Groundwork

Pets · County · Montana

Pet businesses in Carter County, MT

The pet businesses in Carter County, MT, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score

Not scored

Counties under 10,000 people aren’t scored, since a few businesses can swing their figures.

Listings
1
0 chain locations (0%)
Official establishments
n/a
Fewer than 3, or not published
Household spending a year
$444K
On pets · $740 a household
Spending per listing
$444K
Too few listings to compare
Listings per 10k households
16.7
Too few listings to compare
Population, 2025
1,383
−1.6% since 2020

See the pet businesses around any address in Carter 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 Carter County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey 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 1 pet business in Carter County. That is 16.7 per 10,000 households.

Household spending on pets in Carter County comes to about $444K a year: $740 per household, 19% below the U.S. average. That is about $444K of household spending for each business on map listings.

There is no official count of businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Carter County: counts under 3 aren’t published.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Carter County declined 1.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Counties under 10,000 people aren’t given a market score, since a few businesses can swing their figures.

How Carter County compares

The same measures for Montana 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.

Pet businesses in Carter County, MT compared with Montana and the U.S.
MeasureCarter CountyMontanaU.S.
Listings per 10k households16.715.610.4
Spending per listing$444K$592K$878K
Households per official establishmentn/a1,1741,852
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+11.7%+11.4%
Population growth, 2020–2025−1.6%+5.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on pets$740$926$909
Median household income$54,167$72,509$80,734
Groundwork market scoreNot scored30

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
n/a
Employees, 2023
n/a
Annual payroll, 2023
n/a
One-person businesses, 2023
0Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
10 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
1The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
0
Amount
$0

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Carter 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 Carter County

Population, 2025 estimate
1,383−1.6% since 2020
Households
600
Median age
57.0
Homes lived in by their owners
62%
Vehicles per household
2.6
Land area
3,341 sq. mi.
People per square mile
0
Median household income
$54,167
Average household income
$67,789
Median home value
$199,200
Jobs located here
290
Daytime population
1,228Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Carter 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 Carter County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Pet businesses across Montana

Every Montana market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Montana for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Montana, with Carter County marked.

Top counties in Montana

Counties in Montana ranked for pet businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Custer County, MT6759.9$873K+1.5%#391 of 2,200
2Lewis and Clark County, MT654313.8$707K+5.8%#489 of 2,200
3Richland County, MT63511.3$856K−1.3%#548 of 2,200
4Missoula County, MT626312.0$793K+4.4%#583 of 2,200
5Silver Bow County, MT572113.6$589K+2.6%#798 of 2,200
6Jefferson County, MT551224.0$455K+9.8%#886 of 2,200
7Carbon County, MT53817.2$568K+9.1%#972 of 2,200
8Yellowstone County, MT529814.0$686K+4.5%#1,002 of 2,200
9Gallatin County, MT509218.0$607K+7.7%#1,116 of 2,200
10Park County, MT501821.5$431K+5.7%#1,125 of 2,200
Carter County, MTNot scored116.7$444K−1.6%

Other business types in Carter County

None has a Groundwork market score here. Counties under 10,000 people aren’t scored, since a few businesses can swing their figures.

Questions

How many pet businesses are in Carter County, MT?

Carter County has 1 pet business on map listings as of September 2026. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. No official count is published for pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Carter County: counts under 3 are left out.

How much do households in Carter County, MT spend on pets?

About $444K a year, or $740 per household. That is 19% below the U.S. average (an index of 81, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1 pet business on map listings, it comes to $444K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 600 households in Carter County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Carter County, MT compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?

Carter County has 1 pet business on map listings, too few for a steady comparison with the U.S. rate. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending.

How fast is Carter County, MT growing?

Population estimates put Carter County at 1,383 people in 2025, down 1.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 600 households. The median household income in Carter County is $54,167 a year, 33% 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. 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 score leaves out counties under 10,000 people, where a handful of businesses would swing it.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Carter 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 Carter County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Carter 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 Carter 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.