Pets · County · Nebraska
Pet businesses in Dawson County, NE
The pet businesses in Dawson County, NE, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 44 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,354 of 2,200 scored counties
#16 of 25 scored counties in Nebraska
- Listings
- 9
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- 11
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $7.3M
- On pets · $801 a household
- Spending per listing
- $813K
- 7% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.8
- 6% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 24,452
- +1.5% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Dawson 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 Dawson 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 9 pet businesses in Dawson County. None of them are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. That comes to 9.8 for every 10,000 households, 6% below the U.S. rate of 10.4.
Households in Dawson County spend about $7.3M a year on pets, or $801 per household, 12% below the U.S. average. That works out to $813K per business, 7% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
Official counts show 11 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Dawson County in 2023. That is one for every 831 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Another 6 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Dawson County grew 1.5%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for pet businesses in Dawson County is 44 (lower middle), #1,354 of 2,200 scored counties and #16 of 25 scored counties in Nebraska.
How Dawson 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 | Dawson County | Nebraska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.8 | 11.8 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $813K | $727K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 831 | 1,577 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +9.1% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.5% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $801 | $858 | $909 |
| Median household income | $69,880 | $76,475 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 44 | 36 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 14 → 11
- Employees, 2023
- 68
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 6Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 90 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 8The 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 Dawson 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 Dawson County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 24,452+1.5% since 2020
- Households
- 9,145
- Median age
- 37.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.3
- Land area
- 1,014 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 24
- Median household income
- $69,880+30.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $92,897
- Median home value
- $166,200
- Jobs located here
- 12,382
- Daytime population
- 24,113Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Dawson 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 Dawson 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 Dawson 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 |
| 16Dawson County, NE | 44 | 9 | 9.8 | $813K | +1.5% | #1,354 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Dawson 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 businesses44
- Veterinarians23
- Pet grooming and boarding
- Pet stores
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Dawson County, NE?
There are 9 pet businesses on map listings in Dawson County as of September 2026. None of them 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. Official counts list 6 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Dawson County, NE spend on pets?
About $7.3M a year, or $801 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 9 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $813K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 9,145 households in Dawson County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Dawson County, NE compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Dawson County has 9.8 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 6% below the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $813K, 7% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Dawson County would have about 8, against 9 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 831 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.
How fast is Dawson County, NE growing?
Population estimates put Dawson County at 24,452 people in 2025, up 1.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 9,145 households. The median household income in Dawson County is $69,880 a year, 13% 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. Dawson County scores 44 for pet businesses (lower middle), #1,354 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Dawson 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 Dawson County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Dawson 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 Dawson 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.