Pets · Metro area · Montana
Pet businesses in the Helena, MT metro area
The pet businesses in the Helena, MT metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 57 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #143 of 387 scored metro areas
#1 of 5 scored metro areas based in Montana
- Listings
- 57
- 5 chain locations (9%)
- Official establishments
- 20
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $38.5M
- On pets · $987 a household
- Spending per listing
- $676K
- 23% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 14.6
- 40% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 97,153
- +7.7% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in the Helena 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 Helena 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 57 pet businesses in the Helena metro area. Of those, 5 are chain locations, or 9%, against 17% across the U.S. That is 14.6 per 10,000 households, 40% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
At $987 per household (9% above the U.S. average), households in the Helena metro area spend about $38.5M a year on pets. That is about $676K of household spending for each business on map listings, 23% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
Official counts show 20 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Helena metro area in 2023. That is one for every 1,952 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts list 85 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $1.1M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Helena metro area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Helena metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +7.7%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Helena metro area scores 57 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for pet businesses, ranking #143 of 387 scored metro areas and #1 of 5 scored metro areas based in Montana.
How the Helena 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 | Helena metro area | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 14.6 | 15.6 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $676K | $592K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,952 | 1,174 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +11.7% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +7.7% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $987 | $926 | $909 |
| Median household income | $78,528 | $72,509 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 57 | 30 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 20
- Employees, 2023
- 201
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $8.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 85Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 575 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 44The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $1.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Helena 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 Helena metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 97,153+7.7% since 2020
- Households
- 39,033
- Median age
- 42.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 6,308 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 15
- Median household income
- $78,528
- Average household income
- $105,667
- Median home value
- $401,200
- Jobs located here
- 45,504
- Daytime population
- 94,274Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Helena 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 Helena 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 Helena 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 Helena 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 businesses57
- Veterinarians52
- Pet grooming and boarding63
- Pet stores58
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in the Helena, MT metro area?
There are 57 pet businesses on map listings in the Helena metro area as of September 2026. 5 of them (9%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 20 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023. Official counts also show 85 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Helena, MT metro area spend on pets?
About $38.5M a year, or $987 per household. That is 9% above the U.S. average (an index of 109, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 57 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $676K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 39,033 households in the Helena metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Helena, MT metro area compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
The Helena metro area has 14.6 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 40% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $676K, 23% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, the Helena metro area would have about 44, against 57 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,952 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.
How fast is the Helena, MT metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Helena metro area at 97,153 people in 2025, up 7.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 39,033 households. The median household income in the Helena metro area is $78,528 a year, 3% 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 Helena metro area scores 57 for pet businesses (upper middle), #143 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 Helena 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 Helena metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Helena 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 Helena 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.