Pets · Small-town market · Minnesota
Pet businesses in the Brainerd, MN area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet businesses in the Brainerd, MN area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 58 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #165 of 527 scored small-town markets
#10 of 18 scored small-town markets based in Minnesota
- Listings
- 55
- 2 chain locations (4%)
- Official establishments
- 23
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $34.7M
- On pets · $821 a household
- Spending per listing
- $631K
- 28% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.0
- 25% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 100,562
- +4.3% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in the Brainerd 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 Brainerd 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
At $821 per household (10% below the U.S. average), households in the Brainerd area spend about $34.7M a year on pets. That works out to $631K per business, 28% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
The Brainerd area has 55 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 4% of them, against 17% across the U.S. That is 13.0 per 10,000 households, 25% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
Official counts show 23 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Brainerd area in 2023. That is one for every 1,838 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts list 35 one-person businesses without payroll.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Brainerd area grew 4.3%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For pet businesses, the Brainerd area has a Groundwork market score of 58 (upper middle): #165 of 527 scored small-town markets and #10 of 18 scored small-town markets based in Minnesota.
How the Brainerd area compares
The same measures for Minnesota 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 | Brainerd area | Minnesota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.0 | 10.7 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $631K | $888K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,838 | 1,802 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +9.1% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.3% | +2.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $821 | $951 | $909 |
| Median household income | $71,384 | $89,062 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 58 | 57 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 23
- Employees, 2023
- 266
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $9.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 35Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 552 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 40The 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 Brainerd 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 Brainerd area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 100,562+4.3% since 2020
- Households
- 42,276
- Median age
- 46.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 80%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 3,020 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 33
- Median household income
- $71,384+29.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $93,780
- Median home value
- $301,000
- Jobs located here
- 39,612
- Daytime population
- 95,720Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Brainerd 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 Brainerd 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 Minnesota
Every Minnesota market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Minnesota for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Minnesota (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Brainerd area marked.
Top small-town markets in Minnesota
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Alexandria, MN | 79 | 16 | 9.1 | $934K | +2.6% | #17 of 527 |
| 2Willmar, MN | 75 | 22 | 12.5 | $671K | +2.3% | #32 of 527 |
| 3Albert Lea, MN | 70 | 11 | 8.6 | $928K | −1.5% | #56 of 527 |
| 4Worthington, MN | 69 | 7 | 9.1 | $870K | +0.6% | #61 of 527 |
| Wahpeton, ND-MN | 65 | 10 | 10.5 | $788K | 0.0% | #94 of 527 |
| 5New Ulm, MN | 64 | 11 | 10.0 | $785K | −1.5% | #103 of 527 |
| 6Austin, MN | 63 | 17 | 10.8 | $752K | +2.3% | #110 of 527 |
| 7Fergus Falls, MN | 62 | 25 | 9.9 | $823K | +1.6% | #122 of 527 |
| 8Bemidji, MN | 62 | 19 | 10.5 | $764K | +1.8% | #126 of 527 |
| 9Winona, MN | 60 | 22 | 10.9 | $747K | +1.8% | #148 of 527 |
| 10Brainerd, MN | 58 | 55 | 13.0 | $631K | +4.3% | #165 of 527 |
Other business types in the Brainerd 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 businesses58
- Veterinarians69
- Pet grooming and boarding64
- Pet stores86
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in the Brainerd, MN area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 55 pet businesses in the Brainerd area. 2 of them (4%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 23 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023. Official counts also show 35 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Brainerd, MN area spend on pets?
About $34.7M a year, or $821 per household. That is 10% below the U.S. average (an index of 90, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 55 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $631K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 42,276 households in the Brainerd area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Brainerd, MN area compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
The Brainerd area has 13.0 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 25% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $631K, 28% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, the Brainerd area would have about 40, against 55 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,838 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.
How fast is the Brainerd, MN area growing?
Population estimates put the Brainerd area at 100,562 people in 2025, up 4.3% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 42,276 households. Median household income in the Brainerd area is $71,384, 12% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.4%, 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. 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 Brainerd area scores 58 for pet businesses (upper middle), #165 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 Brainerd 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 Brainerd area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Brainerd 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 Brainerd 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.