Pets · County · Massachusetts
Pet businesses in Suffolk County, MA
How Suffolk 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 68 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #336 of 2,200 scored counties
#1 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts
- Listings
- 162
- 35 chain locations (22%)
- Official establishments
- 96
- +12.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $242.9M
- On pets · $743 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.5M
- 71% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.0
- 52% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 791,891
- +0.1% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Suffolk 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 Suffolk 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
Households in Suffolk County spend about $242.9M a year on pets, or $743 per household, 18% below the U.S. average. That is about $1.5M of household spending for each business on map listings, 71% above the U.S. figure of $878K.
There are 162 pet businesses on map listings in Suffolk County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 22% of them, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 5.0, 52% below the U.S. rate of 10.4.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Suffolk County was 96 in 2023, up 12.9% from 2019. That is one for every 3,408 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts list 696 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $2.4M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Suffolk County.
Population estimates show Suffolk County grew 0.1% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for pet businesses in Suffolk County is 68 (upper middle), #336 of 2,200 scored counties and #1 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Suffolk 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 | Suffolk County | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.0 | 10.2 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $1.5M | $759K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 3,408 | 1,798 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +12.9% | +8.3% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.1% | +2.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $743 | $776 | $909 |
| Median household income | $95,631 | $103,960 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 68 | 36 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 85 → 96+12.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,508
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $82.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 696Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 16235 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 277The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 7
- Amount
- $2.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Suffolk 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 Suffolk County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 791,891+0.1% since 2020
- Households
- 327,167
- Median age
- 36.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 36%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.0
- Land area
- 58 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 13,478
- Median household income
- $95,631+37.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $139,221
- Median home value
- $705,800
- Jobs located here
- 748,596
- Daytime population
- 1,129,553Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Suffolk 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 Suffolk 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 Suffolk 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 Suffolk 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 businesses68
- Veterinarians70
- Pet grooming and boarding59
- Pet stores68
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Suffolk County, MA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 162 pet businesses in Suffolk County. 35 of them (22%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 96 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 12.9% from 2019. Official counts also show 696 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Suffolk County, MA spend on pets?
About $242.9M a year, or $743 per household. That is 18% below the U.S. average (an index of 82, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 162 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $1.5M per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 327,167 households in Suffolk County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Suffolk County, MA compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Suffolk County has 5.0 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 52% below the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $1.5M, 71% above the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Suffolk County would have about 277, against 162 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,408 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 12.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is Suffolk County, MA growing?
Population estimates put Suffolk County at 791,891 people in 2025, up 0.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 327,167 households. Median household income in Suffolk County is $95,631, 18% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 37.3%, 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. Suffolk County scores 68 for pet businesses (upper middle), #336 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Suffolk 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 Suffolk County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Suffolk 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 Suffolk 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.