Pets · County · Minnesota
Pet businesses in Stearns County, MN
How Stearns County, MN compares with other counties and the U.S. for pet businesses: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 59 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #699 of 2,200 scored counties
#25 of 63 scored counties in Minnesota
- Listings
- 72
- 10 chain locations (14%)
- Official establishments
- 32
- −8.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $52.2M
- On pets · $850 a household
- Spending per listing
- $725K
- 17% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.7
- 13% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 164,110
- +3.6% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Stearns 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 Stearns 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 72 pet businesses in Stearns County. Chain locations make up 14% of them, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 11.7, 13% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
Household spending on pets in Stearns County comes to about $52.2M a year: $850 per household, 7% below the U.S. average. Spread across 72 pet businesses, that is $725K per business, 17% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Stearns County was 32 in 2023, down 8.6% from 2019. That is one for every 1,919 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Another 44 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $630K has gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Stearns County.
Population estimates show Stearns County grew 3.6% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for pet businesses in Stearns County is 59 (upper middle), #699 of 2,200 scored counties and #25 of 63 scored counties in Minnesota.
How Stearns 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 | Stearns County | Minnesota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.7 | 10.7 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $725K | $888K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,919 | 1,802 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −8.6% | +9.1% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.6% | +2.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $850 | $951 | $909 |
| Median household income | $77,066 | $89,062 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 59 | 57 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 35 → 32−8.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 336
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $13.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 44Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 7210 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 59The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $630K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Stearns 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 Stearns County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 164,110+3.6% since 2020
- Households
- 61,403
- Median age
- 37.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 1,343 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 120
- Median household income
- $77,066+22.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $98,367
- Median home value
- $273,400
- Jobs located here
- 83,579
- Daytime population
- 169,051Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Stearns 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 Stearns 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 Stearns 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 |
| 25Stearns County, MN | 59 | 72 | 11.7 | $725K | +3.6% | #699 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Stearns 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 businesses59
- Veterinarians49
- Pet grooming and boarding75
- Pet stores60
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Stearns County, MN?
There are 72 pet businesses on map listings in Stearns County as of September 2026. 10 of them (14%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 32 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, down 8.6% from 2019. Official counts list 44 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Stearns County, MN spend on pets?
About $52.2M a year, or $850 per household. That is 7% below the U.S. average (an index of 93, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 72 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $725K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 61,403 households in Stearns County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Stearns County, MN compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Stearns County has 11.7 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 13% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $725K, 17% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Stearns County would have about 59, against 72 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,919 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count fell 8.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is Stearns County, MN growing?
Population estimates put Stearns County at 164,110 people in 2025, up 3.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 61,403 households. The median household income in Stearns County is $77,066 a year, 5% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 22.7% 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. Stearns County scores 59 for pet businesses (upper middle), #699 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Stearns 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 Stearns County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Stearns 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 Stearns 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.