Pets · County · Minnesota
Pet businesses in Steele County, MN
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet businesses in Steele County, MN, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 33 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,797 of 2,200 scored counties
#59 of 63 scored counties in Minnesota
- Listings
- 28
- 1 chain location (4%)
- Official establishments
- 10
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $13.3M
- On pets · $876 a household
- Spending per listing
- $474K
- 46% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 18.5
- 78% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 37,464
- +0.2% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Steele 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 Steele 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
For pet businesses, Steele County has a Groundwork market score of 33 (lower middle): #1,797 of 2,200 scored counties and #59 of 63 scored counties in Minnesota. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 28 pet businesses in Steele County. One of them (4%) is a chain location, against 17% across the U.S. That comes to 18.5 for every 10,000 households, 78% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
Households in Steele County spend about $13.3M a year on pets, or $876 per household, 4% below the U.S. average. Spread across 28 pet businesses, that is $474K per business, 46% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
In 2023, official counts showed 10 businesses with payroll in Steele County classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores. That is one for every 1,514 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Steele County grew 0.2%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Steele 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 | Steele County | Minnesota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 18.5 | 10.7 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $474K | $888K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,514 | 1,802 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +9.1% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.2% | +2.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $876 | $951 | $909 |
| Median household income | $84,196 | $89,062 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 33 | 57 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 8 → 10
- Employees, 2023
- 63
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 15Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 281 chain location
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 15The 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 Steele 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 Steele County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 37,464+0.2% since 2020
- Households
- 15,138
- Median age
- 40.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 79%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 430 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 87
- Median household income
- $84,196+29.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $101,587
- Median home value
- $245,400
- Jobs located here
- 18,785
- Daytime population
- 38,229Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Steele 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 Steele 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 Steele 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 |
| 59Steele County, MN | 33 | 28 | 18.5 | $474K | +0.2% | #1,797 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Steele 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 businesses33
- Veterinarians54
- Pet grooming and boarding29
- Pet stores28
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Steele County, MN?
Steele County has 28 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. One of them (4%) is a chain location. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 10 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023. Another 15 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Steele County, MN spend on pets?
About $13.3M a year, or $876 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 28 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $474K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 15,138 households in Steele County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Steele County, MN compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Steele County has 18.5 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 78% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $474K, 46% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Steele County would have about 15, against 28 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,514 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.
How fast is Steele County, MN growing?
Population estimates put Steele County at 37,464 people in 2025, up 0.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 15,138 households. The median household income in Steele County is $84,196 a year, 4% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.7% 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. Steele County scores 33 for pet businesses (lower middle), #1,797 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Steele 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 Steele County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Steele 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 Steele 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.