Pets · County · Michigan
Pet businesses in Bay County, MI
How Bay County, MI 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 52 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #987 of 2,200 scored counties
#19 of 72 scored counties in Michigan
- Listings
- 40
- 7 chain locations (18%)
- Official establishments
- 19
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $33.5M
- On pets · $744 a household
- Spending per listing
- $839K
- 5% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.9
- 14% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 102,123
- −1.6% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Bay 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 Bay 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 Bay County comes to about $33.5M a year: $744 per household, 18% below the U.S. average. Spread across 40 pet businesses, that is $839K per business, 5% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
Bay County has 40 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 7 are chain locations, or 18%, against 17% across the U.S. That is 8.9 per 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 10.4.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Bay County was 19 in 2023. That is one for every 2,374 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Another 42 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $3.2M has gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Bay County.
Population estimates show Bay County declined 1.6% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. Bay County scores 52 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for pet businesses, ranking #987 of 2,200 scored counties and #19 of 72 scored counties in Michigan.
How Bay County compares
The same measures for Michigan 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 | Bay County | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.9 | 10.4 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $839K | $814K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 2,374 | 2,045 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +13.8% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.6% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $744 | $843 | $909 |
| Median household income | $61,763 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 52 | 50 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 18 → 19
- Employees, 2023
- 206
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $6.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 42Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 407 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 38The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $3.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Bay 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 Bay County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 102,123−1.6% since 2020
- Households
- 45,103
- Median age
- 45.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 442 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 233
- Median household income
- $61,763+26.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $79,153
- Median home value
- $152,200
- Jobs located here
- 31,089
- Daytime population
- 93,442Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Bay 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 Bay 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 Michigan
Every Michigan market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Michigan for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Michigan, with Bay County marked.
Top counties in Michigan
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Ottawa County, MI | 72 | 105 | 9.4 | $999K | +3.9% | #222 of 2,200 |
| 2Leelanau County, MI | 72 | 10 | 10.4 | $970K | +3.0% | #225 of 2,200 |
| 3Manistee County, MI | 70 | 8 | 7.6 | $1M | +2.3% | #275 of 2,200 |
| 4Macomb County, MI | 70 | 313 | 8.7 | $987K | +0.7% | #277 of 2,200 |
| 5Wayne County, MI | 68 | 388 | 5.5 | $1.4M | −1.1% | #337 of 2,200 |
| 6Clinton County, MI | 68 | 33 | 10.4 | $895K | +1.6% | #352 of 2,200 |
| 7Branch County, MI | 67 | 15 | 8.9 | $835K | +2.5% | #396 of 2,200 |
| 8Monroe County, MI | 66 | 62 | 9.8 | $876K | +0.7% | #433 of 2,200 |
| 9Oakland County, MI | 65 | 565 | 10.7 | $960K | +1.2% | #466 of 2,200 |
| 10Kent County, MI | 63 | 267 | 10.4 | $865K | +2.5% | #545 of 2,200 |
| 19Bay County, MI | 52 | 40 | 8.9 | $839K | −1.6% | #987 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Bay 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 businesses52
- Veterinarians62
- Pet grooming and boarding37
- Pet stores46
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Bay County, MI?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 40 pet businesses in Bay County. 7 of them (18%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 19 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023. Official counts list 42 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Bay County, MI spend on pets?
About $33.5M a year, or $744 per household. That is 18% below the U.S. average (an index of 82, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 40 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $839K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 45,103 households in Bay County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Bay County, MI compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Bay County has 8.9 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $839K, 5% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Bay County would have about 38, against 40 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,374 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.
How fast is Bay County, MI growing?
Population estimates put Bay County at 102,123 people in 2025, down 1.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 45,103 households. Median household income in Bay County is $61,763, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.5%, 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. Bay County scores 52 for pet businesses (upper middle), #987 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Bay 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 Bay County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Bay 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 Bay 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.