Pets · County · Missouri
Pet businesses in Polk County, MO
How Polk County, MO 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 25 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #2,020 of 2,200 scored counties
#61 of 76 scored counties in Missouri
- Listings
- 24
- 2 chain locations (8%)
- Official establishments
- 11
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $9M
- On pets · $742 a household
- Spending per listing
- $373K
- 58% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 19.9
- 91% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 33,604
- +6.3% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Polk 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 Polk 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, Polk County has a Groundwork market score of 25 (lower middle): #2,020 of 2,200 scored counties and #61 of 76 scored counties in Missouri. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 24 pet businesses in Polk County. Of those, 2 are chain locations, or 8%, against 17% across the U.S. That is 19.9 per 10,000 households, 91% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
Households in Polk County spend about $9M a year on pets, or $742 per household, 18% below the U.S. average. That is about $373K of household spending for each business on map listings, 58% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
Official counts show 11 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Polk County in 2023. That is one for every 1,096 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $200K has gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Polk County. Population estimates put the population change in Polk County from 2020 to 2025 at +6.3%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Polk County compares
The same measures for Missouri 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 | Polk County | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 19.9 | 11.3 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $373K | $728K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,096 | 1,833 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +6.5% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.3% | +1.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $742 | $825 | $909 |
| Median household income | $59,647 | $70,702 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 25 | 36 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 10 → 11
- Employees, 2023
- 102
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 24Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 242 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 10The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $200K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Polk 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 Polk County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 33,604+6.3% since 2020
- Households
- 12,059
- Median age
- 39.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 636 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 51
- Median household income
- $59,647+30.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $80,496
- Median home value
- $205,800
- Jobs located here
- 10,220
- Daytime population
- 28,041Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Polk 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 Polk 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 Missouri
Every Missouri market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Missouri for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Missouri, with Polk County marked.
Top counties in Missouri
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Lincoln County, MO | 73 | 24 | 10.5 | $832K | +11.4% | #203 of 2,200 |
| 2Warren County, MO | 73 | 16 | 11.6 | $758K | +9.2% | #207 of 2,200 |
| 3Jackson County, MO | 69 | 246 | 8.0 | $1M | +2.1% | #312 of 2,200 |
| 4Osage County, MO | 68 | 5 | 9.5 | $878K | +2.7% | #355 of 2,200 |
| 5Platte County, MO | 67 | 51 | 11.6 | $858K | +6.7% | #392 of 2,200 |
| 6Clay County, MO | 64 | 109 | 10.7 | $861K | +4.3% | #508 of 2,200 |
| 7St. Charles County, MO | 64 | 201 | 12.5 | $830K | +4.9% | #511 of 2,200 |
| 8Stone County, MO | 64 | 13 | 9.6 | $773K | +4.1% | #520 of 2,200 |
| 9St. Louis County, MO | 62 | 368 | 8.9 | $1.1M | −1.2% | #570 of 2,200 |
| 10Ste. Genevieve County, MO | 61 | 7 | 9.8 | $824K | +1.1% | #618 of 2,200 |
| 61Polk County, MO | 25 | 24 | 19.9 | $373K | +6.3% | #2,020 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Polk 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 businesses25
- Veterinarians22
- Pet grooming and boarding
- Pet stores28
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Polk County, MO?
Polk County has 24 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 2 of them (8%) 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 24 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Polk County, MO spend on pets?
About $9M a year, or $742 per household. That is 18% below the U.S. average (an index of 82, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 24 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $373K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 12,059 households in Polk County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Polk County, MO compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Polk County has 19.9 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 91% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $373K, 58% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Polk County would have about 10, against 24 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,096 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.
How fast is Polk County, MO growing?
Population estimates put Polk County at 33,604 people in 2025, up 6.3% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 12,059 households. The median household income in Polk County is $59,647 a year, 26% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.6% 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. Polk County scores 25 for pet businesses (lower middle), #2,020 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Polk 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 Polk County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Polk 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 Polk 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.