Groundwork

Pets · County · New Mexico

Pet businesses in Otero County, NM

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet businesses in Otero County, NM, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 60 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #676 of 2,200 scored counties
#11 of 23 scored counties in New Mexico

Listings
33
4 chain locations (12%)
Official establishments
6
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$19.6M
On pets · $800 a household
Spending per listing
$593K
32% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
13.5
30% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
70,368
+3.7% since 2020

See the pet businesses around any address in Otero 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 Otero 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

Households in Otero County spend about $19.6M a year on pets, or $800 per household, 12% below the U.S. average. Spread across 33 pet businesses, that is $593K per business, 32% below the U.S. figure of $878K.

Otero County has 33 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 4 of them (12%) are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. That comes to 13.5 for every 10,000 households, 30% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Otero County was 6 in 2023. That is one for every 4,080 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Another 33 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $166K has gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Otero County.

Population estimates put the population change in Otero County from 2020 to 2025 at +3.7%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Otero County scores 60 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for pet businesses, ranking #676 of 2,200 scored counties and #11 of 23 scored counties in New Mexico.

How Otero 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.

Pet businesses in Otero County, NM compared with New Mexico and the U.S.
MeasureOtero CountyNew MexicoU.S.
Listings per 10k households13.59.110.4
Spending per listing$593K$966K$878K
Households per official establishment4,0802,0231,852
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+4.8%+11.4%
Population growth, 2020–2025+3.7%+0.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on pets$800$874$909
Median household income$55,876$64,059$80,734
Groundwork market score6059

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
7 → 6
Employees, 2023
66
Annual payroll, 2023
$2.1M
One-person businesses, 2023
33Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
334 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
22The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$166K

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

Population, 2025 estimate
70,368+3.7% since 2020
Households
24,480
Median age
38.8
Homes lived in by their owners
67%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
6,613 sq. mi.
People per square mile
10
Median household income
$55,876+33.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$74,572
Median home value
$162,700
Jobs located here
16,220
Daytime population
63,281Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Otero 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 Otero 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 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 Otero County marked.

Top counties in New Mexico

Counties in New Mexico ranked for pet businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Sandoval County, NM78488.4$1.2M+6.9%#100 of 2,200
2Lea County, NM76239.3$969K+0.2%#143 of 2,200
3Rio Arriba County, NM6763.8$2.1M−1.0%#373 of 2,200
4Eddy County, NM67125.1$1.9M+0.3%#374 of 2,200
5Bernalillo County, NM652569.0$1M−1.4%#463 of 2,200
6Torrance County, NM6569.9$786K+6.9%#482 of 2,200
7San Juan County, NM64235.5$1.5M−0.9%#493 of 2,200
8San Miguel County, NM6386.7$1.1M−3.2%#534 of 2,200
9Doña Ana County, NM63799.3$866K+4.1%#543 of 2,200
10Los Alamos County, NM6256.1$2.3M0.0%#565 of 2,200
11Otero County, NM603313.5$593K+3.7%#676 of 2,200

Other business types in Otero County

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

Questions

How many pet businesses are in Otero County, NM?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 33 pet businesses in Otero County. 4 of them (12%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 6 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023. Official counts list 33 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Otero County, NM spend on pets?

About $19.6M a year, or $800 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 33 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $593K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 24,480 households in Otero County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Otero County, NM compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?

Otero County has 13.5 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 30% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $593K, 32% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Otero County would have about 22, against 33 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 4,080 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.

How fast is Otero County, NM growing?

Population estimates put Otero County at 70,368 people in 2025, up 3.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 24,480 households. Median household income in Otero County is $55,876, 31% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 33.1%, 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. Otero County scores 60 for pet businesses (upper middle), #676 of 2,200 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Otero 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 Otero 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.