Pets · County · Montana
Pet businesses in Lewis and Clark County, MT
How Lewis and Clark 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 65 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #489 of 2,200 scored counties
#2 of 19 scored counties in Montana
- Listings
- 43
- 5 chain locations (12%)
- Official establishments
- 16
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $30.4M
- On pets · $974 a household
- Spending per listing
- $707K
- 20% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.8
- 33% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 75,331
- +5.8% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Lewis and Clark 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 Lewis and Clark 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
At $974 per household (7% above the U.S. average), households in Lewis and Clark County spend about $30.4M a year on pets. Spread across 43 pet businesses, that is $707K per business, 20% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
There are 43 pet businesses on map listings in Lewis and Clark County as of September 2026. Of those, 5 are chain locations, or 12%, against 17% across the U.S. That is 13.8 per 10,000 households, 33% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
In 2023, official counts showed 16 businesses with payroll in Lewis and Clark County classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores. That is one for every 1,951 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts also show 67 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 Lewis and Clark County.
Population estimates put the population change in Lewis and Clark County from 2020 to 2025 at +5.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For pet businesses, Lewis and Clark County has a Groundwork market score of 65 (upper middle): #489 of 2,200 scored counties and #2 of 19 scored counties in Montana. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Lewis and Clark 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 | Lewis and Clark County | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.8 | 15.6 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $707K | $592K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,951 | 1,174 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +11.7% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.8% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $974 | $926 | $909 |
| Median household income | $78,237 | $72,509 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 65 | 30 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 13 → 16
- Employees, 2023
- 170
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $7.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 67Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 435 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 35The 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 Lewis and Clark 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 Lewis and Clark County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 75,331+5.8% since 2020
- Households
- 31,215
- Median age
- 42.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 3,458 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 21
- Median household income
- $78,237+18.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $104,055
- Median home value
- $393,500
- Jobs located here
- 41,168
- Daytime population
- 78,294Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Lewis and Clark 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 Lewis and Clark 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 Lewis and Clark 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 |
Other business types in Lewis and Clark 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 businesses65
- Veterinarians63
- Pet grooming and boarding66
- Pet stores63
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Lewis and Clark County, MT?
As of September 2026, map listings count 43 pet businesses in Lewis and Clark County. 5 of them (12%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 16 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023. Another 67 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Lewis and Clark County, MT spend on pets?
About $30.4M a year, or $974 per household. That is 7% above the U.S. average (an index of 107, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 43 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $707K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 31,215 households in Lewis and Clark County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Lewis and Clark County, MT compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Lewis and Clark County has 13.8 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 33% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $707K, 20% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Lewis and Clark County would have about 35, against 43 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,951 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.
How fast is Lewis and Clark County, MT growing?
Population estimates put Lewis and Clark County at 75,331 people in 2025, up 5.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 31,215 households. Median household income in Lewis and Clark County is $78,237, 3% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 18.9%, 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. Lewis and Clark County scores 65 for pet businesses (upper middle), #489 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lewis and Clark 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 Lewis and Clark County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Lewis and Clark 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 Lewis and Clark 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.