Groundwork

Pets · County · Michigan

Pet businesses in St. Clair County, MI

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 50 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #1,103 of 2,200 scored counties
#23 of 72 scored counties in Michigan

Listings
81
6 chain locations (7%)
Official establishments
30
+20.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$54.9M
On pets · $809 a household
Spending per listing
$677K
23% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
11.9
14% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
160,486
+0.1% since 2020

See the pet businesses around any address in St. Clair 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 St. Clair 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

Households in St. Clair County spend about $54.9M a year on pets, or $809 per household, 11% below the U.S. average. Spread across 81 pet businesses, that is $677K per business, 23% below the U.S. figure of $878K.

There are 81 pet businesses on map listings in St. Clair County as of September 2026. 6 of them (7%) are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. That comes to 11.9 for every 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.

In 2023, official counts showed 30 businesses with payroll in St. Clair County classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores, up 20.0% from 2019. That is one for every 2,261 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts list 72 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $333K has gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in St. Clair County.

Population estimates show St. Clair County grew 0.1% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for pet businesses in St. Clair County is 50 (upper middle), #1,103 of 2,200 scored counties and #23 of 72 scored counties in Michigan.

How St. Clair 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 St. Clair County, MI compared with Michigan and the U.S.
MeasureSt. Clair CountyMichiganU.S.
Listings per 10k households11.910.410.4
Spending per listing$677K$814K$878K
Households per official establishment2,2612,0451,852
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+20.0%+13.8%+11.4%
Population growth, 2020–2025+0.1%+0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on pets$809$843$909
Median household income$71,270$72,875$80,734
Groundwork market score5050

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
25 → 30+20.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
376
Annual payroll, 2023
$23.6M
One-person businesses, 2023
72Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
816 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
63The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$333K

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

Population, 2025 estimate
160,486+0.1% since 2020
Households
67,816
Median age
44.6
Homes lived in by their owners
81%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
722 sq. mi.
People per square mile
222
Median household income
$71,270+25.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$90,621
Median home value
$224,600
Jobs located here
41,623
Daytime population
129,372Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in St. Clair 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 St. Clair 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 St. Clair 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
23St. Clair County, MI508111.9$677K+0.1%#1,103 of 2,200

Other business types in St. Clair County

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

Questions

How many pet businesses are in St. Clair County, MI?

As of September 2026, map listings count 81 pet businesses in St. Clair County. 6 of them (7%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 30 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 20.0% from 2019. Official counts also show 72 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in St. Clair County, MI spend on pets?

About $54.9M a year, or $809 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 81 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $677K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 67,816 households in St. Clair County and national spending patterns by income.

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

St. Clair County has 11.9 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $677K, 23% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, St. Clair County would have about 63, against 81 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,261 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 20.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.

How fast is St. Clair County, MI growing?

Population estimates put St. Clair County at 160,486 people in 2025, up 0.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 67,816 households. Median household income in St. Clair County is $71,270, 12% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.1%, 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. St. Clair County scores 50 for pet businesses (upper middle), #1,103 of 2,200 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in St. Clair 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 St. Clair County

Screening a site or an acquisition in St. Clair 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 St. Clair 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.