Pets · County · North Carolina
Pet businesses in Cherokee County, NC
How Cherokee 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 28 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,936 of 2,200 scored counties
#83 of 85 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 21
- 4 chain locations (19%)
- Official establishments
- 11
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $9.5M
- On pets · $719 a household
- Spending per listing
- $453K
- 48% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 15.9
- 53% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 30,830
- +6.8% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Cherokee 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 Cherokee 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 Cherokee County is 28 (lower middle), #1,936 of 2,200 scored counties and #83 of 85 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Households in Cherokee County spend about $9.5M a year on pets, or $719 per household, 21% below the U.S. average. That works out to $453K per business, 48% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
There are 21 pet businesses on map listings in Cherokee County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 19% of them, against 17% across the U.S. That is 15.9 per 10,000 households, 53% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
In 2023, official counts showed 11 businesses with payroll in Cherokee County classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores. That is one for every 1,204 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $836K have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Cherokee County. Population estimates show Cherokee County grew 6.8% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Cherokee 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 | Cherokee County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 15.9 | 11.0 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $453K | $817K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,204 | 1,719 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +15.0% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.8% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $719 | $899 | $909 |
| Median household income | $53,628 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 28 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 9 → 11
- Employees, 2023
- 80
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 8Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 214 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 11The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $836K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Cherokee 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 Cherokee County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 30,830+6.8% since 2020
- Households
- 13,241
- Median age
- 53.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 84%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 456 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 65
- Median household income
- $53,628+29.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $68,893
- Median home value
- $232,300
- Jobs located here
- 7,860
- Daytime population
- 26,424Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Cherokee 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 Cherokee 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 Cherokee 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 |
| 83Cherokee County, NC | 28 | 21 | 15.9 | $453K | +6.8% | #1,936 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Cherokee 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 businesses28
- Veterinarians29
- Pet grooming and boarding28
- Pet stores
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Cherokee County, NC?
As of September 2026, map listings count 21 pet businesses in Cherokee County. 4 of them (19%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 11 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023. Official counts also show 8 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Cherokee County, NC spend on pets?
About $9.5M a year, or $719 per household. That is 21% below the U.S. average (an index of 79, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 21 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $453K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 13,241 households in Cherokee County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Cherokee County, NC compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Cherokee County has 15.9 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 53% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $453K, 48% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Cherokee County would have about 11, against 21 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,204 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.
How fast is Cherokee County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Cherokee County at 30,830 people in 2025, up 6.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 13,241 households. Median household income in Cherokee County is $53,628, 34% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.4%, 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. Cherokee County scores 28 for pet businesses (lower middle), #1,936 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Cherokee 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 Cherokee County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Cherokee 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 Cherokee 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.