Pets · County · New Jersey
Pet businesses in Ocean County, NJ
How Ocean County, NJ 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 54 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #913 of 2,200 scored counties
#13 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey
- Listings
- 234
- 38 chain locations (16%)
- Official establishments
- 111
- +14.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $171.1M
- On pets · $702 a household
- Spending per listing
- $731K
- 17% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.6
- 8% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 673,746
- +5.6% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Ocean 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 Ocean 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
Households in Ocean County spend about $171.1M a year on pets, or $702 per household, 23% below the U.S. average. Spread across 234 pet businesses, that is $731K per business, 17% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
Ocean County has 234 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 16% of them, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 9.6, 8% below the U.S. rate of 10.4.
In 2023, official counts showed 111 businesses with payroll in Ocean County classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores, up 14.4% from 2019. That is one for every 2,197 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts also show 327 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $1.4M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Ocean County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Ocean County grew 5.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For pet businesses, Ocean County has a Groundwork market score of 54 (upper middle): #913 of 2,200 scored counties and #13 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey.
How Ocean County compares
The same measures for New Jersey 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 | Ocean County | New Jersey | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.6 | 8.9 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $731K | $872K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 2,197 | 2,088 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +14.4% | +7.1% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.6% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $702 | $774 | $909 |
| Median household income | $89,863 | $103,556 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 54 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 97 → 111+14.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 986
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $42.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 327Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 23438 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 195The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $1.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Ocean 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 Ocean County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 673,746+5.6% since 2020
- Households
- 243,843
- Median age
- 41.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 81%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 628 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,042
- Median household income
- $89,863+26.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $118,774
- Median home value
- $398,400
- Jobs located here
- 183,196
- Daytime population
- 568,313Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Ocean 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 Ocean 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 New Jersey
Every New Jersey market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in New Jersey for pet businesses, numbered among those based in New Jersey, with Ocean County marked.
Top counties in New Jersey
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Middlesex County, NJ | 77 | 183 | 5.9 | $1.3M | +2.6% | #115 of 2,200 |
| 2Essex County, NJ | 74 | 150 | 4.7 | $1.5M | +4.2% | #171 of 2,200 |
| 3Union County, NJ | 74 | 151 | 7.4 | $1.1M | +5.0% | #175 of 2,200 |
| 4Hudson County, NJ | 72 | 170 | 5.7 | $1.3M | +1.8% | #213 of 2,200 |
| 5Somerset County, NJ | 71 | 122 | 9.3 | $986K | +3.5% | #246 of 2,200 |
| 6Cumberland County, NJ | 65 | 30 | 5.6 | $1.1M | +2.2% | #459 of 2,200 |
| 7Mercer County, NJ | 64 | 115 | 8.0 | $957K | +3.3% | #499 of 2,200 |
| 8Bergen County, NJ | 60 | 369 | 10.4 | $827K | +2.4% | #659 of 2,200 |
| 9Salem County, NJ | 60 | 20 | 8.0 | $798K | +2.3% | #663 of 2,200 |
| 10Passaic County, NJ | 58 | 142 | 7.9 | $883K | +1.6% | #720 of 2,200 |
| 13Ocean County, NJ | 54 | 234 | 9.6 | $731K | +5.6% | #913 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Ocean 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 businesses54
- Veterinarians58
- Pet grooming and boarding51
- Pet stores56
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Ocean County, NJ?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 234 pet businesses in Ocean County. 38 of them (16%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 111 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 14.4% from 2019. Another 327 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Ocean County, NJ spend on pets?
About $171.1M a year, or $702 per household. That is 23% below the U.S. average (an index of 77, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 234 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $731K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 243,843 households in Ocean County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Ocean County, NJ compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Ocean County has 9.6 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $731K, 17% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Ocean County would have about 195, against 234 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,197 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 14.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is Ocean County, NJ growing?
Population estimates put Ocean County at 673,746 people in 2025, up 5.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 243,843 households. Median household income in Ocean County is $89,863, 11% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.7%, 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. Ocean County scores 54 for pet businesses (upper middle), #913 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Ocean 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 Ocean County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Ocean 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 Ocean 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.