Pets · County · Montana
Pet businesses in Sanders County, MT
How Sanders 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 39 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,585 of 2,200 scored counties
#14 of 19 scored counties in Montana
- Listings
- 13
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- 3
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $4.3M
- On pets · $786 a household
- Spending per listing
- $330K
- 62% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 23.8
- 2.3 times the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 14,062
- +12.9% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Sanders 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 Sanders 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 $786 per household (14% below the U.S. average), households in Sanders County spend about $4.3M a year on pets. That is about $330K of household spending for each business on map listings, 62% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
There are 13 pet businesses on map listings in Sanders County as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 23.8, 2.3 times the U.S. rate of 10.4.
In 2023, official counts showed 3 businesses with payroll in Sanders County classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores. That is one for every 1,817 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts also show 11 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates put the population change in Sanders County from 2020 to 2025 at +12.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Sanders County scores 39 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for pet businesses, ranking #1,585 of 2,200 scored counties and #14 of 19 scored counties in Montana.
How Sanders 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 | Sanders County | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 23.8 | 15.6 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $330K | $592K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,817 | 1,174 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +11.7% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +12.9% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $786 | $926 | $909 |
| Median household income | $57,476 | $72,509 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 39 | 30 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 4 → 3
- Employees, 2023
- 15
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $785K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 11Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 130 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 5The 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 Sanders 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 Sanders County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 14,062+12.9% since 2020
- Households
- 5,451
- Median age
- 54.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 81%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.3
- Land area
- 2,760 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 5
- Median household income
- $57,476+40.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $75,317
- Median home value
- $359,000
- Jobs located here
- 3,261
- Daytime population
- 12,845Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Sanders 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 Sanders 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 Sanders 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 |
| 14Sanders County, MT | 39 | 13 | 23.8 | $330K | +12.9% | #1,585 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Sanders 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 businesses39
- Veterinarians28
- Pet grooming and boarding
- Pet stores
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Sanders County, MT?
As of September 2026, map listings count 13 pet businesses in Sanders County. None of them are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023. Another 11 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Sanders County, MT spend on pets?
About $4.3M a year, or $786 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 13 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $330K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 5,451 households in Sanders County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Sanders County, MT compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Sanders County has 23.8 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 2.3 times the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $330K, 62% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Sanders County would have about 5, against 13 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,817 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.
How fast is Sanders County, MT growing?
Population estimates put Sanders County at 14,062 people in 2025, up 12.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 5,451 households. Median household income in Sanders County is $57,476, 29% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 40.8%, 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. Sanders County scores 39 for pet businesses (lower middle), #1,585 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Sanders 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 Sanders County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Sanders 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 Sanders 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.