Pets · Small-town market · Michigan
Pet businesses in the Houghton, MI area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet businesses in the Houghton, MI area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 63 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #109 of 527 scored small-town markets
#2 of 18 scored small-town markets based in Michigan
- Listings
- 15
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $11.6M
- On pets · $752 a household
- Spending per listing
- $774K
- 12% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.7
- 7% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 40,028
- +1.8% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in the Houghton 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 Houghton 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 Houghton area comes to about $11.6M a year: $752 per household, 17% below the U.S. average. That works out to $774K per business, 12% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
There are 15 pet businesses on map listings in the Houghton area as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. That comes to 9.7 for every 10,000 households, 7% below the U.S. rate of 10.4.
Official counts don’t publish a figure for pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Houghton area, since they leave out counts under 3. Official counts list 20 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates put the population change in the Houghton area from 2020 to 2025 at +1.8%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Houghton area scores 63 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for pet businesses, ranking #109 of 527 scored small-town markets and #2 of 18 scored small-town markets based in Michigan. That puts it in the top quarter of small-town markets.
How the Houghton area 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 | Houghton area | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.7 | 10.4 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $774K | $814K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | n/a | 2,045 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +13.8% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.8% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $752 | $843 | $909 |
| Median household income | $58,128 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 63 | 50 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- n/a
- Employees, 2023
- n/a
- Annual payroll, 2023
- n/a
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 20Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 150 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 13The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Houghton 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 Houghton area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 40,028+1.8% since 2020
- Households
- 15,440
- Median age
- 37.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 1,549 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 26
- Median household income
- $58,128+31.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $80,984
- Median home value
- $160,800
- Jobs located here
- 12,154
- Daytime population
- 38,592Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Houghton area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 Houghton 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 Michigan
Every Michigan market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Michigan for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Michigan, with the Houghton area marked.
Top small-town markets in Michigan
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Coldwater, MI | 74 | 15 | 8.9 | $835K | +2.5% | #36 of 527 |
| 2Houghton, MI | 63 | 15 | 9.7 | $774K | +1.8% | #109 of 527 |
| 3Sturgis, MI | 56 | 29 | 12.3 | $609K | +0.1% | #201 of 527 |
| 4Iron Mountain, MI-WI | 49 | 19 | 13.5 | $557K | +0.4% | #294 of 527 |
| 5Big Rapids, MI | 49 | 23 | 13.8 | $517K | +4.7% | #296 of 527 |
| 6Ludington, MI | 48 | 16 | 12.5 | $618K | 0.0% | #305 of 527 |
| 7Cadillac, MI | 48 | 32 | 16.3 | $452K | +2.0% | #312 of 527 |
| 8Petoskey, MI | 46 | 23 | 15.1 | $584K | −1.0% | #326 of 527 |
| 9Mount Pleasant, MI | 42 | 29 | 11.6 | $608K | +0.3% | #362 of 527 |
| 10Marquette, MI | 42 | 36 | 12.7 | $592K | +2.3% | #363 of 527 |
Other business types in the Houghton 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 businesses63
- Veterinarians
- Pet grooming and boarding
- Pet stores
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in the Houghton, MI area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 15 pet businesses in the Houghton area. None of them are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. No official count is published for pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Houghton area: counts under 3 are left out. Official counts also show 20 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Houghton, MI area spend on pets?
About $11.6M a year, or $752 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 15 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $774K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 15,440 households in the Houghton area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Houghton, MI area compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
The Houghton area has 9.7 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 7% below the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $774K, 12% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, the Houghton area would have about 13, against 15 on map listings.
How fast is the Houghton, MI area growing?
Population estimates put the Houghton area at 40,028 people in 2025, up 1.8% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 15,440 households. Median household income in the Houghton area is $58,128, 28% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 31.5%, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Houghton area scores 63 for pet businesses (upper middle), #109 of 527 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Houghton 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 Houghton area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Houghton 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 Houghton 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.