Pets · County · Mississippi
Pet businesses in Forrest County, MS
How Forrest County, MS 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 64 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #501 of 2,200 scored counties
#14 of 51 scored counties in Mississippi
- Listings
- 24
- 3 chain locations (13%)
- Official establishments
- 11
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $22.7M
- On pets · $755 a household
- Spending per listing
- $947K
- 8% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.0
- 23% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 79,034
- +1.1% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Forrest 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 Forrest 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
At $755 per household (17% below the U.S. average), households in Forrest County spend about $22.7M a year on pets. Spread across 24 pet businesses, that is $947K per business, 8% above the U.S. figure of $878K.
There are 24 pet businesses on map listings in Forrest County as of September 2026. Of those, 3 are chain locations, or 13%, against 17% across the U.S. That comes to 8.0 for every 10,000 households, 23% below the U.S. rate of 10.4.
In 2023, official counts showed 11 businesses with payroll in Forrest County classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores. That is one for every 2,739 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts list 11 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $127K has gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Forrest County.
Population estimates put the population change in Forrest County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For pet businesses, Forrest County has a Groundwork market score of 64 (upper middle): #501 of 2,200 scored counties and #14 of 51 scored counties in Mississippi. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Forrest County compares
The same measures for Mississippi 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 | Forrest County | Mississippi | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.0 | 8.3 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $947K | $938K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 2,739 | 2,574 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +8.8% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.1% | −0.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $755 | $774 | $909 |
| Median household income | $53,640 | $56,447 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 64 | 54 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 6 → 11
- Employees, 2023
- 254
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $11.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 11Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 243 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
- $127K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Forrest 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 Forrest County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 79,034+1.1% since 2020
- Households
- 30,127
- Median age
- 35.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 57%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 466 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 168
- Median household income
- $53,640+34.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $78,383
- Median home value
- $168,000
- Jobs located here
- 39,538
- Daytime population
- 89,930Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Forrest 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 Forrest 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 Mississippi
Every Mississippi market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Mississippi for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Mississippi, with Forrest County marked.
Top counties in Mississippi
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1DeSoto County, MS | 82 | 58 | 8.2 | $1.2M | +6.3% | #49 of 2,200 |
| 2Madison County, MS | 78 | 38 | 8.7 | $1.1M | +6.5% | #105 of 2,200 |
| 3Hancock County, MS | 75 | 17 | 8.4 | $1M | +1.6% | #162 of 2,200 |
| 4Jackson County, MS | 73 | 51 | 8.8 | $948K | +3.0% | #199 of 2,200 |
| 5Warren County, MS | 70 | 11 | 6.6 | $1.3M | −6.3% | #269 of 2,200 |
| 6Tate County, MS | 70 | 9 | 8.2 | $982K | +2.1% | #278 of 2,200 |
| 7George County, MS | 69 | 9 | 9.7 | $823K | +8.1% | #327 of 2,200 |
| 8Rankin County, MS | 68 | 56 | 9.3 | $987K | +3.2% | #347 of 2,200 |
| 9Itawamba County, MS | 67 | 5 | 5.2 | $1.5M | +1.3% | #375 of 2,200 |
| 10Lamar County, MS | 66 | 33 | 13.0 | $669K | +4.7% | #449 of 2,200 |
| 14Forrest County, MS | 64 | 24 | 8.0 | $947K | +1.1% | #501 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Forrest 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 businesses64
- Veterinarians48
- Pet grooming and boarding69
- Pet stores
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Forrest County, MS?
As of September 2026, map listings count 24 pet businesses in Forrest County. 3 of them (13%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 11 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023. Official counts also show 11 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Forrest County, MS spend on pets?
About $22.7M a year, or $755 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 24 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $947K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 30,127 households in Forrest County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Forrest County, MS compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Forrest County has 8.0 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 23% below the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $947K, 8% above the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Forrest County would have about 26, against 24 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,739 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.
How fast is Forrest County, MS growing?
Population estimates put Forrest County at 79,034 people in 2025, up 1.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 30,127 households. Median household income in Forrest County is $53,640, 34% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 34.6%, 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. Forrest County scores 64 for pet businesses (upper middle), #501 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Forrest 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 Forrest County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Forrest 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 Forrest 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.