Pets · County · New Mexico
Pet businesses in Lea County, NM
How Lea County, NM 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 76 out of 100: High
Ranked #143 of 2,200 scored counties
#2 of 23 scored counties in New Mexico
- Listings
- 23
- 2 chain locations (9%)
- Official establishments
- 5
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $22.3M
- On pets · $903 a household
- Spending per listing
- $969K
- 10% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.3
- 11% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 74,749
- +0.2% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Lea 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 Lea 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
The Groundwork market score for pet businesses in Lea County is 76 (high), #143 of 2,200 scored counties and #2 of 23 scored counties in New Mexico. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for pet businesses.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 23 pet businesses in Lea County. Of those, 2 are chain locations, or 9%, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 9.3, 11% below the U.S. rate of 10.4.
Households in Lea County spend about $22.3M a year on pets, or $903 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That works out to $969K per business, 10% above the U.S. figure of $878K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Lea County was 5 in 2023. That is one for every 4,934 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Lea County grew 0.2%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Lea County compares
The same measures for New Mexico 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 | Lea County | New Mexico | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.3 | 9.1 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $969K | $966K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 4,934 | 2,023 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +4.8% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.2% | +0.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $903 | $874 | $909 |
| Median household income | $68,015 | $64,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 76 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 5 → 5
- Employees, 2023
- 63
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 17Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 232 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 25The 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 Lea 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 Lea County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 74,749+0.2% since 2020
- Households
- 24,670
- Median age
- 32.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 4,392 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 17
- Median household income
- $68,015+12.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $91,389
- Median home value
- $184,000
- Jobs located here
- 33,256
- Daytime population
- 77,341Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Lea 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 Lea 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 Mexico
Every New Mexico market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in New Mexico for pet businesses, numbered among those based in New Mexico, with Lea County marked.
Top counties in New Mexico
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Sandoval County, NM | 78 | 48 | 8.4 | $1.2M | +6.9% | #100 of 2,200 |
| 2Lea County, NM | 76 | 23 | 9.3 | $969K | +0.2% | #143 of 2,200 |
| 3Rio Arriba County, NM | 67 | 6 | 3.8 | $2.1M | −1.0% | #373 of 2,200 |
| 4Eddy County, NM | 67 | 12 | 5.1 | $1.9M | +0.3% | #374 of 2,200 |
| 5Bernalillo County, NM | 65 | 256 | 9.0 | $1M | −1.4% | #463 of 2,200 |
| 6Torrance County, NM | 65 | 6 | 9.9 | $786K | +6.9% | #482 of 2,200 |
| 7San Juan County, NM | 64 | 23 | 5.5 | $1.5M | −0.9% | #493 of 2,200 |
| 8San Miguel County, NM | 63 | 8 | 6.7 | $1.1M | −3.2% | #534 of 2,200 |
| 9Doña Ana County, NM | 63 | 79 | 9.3 | $866K | +4.1% | #543 of 2,200 |
| 10Los Alamos County, NM | 62 | 5 | 6.1 | $2.3M | 0.0% | #565 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Lea 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 businesses76
- Veterinarians73
- Pet grooming and boarding72
- Pet stores54
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Lea County, NM?
There are 23 pet businesses on map listings in Lea County as of September 2026. 2 of them (9%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 5 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023. Official counts list 17 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Lea County, NM spend on pets?
About $22.3M a year, or $903 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 99, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 23 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $969K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 24,670 households in Lea County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Lea County, NM compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Lea County has 9.3 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 11% below the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $969K, 10% above the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Lea County would have about 25, against 23 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 4,934 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.
How fast is Lea County, NM growing?
Population estimates put Lea County at 74,749 people in 2025, up 0.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 24,670 households. The median household income in Lea County is $68,015 a year, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 12.3% 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. Lea County scores 76 for pet businesses (high), #143 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lea 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 Lea County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Lea 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 Lea 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.