Pets · County · Nebraska
Pet businesses in Buffalo County, NE
The pet businesses in Buffalo County, NE, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 35 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,730 of 2,200 scored counties
#19 of 25 scored counties in Nebraska
- Listings
- 33
- 4 chain locations (12%)
- Official establishments
- 14
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $16.7M
- On pets · $834 a household
- Spending per listing
- $505K
- 43% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 16.5
- 59% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 51,172
- +1.9% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Buffalo 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 Buffalo 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
For pet businesses, Buffalo County has a Groundwork market score of 35 (lower middle): #1,730 of 2,200 scored counties and #19 of 25 scored counties in Nebraska. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Households in Buffalo County spend about $16.7M a year on pets, or $834 per household, 8% below the U.S. average. That is about $505K of household spending for each business on map listings, 43% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
There are 33 pet businesses on map listings in Buffalo County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 12% of them, against 17% across the U.S. That is 16.5 per 10,000 households, 59% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
Official counts show 14 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Buffalo County in 2023. That is one for every 1,427 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in Buffalo County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.9%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Buffalo County compares
The same measures for Nebraska 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 | Buffalo County | Nebraska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 16.5 | 11.8 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $505K | $727K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,427 | 1,577 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +9.1% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.9% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $834 | $858 | $909 |
| Median household income | $75,911 | $76,475 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 35 | 36 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 15 → 14
- Employees, 2023
- 152
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 16Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 334 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 19The 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 Buffalo 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 Buffalo County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 51,172+1.9% since 2020
- Households
- 19,984
- Median age
- 36.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 968 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 52
- Median household income
- $75,911+27.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $94,897
- Median home value
- $246,400
- Jobs located here
- 27,301
- Daytime population
- 53,561Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Buffalo 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 Buffalo 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 Nebraska
Every Nebraska market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Nebraska for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Nebraska, with Buffalo County marked.
Top counties in Nebraska
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Cass County, NE | 80 | 12 | 11.1 | $864K | +3.9% | #76 of 2,200 |
| 2Sarpy County, NE | 79 | 68 | 9.2 | $1.1M | +9.0% | #86 of 2,200 |
| 3Douglas County, NE | 67 | 239 | 10.0 | $903K | +3.6% | #388 of 2,200 |
| 4Saunders County, NE | 67 | 12 | 13.5 | $697K | +6.0% | #411 of 2,200 |
| 5Lancaster County, NE | 64 | 125 | 9.3 | $903K | +3.4% | #503 of 2,200 |
| 6Platte County, NE | 60 | 14 | 10.3 | $784K | +3.9% | #665 of 2,200 |
| 7Seward County, NE | 58 | 9 | 13.3 | $656K | +2.3% | #748 of 2,200 |
| 8Saline County, NE | 57 | 5 | 9.7 | $853K | +1.9% | #767 of 2,200 |
| 9Hall County, NE | 57 | 23 | 9.4 | $840K | +1.4% | #770 of 2,200 |
| 10York County, NE | 55 | 7 | 12.3 | $667K | +3.3% | #879 of 2,200 |
| 19Buffalo County, NE | 35 | 33 | 16.5 | $505K | +1.9% | #1,730 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Buffalo 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 businesses35
- Veterinarians29
- Pet grooming and boarding55
- Pet stores30
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Buffalo County, NE?
As of September 2026, map listings count 33 pet businesses in Buffalo County. 4 of them (12%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 14 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023. Official counts list 16 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Buffalo County, NE spend on pets?
About $16.7M a year, or $834 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 33 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $505K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 19,984 households in Buffalo County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Buffalo County, NE compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Buffalo County has 16.5 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 59% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $505K, 43% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Buffalo County would have about 19, against 33 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,427 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.
How fast is Buffalo County, NE growing?
Population estimates put Buffalo County at 51,172 people in 2025, up 1.9% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 19,984 households. Median household income in Buffalo County is $75,911, 6% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 27.7%, 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. Buffalo County scores 35 for pet businesses (lower middle), #1,730 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Buffalo 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 Buffalo County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Buffalo 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 Buffalo 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.