Pets · County · Montana
Pet businesses in Lake County, MT
How Lake County, MT 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 41 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,493 of 2,200 scored counties
#13 of 19 scored counties in Montana
- Listings
- 21
- 2 chain locations (10%)
- Official establishments
- 11
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $10.8M
- On pets · $862 a household
- Spending per listing
- $516K
- 41% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 16.7
- 61% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 33,392
- +6.9% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Lake 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 Lake 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
Household spending on pets in Lake County comes to about $10.8M a year: $862 per household, 5% below the U.S. average. That works out to $516K per business, 41% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
Lake County has 21 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 10% of them, against 17% across the U.S. That comes to 16.7 for every 10,000 households, 61% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Lake County was 11 in 2023. That is one for every 1,143 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts also show 21 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $2.8M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Lake County.
Population estimates show Lake County grew 6.9% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For pet businesses, Lake County has a Groundwork market score of 41 (lower middle): #1,493 of 2,200 scored counties and #13 of 19 scored counties in Montana.
How Lake 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.
| Measure | Lake County | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 16.7 | 15.6 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $516K | $592K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,143 | 1,174 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +11.7% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.9% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $862 | $926 | $909 |
| Median household income | $63,360 | $72,509 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 41 | 30 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 10 → 11
- Employees, 2023
- 63
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 21Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 212 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 12The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $2.8M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Lake 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 Lake County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 33,392+6.9% since 2020
- Households
- 12,576
- Median age
- 44.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.3
- Land area
- 1,491 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 22
- Median household income
- $63,360+29.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $90,243
- Median home value
- $421,800
- Jobs located here
- 9,693
- Daytime population
- 30,848Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Lake 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 Lake 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 Montana
Every Montana market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Montana for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Montana, with Lake County marked.
Top counties in Montana
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Custer County, MT | 67 | 5 | 9.9 | $873K | +1.5% | #391 of 2,200 |
| 2Lewis and Clark County, MT | 65 | 43 | 13.8 | $707K | +5.8% | #489 of 2,200 |
| 3Richland County, MT | 63 | 5 | 11.3 | $856K | −1.3% | #548 of 2,200 |
| 4Missoula County, MT | 62 | 63 | 12.0 | $793K | +4.4% | #583 of 2,200 |
| 5Silver Bow County, MT | 57 | 21 | 13.6 | $589K | +2.6% | #798 of 2,200 |
| 6Jefferson County, MT | 55 | 12 | 24.0 | $455K | +9.8% | #886 of 2,200 |
| 7Carbon County, MT | 53 | 8 | 17.2 | $568K | +9.1% | #972 of 2,200 |
| 8Yellowstone County, MT | 52 | 98 | 14.0 | $686K | +4.5% | #1,002 of 2,200 |
| 9Gallatin County, MT | 50 | 92 | 18.0 | $607K | +7.7% | #1,116 of 2,200 |
| 10Park County, MT | 50 | 18 | 21.5 | $431K | +5.7% | #1,125 of 2,200 |
| 13Lake County, MT | 41 | 21 | 16.7 | $516K | +6.9% | #1,493 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Lake 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 businesses41
- Veterinarians38
- Pet grooming and boarding
- Pet stores
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Lake County, MT?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 21 pet businesses in Lake County. 2 of them (10%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 11 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023. Another 21 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Lake County, MT spend on pets?
About $10.8M a year, or $862 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 21 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $516K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 12,576 households in Lake County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Lake County, MT compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Lake County has 16.7 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 61% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $516K, 41% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Lake County would have about 12, against 21 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,143 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.
How fast is Lake County, MT growing?
Population estimates put Lake County at 33,392 people in 2025, up 6.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 12,576 households. Median household income in Lake County is $63,360, 22% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.8%, 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. Lake County scores 41 for pet businesses (lower middle), #1,493 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lake 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 Lake County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Lake 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 Lake 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.