Pets · County · Nebraska
Pet businesses in Merrick County, NE
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet businesses in Merrick County, NE, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score
Not scored
Counties under 10,000 people aren’t scored, since a few businesses can swing their figures.
- Listings
- 4
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $2.4M
- On pets · $757 a household
- Spending per listing
- $607K
- 31% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.5
- 20% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 7,905
- +3.3% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Merrick 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 Merrick 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
Household spending on pets in Merrick County comes to about $2.4M a year: $757 per household, 17% below the U.S. average. That is about $607K of household spending for each business on map listings, 31% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
There are 4 pet businesses on map listings in Merrick County as of September 2026. That comes to 12.5 for every 10,000 households, 20% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
Official counts don’t publish a figure for pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Merrick County, since they leave out counts under 3.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Merrick County grew 3.3%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). Counties under 10,000 people aren’t given a market score, since a few businesses can swing their figures.
How Merrick 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 | Merrick County | Nebraska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 12.5 | 11.8 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $607K | $727K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | n/a | 1,577 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +9.1% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.3% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $757 | $858 | $909 |
| Median household income | $68,354 | $76,475 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | Not scored | 36 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- n/a
- Employees, 2023
- n/a
- Annual payroll, 2023
- n/a
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 40 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 3The 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 Merrick 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 Merrick County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 7,905+3.3% since 2020
- Households
- 3,205
- Median age
- 43.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 82%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.5
- Land area
- 488 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 16
- Median household income
- $68,354
- Average household income
- $88,303
- Median home value
- $175,900
- Jobs located here
- 2,446
- Daytime population
- 6,386Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Merrick 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 Merrick 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 Merrick 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 |
| Merrick County, NE | Not scored | 4 | 12.5 | $607K | +3.3% |
Other business types in Merrick County
None has a Groundwork market score here. Counties under 10,000 people aren’t scored, since a few businesses can swing their figures.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Pets
- Pet businesses
- Veterinarians
- Pet grooming and boarding
- Pet stores
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Merrick County, NE?
As of September 2026, map listings count 4 pet businesses in Merrick County. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. No official count is published for pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Merrick County: counts under 3 are left out.
How much do households in Merrick County, NE spend on pets?
About $2.4M a year, or $757 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 4 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $607K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 3,205 households in Merrick County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Merrick County, NE compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Merrick County has 12.5 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 20% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $607K, 31% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Merrick County would have about 3, against 4 on map listings.
How fast is Merrick County, NE growing?
Population estimates put Merrick County at 7,905 people in 2025, up 3.3% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 3,205 households. Median household income in Merrick County is $68,354, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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. The score leaves out counties under 10,000 people, where a handful of businesses would swing it.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Merrick 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 Merrick County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Merrick 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 Merrick 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.