Groundwork

Pets · County · Michigan

Pet businesses in Isabella County, MI

The pet businesses in Isabella County, MI, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 39 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,562 of 2,200 scored counties
#42 of 72 scored counties in Michigan

Listings
29
5 chain locations (17%)
Official establishments
11
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$17.6M
On pets · $708 a household
Spending per listing
$608K
31% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
11.6
12% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
64,691
+0.3% since 2020

See the pet businesses around any address in Isabella 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 Isabella 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

Household spending on pets in Isabella County comes to about $17.6M a year: $708 per household, 22% below the U.S. average. That is about $608K of household spending for each business on map listings, 31% below the U.S. figure of $878K.

There are 29 pet businesses on map listings in Isabella County as of September 2026. Of those, 5 are chain locations, or 17%, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 11.6, 12% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.

In 2023, official counts showed 11 businesses with payroll in Isabella County classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores. That is one for every 2,265 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Another 23 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

Population estimates put the population change in Isabella County from 2020 to 2025 at +0.3%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for pet businesses in Isabella County is 39 (lower middle), #1,562 of 2,200 scored counties and #42 of 72 scored counties in Michigan.

How Isabella 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 Isabella County, MI compared with Michigan and the U.S.
MeasureIsabella CountyMichiganU.S.
Listings per 10k households11.610.410.4
Spending per listing$608K$814K$878K
Households per official establishment2,2652,0451,852
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+13.8%+11.4%
Population growth, 2020–2025+0.3%+0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on pets$708$843$909
Median household income$55,237$72,875$80,734
Groundwork market score3950

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
10 → 11
Employees, 2023
98
Annual payroll, 2023
$3.7M
One-person businesses, 2023
23Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
295 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
20The 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 Isabella 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 Isabella County

Population, 2025 estimate
64,691+0.3% since 2020
Households
24,914
Median age
35.1
Homes lived in by their owners
62%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
573 sq. mi.
People per square mile
113
Median household income
$55,237+22.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$74,389
Median home value
$170,400
Jobs located here
26,182
Daytime population
67,374Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Pet businesses across Michigan

Every Michigan market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Michigan for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Michigan, with Isabella 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
42Isabella County, MI392911.6$608K+0.3%#1,562 of 2,200

Other business types in Isabella County

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

Questions

How many pet businesses are in Isabella County, MI?

As of September 2026, map listings count 29 pet businesses in Isabella County. 5 of them (17%) 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. Official counts list 23 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $17.6M a year, or $708 per household. That is 22% below the U.S. average (an index of 78, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 29 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $608K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 24,914 households in Isabella County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Isabella County has 11.6 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 12% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $608K, 31% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Isabella County would have about 20, against 29 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,265 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.

How fast is Isabella County, MI growing?

Population estimates put Isabella County at 64,691 people in 2025, up 0.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 24,914 households. Median household income in Isabella County is $55,237, 32% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.4%, 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. Isabella County scores 39 for pet businesses (lower middle), #1,562 of 2,200 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Isabella 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 Isabella 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.