Groundwork

Pets · County · Nebraska

Pet businesses in Gage County, NE

How Gage 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 37 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,657 of 2,200 scored counties
#18 of 25 scored counties in Nebraska

Listings
15
0 chain locations (0%)
Official establishments
4
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$7.2M
On pets · $771 a household
Spending per listing
$480K
45% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
16.1
55% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
21,711
+0.2% since 2020

See the pet businesses around any address in Gage 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 Gage 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

Gage County scores 37 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for pet businesses, ranking #1,657 of 2,200 scored counties and #18 of 25 scored counties in Nebraska. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

As of September 2026, map listings count 15 pet businesses in Gage County. None of them are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. That comes to 16.1 for every 10,000 households, 55% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.

Households in Gage County spend about $7.2M a year on pets, or $771 per household, 15% below the U.S. average. That is about $480K of household spending for each business on map listings, 45% below the U.S. figure of $878K.

Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Gage County in 2023. That is one for every 2,332 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $307K has gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Gage County. Population estimates put the population change in Gage County from 2020 to 2025 at +0.2%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Gage 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 Gage County, NE compared with Nebraska and the U.S.
MeasureGage CountyNebraskaU.S.
Listings per 10k households16.111.810.4
Spending per listing$480K$727K$878K
Households per official establishment2,3321,5771,852
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+9.1%+11.4%
Population growth, 2020–2025+0.2%+2.8%+3.1%
Spending per household on pets$771$858$909
Median household income$67,247$76,475$80,734
Groundwork market score3736

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
4 → 4
Employees, 2023
13
Annual payroll, 2023
$399K
One-person businesses, 2023
7Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
150 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
1
Amount
$307K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Gage 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 Gage County

Population, 2025 estimate
21,711+0.2% since 2020
Households
9,327
Median age
43.4
Homes lived in by their owners
74%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
852 sq. mi.
People per square mile
25
Median household income
$67,247+26.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$83,338
Median home value
$174,000
Jobs located here
8,371
Daytime population
18,346Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Gage 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 Gage 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 Gage 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
18Gage County, NE371516.1$480K+0.2%#1,657 of 2,200

Other business types in Gage County

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

Questions

How many pet businesses are in Gage County, NE?

Gage County has 15 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023. Another 7 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

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

About $7.2M a year, or $771 per household. That is 15% below the U.S. average (an index of 85, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 15 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $480K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 9,327 households in Gage County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Gage County has 16.1 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 55% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $480K, 45% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Gage County would have about 8, against 15 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,332 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.

How fast is Gage County, NE growing?

Population estimates put Gage County at 21,711 people in 2025, up 0.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 9,327 households. The median household income in Gage County is $67,247 a year, 17% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.6% 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. Gage County scores 37 for pet businesses (lower middle), #1,657 of 2,200 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Gage 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 Gage 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.