Pets · County · North Carolina
Pet businesses in Gaston County, NC
How Gaston 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 68 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #366 of 2,200 scored counties
#23 of 85 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 101
- 20 chain locations (20%)
- Official establishments
- 44
- +29.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $79.1M
- On pets · $845 a household
- Spending per listing
- $783K
- 11% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.8
- 4% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 246,558
- +7.8% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Gaston 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 Gaston 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 Gaston County comes to about $79.1M a year: $845 per household, 7% below the U.S. average. That is about $783K of household spending for each business on map listings, 11% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
There are 101 pet businesses on map listings in Gaston County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 20% of them, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 10.8, 4% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
In 2023, official counts showed 44 businesses with payroll in Gaston County classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores, up 29.4% from 2019. That is one for every 2,127 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Another 142 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $3.5M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Gaston County.
Population estimates put the population change in Gaston County from 2020 to 2025 at +7.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for pet businesses in Gaston County is 68 (upper middle), #366 of 2,200 scored counties and #23 of 85 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Gaston 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 | Gaston County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.8 | 11.0 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $783K | $817K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 2,127 | 1,719 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +29.4% | +15.0% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +7.8% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $845 | $899 | $909 |
| Median household income | $67,478 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 68 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 34 → 44+29.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 365
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $13.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 142Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 10120 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 90The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $3.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Gaston 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 Gaston County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 246,558+7.8% since 2020
- Households
- 93,576
- Median age
- 40.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 356 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 660
- Median household income
- $67,478+27.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $91,074
- Median home value
- $266,000
- Jobs located here
- 82,464
- Daytime population
- 195,265Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Gaston 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 Gaston 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 Gaston 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 |
| 23Gaston County, NC | 68 | 101 | 10.8 | $783K | +7.8% | #366 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Gaston 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 businesses68
- Veterinarians71
- Pet grooming and boarding65
- Pet stores65
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Gaston County, NC?
As of September 2026, map listings count 101 pet businesses in Gaston County. 20 of them (20%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 44 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 29.4% from 2019. Official counts list 142 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Gaston County, NC spend on pets?
About $79.1M a year, or $845 per household. That is 7% below the U.S. average (an index of 93, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 101 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $783K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 93,576 households in Gaston County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Gaston County, NC compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Gaston County has 10.8 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 4% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $783K, 11% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Gaston County would have about 90, against 101 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,127 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 29.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is Gaston County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Gaston County at 246,558 people in 2025, up 7.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 93,576 households. Median household income in Gaston County is $67,478, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 27.7%, 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. Gaston County scores 68 for pet businesses (upper middle), #366 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Gaston 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 Gaston County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Gaston 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 Gaston 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.