Pets · County · North Carolina
Pet businesses in Dare County, NC
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet businesses in Dare County, NC, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 55 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #874 of 2,200 scored counties
#49 of 85 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 24
- 1 chain location (4%)
- Official establishments
- 12
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $17.1M
- On pets · $1,013 a household
- Spending per listing
- $711K
- 19% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 14.3
- 38% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 38,245
- +3.3% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Dare 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 Dare 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
Households in Dare County spend about $17.1M a year on pets, or $1,013 per household, 11% above the U.S. average. Spread across 24 pet businesses, that is $711K per business, 19% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
Dare County has 24 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. One of them (4%) is a chain location, against 17% across the U.S. That comes to 14.3 for every 10,000 households, 38% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
In 2023, official counts showed 12 businesses with payroll in Dare County classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores. That is one for every 1,403 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts list 33 one-person businesses without payroll.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Dare County grew 3.3%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). Dare County scores 55 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for pet businesses, ranking #874 of 2,200 scored counties and #49 of 85 scored counties in North Carolina.
How Dare 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 | Dare County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 14.3 | 11.0 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $711K | $817K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,403 | 1,719 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +15.0% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.3% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $1,013 | $899 | $909 |
| Median household income | $88,994 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 55 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 14 → 12
- Employees, 2023
- 116
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $5.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 33Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 241 chain location
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 19The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Dare 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 Dare County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 38,245+3.3% since 2020
- Households
- 16,836
- Median age
- 49.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 383 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 99
- Median household income
- $88,994+49.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $129,955
- Median home value
- $460,400
- Jobs located here
- 17,198
- Daytime population
- 38,549Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Dare 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 Dare 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 Dare 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 |
| 49Dare County, NC | 55 | 24 | 14.3 | $711K | +3.3% | #874 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Dare 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 businesses55
- Veterinarians51
- Pet grooming and boarding65
- Pet stores49
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Dare County, NC?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 24 pet businesses in Dare County. One of them (4%) is a chain location. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 12 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023. Official counts also show 33 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Dare County, NC spend on pets?
About $17.1M a year, or $1,013 per household. That is 11% above the U.S. average (an index of 111, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 24 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $711K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 16,836 households in Dare County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Dare County, NC compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Dare County has 14.3 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 38% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $711K, 19% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Dare County would have about 19, against 24 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,403 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.
How fast is Dare County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Dare County at 38,245 people in 2025, up 3.3% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 16,836 households. Median household income in Dare County is $88,994, 10% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 49.9%, 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. Dare County scores 55 for pet businesses (upper middle), #874 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Dare 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 Dare County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Dare 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 Dare 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.