Groundwork

Pets · County · New York

Pet businesses in Tompkins County, NY

The pet businesses in Tompkins County, NY, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 16 out of 100: Low

Ranked #2,154 of 2,200 scored counties
#54 of 61 scored counties in New York

Listings
54
7 chain locations (13%)
Official establishments
32
+18.5% since 2019
Household spending a year
$27.6M
On pets · $637 a household
Spending per listing
$510K
42% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
12.5
20% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
104,047
−1.4% since 2020

See the pet businesses around any address in Tompkins 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 Tompkins 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

For pet businesses, Tompkins County has a Groundwork market score of 16 (low): #2,154 of 2,200 scored counties and #54 of 61 scored counties in New York. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

As of September 2026, map listings count 54 pet businesses in Tompkins County. Chain locations make up 13% of them, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 12.5, 20% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.

At $637 per household (30% below the U.S. average), households in Tompkins County spend about $27.6M a year on pets. That is about $510K of household spending for each business on map listings, 42% below the U.S. figure of $878K.

In 2023, official counts showed 32 businesses with payroll in Tompkins County classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores, up 18.5% from 2019. That is one for every 1,352 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $967K has gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Tompkins County. Population estimates show Tompkins County declined 1.4% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Tompkins County compares

The same measures for New York 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 Tompkins County, NY compared with New York and the U.S.
MeasureTompkins CountyNew YorkU.S.
Listings per 10k households12.58.410.4
Spending per listing$510K$838K$878K
Households per official establishment1,3522,3051,852
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+18.5%+2.7%+11.4%
Population growth, 2020–2025−1.4%−0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on pets$637$701$909
Median household income$74,024$85,974$80,734
Groundwork market score1646

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
27 → 32+18.5% over the period
Employees, 2023
498
Annual payroll, 2023
$34.1M
One-person businesses, 2023
112Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
547 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
31The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$967K

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

Population, 2025 estimate
104,047−1.4% since 2020
Households
43,263
Median age
36.4
Homes lived in by their owners
54%
Vehicles per household
1.6
Land area
475 sq. mi.
People per square mile
220
Median household income
$74,024+22.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$102,718
Median home value
$290,900
Jobs located here
46,926
Daytime population
111,478Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Tompkins 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 Tompkins 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 York

Every New York market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in New York for pet businesses, numbered among those based in New York, with Tompkins County marked.

Top counties in New York

Counties in New York ranked for pet businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Rockland County, NY69838.0$1M+5.9%#313 of 2,200
2Richmond County, NY681096.4$1.2M+1.3%#343 of 2,200
3Queens County, NY653384.0$1.7M−1.1%#451 of 2,200
4Nassau County, NY644459.7$958K+0.6%#498 of 2,200
5Westchester County, NY623338.9$950K+1.4%#573 of 2,200
6Bronx County, NY61881.6$3.1M−3.8%#601 of 2,200
7Kings County, NY614814.8$1.4M−2.5%#603 of 2,200
8New York County, NY606388.2$979K−1.3%#650 of 2,200
9Rensselaer County, NY56517.6$878K−0.2%#806 of 2,200
10Albany County, NY521067.9$860K+2.2%#985 of 2,200
54Tompkins County, NY165412.5$510K−1.4%#2,154 of 2,200

Other business types in Tompkins County

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

Questions

How many pet businesses are in Tompkins County, NY?

Tompkins County has 54 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 7 of them (13%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 32 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 18.5% from 2019. Another 112 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in Tompkins County, NY spend on pets?

About $27.6M a year, or $637 per household. That is 30% below the U.S. average (an index of 70, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 54 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $510K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 43,263 households in Tompkins County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Tompkins County, NY compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?

Tompkins County has 12.5 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 20% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $510K, 42% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Tompkins County would have about 31, against 54 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,352 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 18.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.

How fast is Tompkins County, NY growing?

Population estimates put Tompkins County at 104,047 people in 2025, down 1.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 43,263 households. The median household income in Tompkins County is $74,024 a year, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 22.9% 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. Tompkins County scores 16 for pet businesses (low), #2,154 of 2,200 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Tompkins 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 Tompkins 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.