Pets · Small-town market · Mississippi
Pet businesses in the Meridian, MS area
The pet businesses in the Meridian, MS area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 54 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #219 of 527 scored small-town markets
#11 of 16 scored small-town markets based in Mississippi
- Listings
- 28
- 5 chain locations (18%)
- Official establishments
- 13
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $25.2M
- On pets · $727 a household
- Spending per listing
- $899K
- 2% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.1
- 22% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 85,419
- −3.2% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in the Meridian 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 Meridian 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 28 pet businesses in the Meridian area. Chain locations make up 18% of them, against 17% across the U.S. That comes to 8.1 for every 10,000 households, 22% below the U.S. rate of 10.4.
Household spending on pets in the Meridian area comes to about $25.2M a year: $727 per household, 20% below the U.S. average. Spread across 28 pet businesses, that is $899K per business, 2% above the U.S. figure of $878K.
Official counts show 13 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Meridian area in 2023. That is one for every 2,666 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts also show 18 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $564K have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Meridian area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Meridian area from 2020 to 2025 at −3.2%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For pet businesses, the Meridian area has a Groundwork market score of 54 (upper middle): #219 of 527 scored small-town markets and #11 of 16 scored small-town markets based in Mississippi.
How the Meridian area 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 | Meridian area | Mississippi | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.1 | 8.3 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $899K | $938K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 2,666 | 2,574 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +8.8% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.2% | −0.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $727 | $774 | $909 |
| Median household income | $49,822 | $56,447 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 54 | 54 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 13
- Employees, 2023
- 89
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 18Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 285 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 29The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $564K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Meridian 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 Meridian area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 85,419−3.2% since 2020
- Households
- 34,652
- Median age
- 40.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 1,395 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 62
- Median household income
- $49,822
- Average household income
- $69,927
- Median home value
- $128,100
- Jobs located here
- 35,184
- Daytime population
- 88,462Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Meridian 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 Meridian 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 Mississippi
Every Mississippi market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Mississippi for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Mississippi, with the Meridian area marked.
Top small-town markets in Mississippi
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Vicksburg, MS | 73 | 11 | 6.6 | $1.3M | −6.3% | #41 of 527 |
| 2Oxford, MS | 73 | 26 | 10.8 | $785K | +5.3% | #43 of 527 |
| 3Laurel, MS | 67 | 21 | 6.6 | $1.1M | −1.5% | #76 of 527 |
| 4Picayune, MS | 67 | 27 | 12.3 | $626K | +5.6% | #83 of 527 |
| 5Tupelo, MS | 66 | 46 | 8.9 | $896K | +0.8% | #85 of 527 |
| 6Starkville, MS | 62 | 25 | 9.6 | $767K | +0.8% | #125 of 527 |
| 7Greenville, MS | 61 | 7 | 4.1 | $1.6M | −9.4% | #131 of 527 |
| 8Columbus, MS | 60 | 13 | 4.8 | $1.5M | −2.7% | #141 of 527 |
| 9Brookhaven, MS | 56 | 13 | 9.9 | $759K | +0.5% | #193 of 527 |
| 10Corinth, MS | 54 | 10 | 6.9 | $1M | −0.5% | #217 of 527 |
| 11Meridian, MS | 54 | 28 | 8.1 | $899K | −3.2% | #219 of 527 |
Other business types in the Meridian 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 businesses54
- Veterinarians57
- Pet grooming and boarding56
- Pet stores56
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in the Meridian, MS area?
The Meridian area has 28 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 5 of them (18%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 13 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023. Another 18 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Meridian, MS area spend on pets?
About $25.2M a year, or $727 per household. That is 20% below the U.S. average (an index of 80, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 28 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $899K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 34,652 households in the Meridian area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Meridian, MS area compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
The Meridian area has 8.1 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 22% below the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $899K, 2% above the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, the Meridian area would have about 29, against 28 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,666 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.
How fast is the Meridian, MS area growing?
Population estimates put the Meridian area at 85,419 people in 2025, down 3.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 34,652 households. The median household income in the Meridian area is $49,822 a year, 38% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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 Meridian area scores 54 for pet businesses (upper middle), #219 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 Meridian 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 Meridian area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Meridian 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 Meridian 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.