Pets · Metro area · Montana
Pet businesses in the Great Falls, MT metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet businesses in the Great Falls, MT metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 24 out of 100: Low
Ranked #362 of 387 scored metro areas
#5 of 5 scored metro areas based in Montana
- Listings
- 60
- 8 chain locations (13%)
- Official establishments
- 24
- −14.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $31.3M
- On pets · $878 a household
- Spending per listing
- $521K
- 41% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 16.8
- 62% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 85,029
- +0.7% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in the Great Falls metro 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 Great Falls metro 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
The Great Falls metro area scores 24 (low) on the Groundwork market score for pet businesses, ranking #362 of 387 scored metro areas and #5 of 5 scored metro areas based in Montana. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
Households in the Great Falls metro area spend about $31.3M a year on pets, or $878 per household, 3% below the U.S. average. Spread across 60 pet businesses, that is $521K per business, 41% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
There are 60 pet businesses on map listings in the Great Falls metro area as of September 2026. Of those, 8 are chain locations, or 13%, against 17% across the U.S. That comes to 16.8 for every 10,000 households, 62% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
In 2023, official counts showed 24 businesses with payroll in the Great Falls metro area classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores, down 14.3% from 2019. That is one for every 1,484 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Population estimates show the Great Falls metro area grew 0.7% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Great Falls metro area 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.
| Measure | Great Falls metro area | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 16.8 | 15.6 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $521K | $592K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,484 | 1,174 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −14.3% | +11.7% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.7% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $878 | $926 | $909 |
| Median household income | $67,690 | $72,509 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 24 | 30 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 24−14.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 203
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $7.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 36Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 608 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 36The 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 the Great Falls metro 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 Great Falls metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 85,029+0.7% since 2020
- Households
- 35,615
- Median age
- 40.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 2,698 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 31
- Median household income
- $67,690+35.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $89,832
- Median home value
- $265,300
- Jobs located here
- 35,854
- Daytime population
- 84,523Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Great Falls metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 Great Falls metro 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 Montana
Every Montana market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Montana for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Montana, with the Great Falls metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Montana
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Helena, MT | 57 | 57 | 14.6 | $676K | +7.7% | #143 of 387 |
| 2Missoula, MT | 53 | 65 | 11.9 | $797K | +4.7% | #173 of 387 |
| 3Billings, MT | 40 | 114 | 14.5 | $664K | +4.8% | #276 of 387 |
| 4Bozeman, MT | 40 | 92 | 18.0 | $607K | +7.7% | #280 of 387 |
| 5Great Falls, MT | 24 | 60 | 16.8 | $521K | +0.7% | #362 of 387 |
Other business types in the Great Falls metro 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 businesses24
- Veterinarians33
- Pet grooming and boarding28
- Pet stores25
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in the Great Falls, MT metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 60 pet businesses in the Great Falls metro area. 8 of them (13%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 24 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, down 14.3% from 2019. Official counts list 36 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Great Falls, MT metro area spend on pets?
About $31.3M a year, or $878 per household. That is 3% below the U.S. average (an index of 97, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 60 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $521K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 35,615 households in the Great Falls metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Great Falls, MT metro area compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
The Great Falls metro area has 16.8 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 62% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $521K, 41% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, the Great Falls metro area would have about 36, against 60 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,484 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count fell 14.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is the Great Falls, MT metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Great Falls metro area at 85,029 people in 2025, up 0.7% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 35,615 households. Median household income in the Great Falls metro area is $67,690, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 35.6%, 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. The Great Falls metro area scores 24 for pet businesses (low), #362 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Great Falls metro 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 Great Falls metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Great Falls metro 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 Great Falls metro 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.