Pets · County · Nebraska
Pet businesses in Douglas County, NE
How Douglas County, NE 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 67 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #388 of 2,200 scored counties
#3 of 25 scored counties in Nebraska
- Listings
- 239
- 46 chain locations (19%)
- Official establishments
- 134
- +14.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $215.9M
- On pets · $906 a household
- Spending per listing
- $903K
- 3% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.0
- 4% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 606,460
- +3.6% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Douglas 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 Douglas 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 $906 per household (in line with the U.S. average), households in Douglas County spend about $215.9M a year on pets. That works out to $903K per business, 3% above the U.S. figure of $878K.
There are 239 pet businesses on map listings in Douglas County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 19% of them, against 17% across the U.S. That is 10.0 per 10,000 households, 4% below the U.S. rate of 10.4.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Douglas County was 134 in 2023, up 14.5% from 2019. That is one for every 1,779 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Another 214 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 8 SBA-backed loans worth $4.2M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Douglas County.
Population estimates show Douglas County grew 3.6% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For pet businesses, Douglas County has a Groundwork market score of 67 (upper middle): #388 of 2,200 scored counties and #3 of 25 scored counties in Nebraska. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Douglas 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 | Douglas County | Nebraska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.0 | 11.8 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $903K | $727K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,779 | 1,577 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +14.5% | +9.1% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.6% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $906 | $858 | $909 |
| Median household income | $80,391 | $76,475 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 67 | 36 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 117 → 134+14.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,570
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $70.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 214Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 23946 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 246The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 8
- Amount
- $4.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Douglas 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 Douglas County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 606,460+3.6% since 2020
- Households
- 238,430
- Median age
- 36.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 327 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,809
- Median household income
- $80,391+24.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $114,185
- Median home value
- $266,100
- Jobs located here
- 360,817
- Daytime population
- 660,547Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Douglas 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 Douglas 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 Douglas 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 |
Other business types in Douglas 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 businesses67
- Veterinarians65
- Pet grooming and boarding73
- Pet stores53
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Douglas County, NE?
As of September 2026, map listings count 239 pet businesses in Douglas County. 46 of them (19%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 134 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 14.5% from 2019. Official counts list 214 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Douglas County, NE spend on pets?
About $215.9M a year, or $906 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 100, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 239 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $903K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 238,430 households in Douglas County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Douglas County, NE compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Douglas County has 10.0 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 4% below the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $903K, 3% above the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Douglas County would have about 246, against 239 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,779 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 14.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is Douglas County, NE growing?
Population estimates put Douglas County at 606,460 people in 2025, up 3.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 238,430 households. Median household income in Douglas County is $80,391, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.4%, 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. Douglas County scores 67 for pet businesses (upper middle), #388 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Douglas 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 Douglas County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Douglas 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 Douglas 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.