Pets · County · Minnesota
Pet businesses in Clay County, MN
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet businesses in Clay County, MN, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 65 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #477 of 2,200 scored counties
#14 of 63 scored counties in Minnesota
- Listings
- 27
- 3 chain locations (11%)
- Official establishments
- 14
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $22.9M
- On pets · $866 a household
- Spending per listing
- $848K
- 3% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.2
- 2% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 67,734
- +3.6% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Clay 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 Clay 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
Household spending on pets in Clay County comes to about $22.9M a year: $866 per household, 5% below the U.S. average. Spread across 27 pet businesses, that is $848K per business, 3% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
There are 27 pet businesses on map listings in Clay County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 11% of them, against 17% across the U.S. That is 10.2 per 10,000 households, 2% below the U.S. rate of 10.4.
In 2023, official counts showed 14 businesses with payroll in Clay County classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores. That is one for every 1,889 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Another 18 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $265K has gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Clay County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Clay County grew 3.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for pet businesses in Clay County is 65 (upper middle), #477 of 2,200 scored counties and #14 of 63 scored counties in Minnesota. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Clay County 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 | Clay County | Minnesota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.2 | 10.7 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $848K | $888K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,889 | 1,802 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +9.1% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.6% | +2.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $866 | $951 | $909 |
| Median household income | $81,172 | $89,062 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 65 | 57 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 15 → 14
- Employees, 2023
- 131
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 18Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 273 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 26The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $265K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Clay 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 Clay County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 67,734+3.6% since 2020
- Households
- 26,442
- Median age
- 34.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,045 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 63
- Median household income
- $81,172+24.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $99,798
- Median home value
- $265,500
- Jobs located here
- 20,888
- Daytime population
- 54,566Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Clay 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 Clay 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 Minnesota
Every Minnesota market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Minnesota for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Minnesota, with Clay County marked.
Top counties in Minnesota
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Carver County, MN | 78 | 42 | 10.2 | $1.2M | +6.6% | #104 of 2,200 |
| 2Cass County, MN | 77 | 11 | 8.5 | $937K | +4.2% | #121 of 2,200 |
| 3Douglas County, MN | 74 | 16 | 9.1 | $934K | +2.6% | #181 of 2,200 |
| 4Hennepin County, MN | 71 | 452 | 8.4 | $1.2M | +0.2% | #240 of 2,200 |
| 5Dakota County, MN | 71 | 184 | 10.6 | $993K | +3.9% | #244 of 2,200 |
| 6Chisago County, MN | 70 | 25 | 11.7 | $842K | +4.3% | #288 of 2,200 |
| 7Ramsey County, MN | 69 | 168 | 7.6 | $1.2M | −1.8% | #302 of 2,200 |
| 8Anoka County, MN | 69 | 142 | 10.3 | $971K | +4.7% | #314 of 2,200 |
| 9Washington County, MN | 69 | 124 | 11.7 | $949K | +6.9% | #316 of 2,200 |
| 10Houston County, MN | 67 | 5 | 6.1 | $1.4M | −2.3% | #376 of 2,200 |
| 14Clay County, MN | 65 | 27 | 10.2 | $848K | +3.6% | #477 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Clay 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 businesses65
- Veterinarians
- Pet grooming and boarding36
- Pet stores62
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Clay County, MN?
As of September 2026, map listings count 27 pet businesses in Clay County. 3 of them (11%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 14 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023. Official counts list 18 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Clay County, MN spend on pets?
About $22.9M a year, or $866 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 27 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $848K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 26,442 households in Clay County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Clay County, MN compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Clay County has 10.2 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 2% below the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $848K, 3% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Clay County would have about 26, against 27 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,889 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.
How fast is Clay County, MN growing?
Population estimates put Clay County at 67,734 people in 2025, up 3.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 26,442 households. Median household income in Clay County is $81,172, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.4%, 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. Clay County scores 65 for pet businesses (upper middle), #477 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Clay 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 Clay County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Clay 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 Clay 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.