Pets · County · Missouri
Pet businesses in St. Louis city, MO
The pet businesses in St. Louis city, MO, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 60 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #641 of 2,200 scored counties
#12 of 76 scored counties in Missouri
- Listings
- 77
- 11 chain locations (14%)
- Official establishments
- 47
- +17.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $107.7M
- On pets · $743 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.4M
- 59% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.3
- 49% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 278,144
- −7.4% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in St. Louis city
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 St. Louis city. 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 77 pet businesses in St. Louis city. Chain locations make up 14% of them, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 5.3, 49% below the U.S. rate of 10.4.
Households in St. Louis city spend about $107.7M a year on pets, or $743 per household, 18% below the U.S. average. That works out to $1.4M per business, 59% above the U.S. figure of $878K.
Official counts show 47 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in St. Louis city in 2023, up 17.5% from 2019. That is one for every 3,083 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts also show 117 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $1.2M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in St. Louis city.
Population estimates put the population change in St. Louis city from 2020 to 2025 at −7.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For pet businesses, St. Louis city has a Groundwork market score of 60 (upper middle): #641 of 2,200 scored counties and #12 of 76 scored counties in Missouri.
How St. Louis city 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 | St. Louis city | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.3 | 11.3 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $1.4M | $728K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 3,083 | 1,833 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +17.5% | +6.5% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −7.4% | +1.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $743 | $825 | $909 |
| Median household income | $56,160 | $70,702 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 60 | 36 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 40 → 47+17.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 539
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $19.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 117Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 7711 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 123The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $1.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in St. Louis city, 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 St. Louis city
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 278,144−7.4% since 2020
- Households
- 144,891
- Median age
- 38.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 45%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.3
- Land area
- 62 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 4,675
- Median household income
- $56,160+27.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $81,764
- Median home value
- $197,500
- Jobs located here
- 229,379
- Daytime population
- 378,059Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in St. Louis city?
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 St. Louis city. 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 St. Louis city 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 |
| 12St. Louis city, MO | 60 | 77 | 5.3 | $1.4M | −7.4% | #641 of 2,200 |
Other business types in St. Louis city
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 businesses60
- Veterinarians63
- Pet grooming and boarding58
- Pet stores60
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in St. Louis city, MO?
There are 77 pet businesses on map listings in St. Louis city as of September 2026. 11 of them (14%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 47 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 17.5% from 2019. Another 117 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in St. Louis city, MO spend on pets?
About $107.7M a year, or $743 per household. That is 18% below the U.S. average (an index of 82, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 77 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $1.4M per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 144,891 households in St. Louis city and national spending patterns by income.
How does St. Louis city, MO compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
St. Louis city has 5.3 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 49% below the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $1.4M, 59% above the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, St. Louis city would have about 123, against 77 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,083 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 17.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is St. Louis city, MO growing?
Population estimates put St. Louis city at 278,144 people in 2025, down 7.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 144,891 households. The median household income in St. Louis city is $56,160 a year, 30% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 27.9% 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. St. Louis city scores 60 for pet businesses (upper middle), #641 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in St. Louis city. 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 St. Louis city
Screening a site or an acquisition in St. Louis city?
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 St. Louis city. 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.