Pets · County · North Carolina
Pet businesses in Burke County, NC
How Burke County, NC 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 57 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #790 of 2,200 scored counties
#46 of 85 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 42
- 5 chain locations (12%)
- Official establishments
- 9
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $27.9M
- On pets · $769 a household
- Spending per listing
- $665K
- 24% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.6
- 12% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 88,655
- +1.6% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Burke 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 Burke 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 42 pet businesses in Burke County. Of those, 5 are chain locations, or 12%, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 11.6, 12% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
Households in Burke County spend about $27.9M a year on pets, or $769 per household, 15% below the U.S. average. Spread across 42 pet businesses, that is $665K per business, 24% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
Official counts show 9 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Burke County in 2023. That is one for every 4,034 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts also show 30 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $945K has gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Burke County.
Population estimates put the population change in Burke County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For pet businesses, Burke County has a Groundwork market score of 57 (upper middle): #790 of 2,200 scored counties and #46 of 85 scored counties in North Carolina.
How Burke County compares
The same measures for North Carolina 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 | Burke County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.6 | 11.0 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $665K | $817K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 4,034 | 1,719 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +15.0% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.6% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $769 | $899 | $909 |
| Median household income | $58,592 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 57 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 9 → 9
- Employees, 2023
- 77
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 30Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 425 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 32The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $945K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Burke 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 Burke County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 88,655+1.6% since 2020
- Households
- 36,306
- Median age
- 44.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 506 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 173
- Median household income
- $58,592+31.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $77,743
- Median home value
- $185,400
- Jobs located here
- 30,031
- Daytime population
- 80,329Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Burke 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 Burke 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 North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in North Carolina for pet businesses, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with Burke County marked.
Top counties in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Harnett County, NC | 84 | 44 | 8.8 | $967K | +12.3% | #40 of 2,200 |
| 2Wayne County, NC | 78 | 33 | 6.9 | $1.1M | +3.8% | #106 of 2,200 |
| 3Franklin County, NC | 78 | 27 | 9.5 | $916K | +18.8% | #111 of 2,200 |
| 4Currituck County, NC | 78 | 18 | 15.2 | $681K | +16.7% | #113 of 2,200 |
| 5Durham County, NC | 77 | 113 | 8.0 | $1.2M | +7.7% | #116 of 2,200 |
| 6Duplin County, NC | 77 | 14 | 6.7 | $1.1M | +6.0% | #118 of 2,200 |
| 7Hoke County, NC | 77 | 20 | 10.4 | $787K | +9.0% | #129 of 2,200 |
| 8Nash County, NC | 75 | 29 | 7.5 | $1.1M | +3.9% | #158 of 2,200 |
| 9Johnston County, NC | 75 | 93 | 10.9 | $867K | +17.9% | #166 of 2,200 |
| 10Mecklenburg County, NC | 74 | 489 | 10.5 | $977K | +10.5% | #180 of 2,200 |
| 46Burke County, NC | 57 | 42 | 11.6 | $665K | +1.6% | #790 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Burke 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 businesses57
- Veterinarians68
- Pet grooming and boarding53
- Pet stores50
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Burke County, NC?
There are 42 pet businesses on map listings in Burke County as of September 2026. 5 of them (12%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 9 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023. Another 30 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Burke County, NC spend on pets?
About $27.9M a year, or $769 per household. That is 15% below the U.S. average (an index of 85, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 42 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $665K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 36,306 households in Burke County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Burke County, NC compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Burke County has 11.6 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 12% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $665K, 24% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Burke County would have about 32, against 42 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 4,034 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.
How fast is Burke County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Burke County at 88,655 people in 2025, up 1.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 36,306 households. The median household income in Burke County is $58,592 a year, 27% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.5% 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. Burke County scores 57 for pet businesses (upper middle), #790 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Burke 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 Burke County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Burke 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 Burke 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.