Groundwork

Pets · County · Michigan

Pet businesses in Ionia County, MI

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet businesses in Ionia County, MI, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 43 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,399 of 2,200 scored counties
#38 of 72 scored counties in Michigan

Listings
31
3 chain locations (10%)
Official establishments
11
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$18.6M
On pets · $798 a household
Spending per listing
$601K
32% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
13.3
28% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
66,557
−0.5% since 2020

See the pet businesses around any address in Ionia 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 Ionia County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

As of September 2026, map listings count 31 pet businesses in Ionia County. 3 of them (10%) are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. That is 13.3 per 10,000 households, 28% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.

Household spending on pets in Ionia County comes to about $18.6M a year: $798 per household, 12% below the U.S. average. That works out to $601K per business, 32% below the U.S. figure of $878K.

Official counts show 11 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Ionia County in 2023. That is one for every 2,123 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts also show 32 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $170K have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Ionia County.

Population estimates put the population change in Ionia County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For pet businesses, Ionia County has a Groundwork market score of 43 (lower middle): #1,399 of 2,200 scored counties and #38 of 72 scored counties in Michigan.

How Ionia 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.

Pet businesses in Ionia County, MI compared with Michigan and the U.S.
MeasureIonia CountyMichiganU.S.
Listings per 10k households13.310.410.4
Spending per listing$601K$814K$878K
Households per official establishment2,1232,0451,852
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+13.8%+11.4%
Population growth, 2020–2025−0.5%+0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on pets$798$843$909
Median household income$75,611$72,875$80,734
Groundwork market score4350

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
3 → 11
Employees, 2023
77
Annual payroll, 2023
$3.8M
One-person businesses, 2023
32Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
313 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
21The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
2
Amount
$170K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Ionia 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 Ionia County

Population, 2025 estimate
66,557−0.5% since 2020
Households
23,355
Median age
39.4
Homes lived in by their owners
77%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
571 sq. mi.
People per square mile
117
Median household income
$75,611+32.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$88,563
Median home value
$198,500
Jobs located here
18,430
Daytime population
58,714Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Ionia 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 Ionia County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Pet businesses across Michigan

Every Michigan market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Michigan for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Michigan, with Ionia County marked.

Top counties in Michigan

Counties in Michigan ranked for pet businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Ottawa County, MI721059.4$999K+3.9%#222 of 2,200
2Leelanau County, MI721010.4$970K+3.0%#225 of 2,200
3Manistee County, MI7087.6$1M+2.3%#275 of 2,200
4Macomb County, MI703138.7$987K+0.7%#277 of 2,200
5Wayne County, MI683885.5$1.4M−1.1%#337 of 2,200
6Clinton County, MI683310.4$895K+1.6%#352 of 2,200
7Branch County, MI67158.9$835K+2.5%#396 of 2,200
8Monroe County, MI66629.8$876K+0.7%#433 of 2,200
9Oakland County, MI6556510.7$960K+1.2%#466 of 2,200
10Kent County, MI6326710.4$865K+2.5%#545 of 2,200
38Ionia County, MI433113.3$601K−0.5%#1,399 of 2,200

Other business types in Ionia County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many pet businesses are in Ionia County, MI?

Ionia County has 31 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 3 of them (10%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 11 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023. Another 32 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in Ionia County, MI spend on pets?

About $18.6M a year, or $798 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 31 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $601K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 23,355 households in Ionia County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Ionia County, MI compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?

Ionia County has 13.3 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 28% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $601K, 32% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Ionia County would have about 21, against 31 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,123 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.

How fast is Ionia County, MI growing?

Population estimates put Ionia County at 66,557 people in 2025, down 0.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 23,355 households. The median household income in Ionia County is $75,611 a year, 6% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 32.6% 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. Ionia County scores 43 for pet businesses (lower middle), #1,399 of 2,200 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Ionia 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 Ionia County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Ionia 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 Ionia 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.