46 for pet businesses (lower middle), #1,268 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Essex 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 Essex County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Essex 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 Essex 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.