Pets · County · Michigan
Pet businesses in Houghton County, MI
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet businesses in Houghton County, MI, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 48 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,192 of 2,200 scored counties
#25 of 72 scored counties in Michigan
- Listings
- 15
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $10.8M
- On pets · $753 a household
- Spending per listing
- $719K
- 18% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.5
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 37,842
- +1.6% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Houghton 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 Houghton 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 15 pet businesses in Houghton County. None of them are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 10.5, in line with the U.S. rate of 10.4.
Household spending on pets in Houghton County comes to about $10.8M a year: $753 per household, 17% below the U.S. average. That is about $719K of household spending for each business on map listings, 18% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
There is no official count of businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Houghton County: counts under 3 aren’t published. Official counts list 20 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates show Houghton County grew 1.6% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for pet businesses in Houghton County is 48 (lower middle), #1,192 of 2,200 scored counties and #25 of 72 scored counties in Michigan.
How Houghton 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 | Houghton County | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.5 | 10.4 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $719K | $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 | +1.6% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $753 | $843 | $909 |
| Median household income | $58,899 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 48 | 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
- 12The 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 Houghton 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 Houghton County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 37,842+1.6% since 2020
- Households
- 14,305
- Median age
- 36.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 1,009 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 37
- Median household income
- $58,899+36.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $80,899
- Median home value
- $159,900
- Jobs located here
- 11,811
- Daytime population
- 36,847Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Houghton 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 Houghton 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 Houghton 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 |
| 25Houghton County, MI | 48 | 15 | 10.5 | $719K | +1.6% | #1,192 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Houghton 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 businesses48
- 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 Houghton County, MI?
There are 15 pet businesses on map listings in Houghton County as of September 2026. 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 Houghton County: counts under 3 are left out. Official counts also show 20 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Houghton County, MI spend on pets?
About $10.8M a year, or $753 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 $719K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 14,305 households in Houghton County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Houghton County, MI compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Houghton County has 10.5 pet businesses per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $719K, 18% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Houghton County would have about 12, against 15 on map listings.
How fast is Houghton County, MI growing?
Population estimates put Houghton County at 37,842 people in 2025, up 1.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 14,305 households. The median household income in Houghton County is $58,899 a year, 27% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 36.4% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Houghton County scores 48 for pet businesses (lower middle), #1,192 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Houghton 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 Houghton County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Houghton 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 Houghton 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.