Groundwork

Pets · County · Nebraska

Pet businesses in Custer County, NE

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet businesses in Custer County, NE, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 15 out of 100: Low

Ranked #2,171 of 2,200 scored counties
#25 of 25 scored counties in Nebraska

Listings
10
1 chain location (10%)
Official establishments
7
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$3.5M
On pets · $769 a household
Spending per listing
$346K
61% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
22.2
2.1 times the U.S.
Population, 2025
10,500
0.0% since 2020

See the pet businesses around any address in Custer 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 Custer County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey 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, Custer County has a Groundwork market score of 15 (low): #2,171 of 2,200 scored counties and #25 of 25 scored counties in Nebraska. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

As of September 2026, map listings count 10 pet businesses in Custer County. One of them (10%) is a chain location, against 17% across the U.S. That comes to 22.2 for every 10,000 households, 2.1 times the U.S. rate of 10.4.

Household spending on pets in Custer County comes to about $3.5M a year: $769 per household, 15% below the U.S. average. That is about $346K of household spending for each business on map listings, 61% below the U.S. figure of $878K.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Custer County was 7 in 2023. That is one for every 643 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Custer County held about level, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Custer 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.

Pet businesses in Custer County, NE compared with Nebraska and the U.S.
MeasureCuster CountyNebraskaU.S.
Listings per 10k households22.211.810.4
Spending per listing$346K$727K$878K
Households per official establishment6431,5771,852
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+9.1%+11.4%
Population growth, 2020–20250.0%+2.8%+3.1%
Spending per household on pets$769$858$909
Median household income$67,906$76,475$80,734
Groundwork market score1536

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
5 → 7
Employees, 2023
37
Annual payroll, 2023
$1.7M
One-person businesses, 2023
10Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
101 chain location
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
4The 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 Custer 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 Custer County

Population, 2025 estimate
10,5000.0% since 2020
Households
4,502
Median age
43.6
Homes lived in by their owners
69%
Vehicles per household
2.4
Land area
2,576 sq. mi.
People per square mile
4
Median household income
$67,906+30.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$85,495
Median home value
$157,800
Jobs located here
4,714
Daytime population
9,965Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Custer 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 Custer County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Pet businesses across Nebraska

Every Nebraska market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Nebraska for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Nebraska, with Custer County marked.

Top counties in Nebraska

Counties in Nebraska ranked for pet businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Cass County, NE801211.1$864K+3.9%#76 of 2,200
2Sarpy County, NE79689.2$1.1M+9.0%#86 of 2,200
3Douglas County, NE6723910.0$903K+3.6%#388 of 2,200
4Saunders County, NE671213.5$697K+6.0%#411 of 2,200
5Lancaster County, NE641259.3$903K+3.4%#503 of 2,200
6Platte County, NE601410.3$784K+3.9%#665 of 2,200
7Seward County, NE58913.3$656K+2.3%#748 of 2,200
8Saline County, NE5759.7$853K+1.9%#767 of 2,200
9Hall County, NE57239.4$840K+1.4%#770 of 2,200
10York County, NE55712.3$667K+3.3%#879 of 2,200
25Custer County, NE151022.2$346K0.0%#2,171 of 2,200

Other business types in Custer County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many pet businesses are in Custer County, NE?

Custer County has 10 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. One of them (10%) is a chain location. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 7 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023. Official counts also show 10 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Custer County, NE spend on pets?

About $3.5M a year, or $769 per household. That is 15% below the U.S. average (an index of 85, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 10 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $346K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 4,502 households in Custer County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Custer County, NE compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?

Custer County has 22.2 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 2.1 times the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $346K, 61% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Custer County would have about 4, against 10 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 643 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.

How fast is Custer County, NE growing?

Population estimates put Custer County at 10,500 people in 2025, unchanged since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 4,502 households. The median household income in Custer County is $67,906 a year, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.1% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Custer County scores 15 for pet businesses (low), #2,171 of 2,200 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Custer 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 Custer County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Custer 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 Custer 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.