Pets · County · North Carolina
Pet businesses in Carteret County, NC
The pet businesses in Carteret County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 45 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,339 of 2,200 scored counties
#67 of 85 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 49
- 8 chain locations (16%)
- Official establishments
- 25
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $28.6M
- On pets · $894 a household
- Spending per listing
- $583K
- 34% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 15.3
- 47% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 70,469
- +4.1% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Carteret 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 Carteret 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
Household spending on pets in Carteret County comes to about $28.6M a year: $894 per household, 2% below the U.S. average. That is about $583K of household spending for each business on map listings, 34% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
There are 49 pet businesses on map listings in Carteret County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 16% of them, against 17% across the U.S. That is 15.3 per 10,000 households, 47% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Carteret County was 25 in 2023. That is one for every 1,279 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts also show 66 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $3.2M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Carteret County.
Population estimates show Carteret County grew 4.1% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for pet businesses in Carteret County is 45 (lower middle), #1,339 of 2,200 scored counties and #67 of 85 scored counties in North Carolina.
How Carteret 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 | Carteret County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 15.3 | 11.0 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $583K | $817K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,279 | 1,719 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +15.0% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.1% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $894 | $899 | $909 |
| Median household income | $72,322 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 45 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 19 → 25
- Employees, 2023
- 287
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $10.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 66Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 498 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 33The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $3.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Carteret 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 Carteret County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 70,469+4.1% since 2020
- Households
- 31,977
- Median age
- 49.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 508 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 136
- Median household income
- $72,322+26.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $99,351
- Median home value
- $333,300
- Jobs located here
- 23,748
- Daytime population
- 65,592Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Carteret 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 Carteret 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 Carteret 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 |
| 67Carteret County, NC | 45 | 49 | 15.3 | $583K | +4.1% | #1,339 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Carteret 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 businesses45
- Veterinarians42
- Pet grooming and boarding72
- Pet stores36
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Carteret County, NC?
As of September 2026, map listings count 49 pet businesses in Carteret County. 8 of them (16%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 25 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023. Another 66 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Carteret County, NC spend on pets?
About $28.6M a year, or $894 per household. That is 2% below the U.S. average (an index of 98, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 49 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $583K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 31,977 households in Carteret County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Carteret County, NC compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Carteret County has 15.3 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 47% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $583K, 34% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Carteret County would have about 33, against 49 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,279 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.
How fast is Carteret County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Carteret County at 70,469 people in 2025, up 4.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 31,977 households. Median household income in Carteret County is $72,322, 10% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.5%, 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. Carteret County scores 45 for pet businesses (lower middle), #1,339 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Carteret 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 Carteret County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Carteret 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 Carteret 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.