Pets · County · Missouri
Pet businesses in St. Louis County, MO
How St. Louis 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 62 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #570 of 2,200 scored counties
#9 of 76 scored counties in Missouri
- Listings
- 368
- 110 chain locations (30%)
- Official establishments
- 228
- −1.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $389.2M
- On pets · $940 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.1M
- 20% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.9
- 14% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 990,911
- −1.2% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in St. Louis 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 St. Louis 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 368 pet businesses in St. Louis County. Chain locations make up 30% of them, against 17% across the U.S. That comes to 8.9 for every 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 10.4.
At $940 per household (3% above the U.S. average), households in St. Louis County spend about $389.2M a year on pets. Spread across 368 pet businesses, that is $1.1M per business, 20% above the U.S. figure of $878K.
In 2023, official counts showed 228 businesses with payroll in St. Louis County classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores, down 1.3% from 2019. That is one for every 1,815 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts also show 382 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 24 SBA-backed loans worth $17.7M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in St. Louis County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of St. Louis County declined 1.2%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For pet businesses, St. Louis County has a Groundwork market score of 62 (upper middle): #570 of 2,200 scored counties and #9 of 76 scored counties in Missouri.
How St. Louis 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 | St. Louis County | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.9 | 11.3 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $1.1M | $728K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,815 | 1,833 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −1.3% | +6.5% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.2% | +1.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $940 | $825 | $909 |
| Median household income | $82,936 | $70,702 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 62 | 36 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 231 → 228−1.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,809
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $214.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 382Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 368110 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 443The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 24
- Amount
- $17.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in St. Louis 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 St. Louis County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 990,911−1.2% since 2020
- Households
- 413,849
- Median age
- 41.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 509 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,958
- Median household income
- $82,936+23.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $123,036
- Median home value
- $276,800
- Jobs located here
- 655,776
- Daytime population
- 1,175,839Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in St. Louis 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 St. Louis 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 St. Louis 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 |
Other business types in St. Louis 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 businesses62
- Veterinarians61
- Pet grooming and boarding66
- Pet stores50
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in St. Louis County, MO?
St. Louis County has 368 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 110 of them (30%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 228 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, down 1.3% from 2019. Another 382 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in St. Louis County, MO spend on pets?
About $389.2M a year, or $940 per household. That is 3% above the U.S. average (an index of 103, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 368 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $1.1M per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 413,849 households in St. Louis County and national spending patterns by income.
How does St. Louis County, MO compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
St. Louis County has 8.9 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $1.1M, 20% above the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, St. Louis County would have about 443, against 368 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,815 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count fell 1.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is St. Louis County, MO growing?
Population estimates put St. Louis County at 990,911 people in 2025, down 1.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 413,849 households. The median household income in St. Louis County is $82,936 a year, 3% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.0% 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 County scores 62 for pet businesses (upper middle), #570 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 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 St. Louis County
Screening a site or an acquisition in St. Louis 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 St. Louis 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.