Pets · Small-town market · North Carolina
Pet businesses in the Morehead City, NC area
The pet businesses in the Morehead City, NC area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 51 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #274 of 527 scored small-town markets
#15 of 23 scored small-town markets based 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 the Morehead City area
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 the Morehead City area. 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 the Morehead City area comes to about $28.6M a year: $894 per household, 2% below the U.S. average. Spread across 49 pet businesses, that is $583K per business, 34% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
There are 49 pet businesses on map listings in the Morehead City area as of September 2026. 8 of them (16%) are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. That comes to 15.3 for every 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 the Morehead City area was 25 in 2023. That is one for every 1,279 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts list 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 the Morehead City area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Morehead City area grew 4.1%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Morehead City area scores 51 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for pet businesses, ranking #274 of 527 scored small-town markets and #15 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina.
How the Morehead City area 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 | Morehead City area | 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 | 51 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 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 the Morehead City area, 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 the Morehead City area
- 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 the Morehead City area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Morehead City area. 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 small-town markets in North Carolina for pet businesses, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with the Morehead City area marked.
Top small-town markets in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Anderson Creek, NC | 87 | 44 | 8.8 | $967K | +12.3% | #4 of 527 |
| 2Wilson, NC | 75 | 25 | 7.6 | $1M | +1.7% | #29 of 527 |
| 3Marion, NC | 73 | 16 | 8.6 | $872K | +1.5% | #42 of 527 |
| 4Washington, NC | 71 | 12 | 6.2 | $1.3M | 0.0% | #48 of 527 |
| 5Shelby-Kings Mountain, NC | 71 | 35 | 9.0 | $850K | +3.4% | #50 of 527 |
| 6Lumberton, NC | 70 | 32 | 7.4 | $882K | +3.4% | #57 of 527 |
| 7New Bern, NC | 68 | 48 | 9.2 | $874K | +3.6% | #67 of 527 |
| 8Roanoke Rapids, NC | 63 | 13 | 4.6 | $1.5M | −4.3% | #107 of 527 |
| 9Kill Devil Hills, NC | 61 | 24 | 14.3 | $711K | +3.3% | #138 of 527 |
| 10Sanford, NC | 57 | 33 | 13.1 | $614K | +10.8% | #181 of 527 |
| 15Morehead City, NC | 51 | 49 | 15.3 | $583K | +4.1% | #274 of 527 |
Other business types in the Morehead City area
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 businesses51
- Veterinarians52
- Pet grooming and boarding84
- Pet stores58
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in the Morehead City, NC area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 49 pet businesses in the Morehead City area. 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. Official counts also show 66 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Morehead City, NC area 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 the Morehead City area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Morehead City, NC area compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
The Morehead City area 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, the Morehead City area 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 the Morehead City, NC area growing?
Population estimates put the Morehead City area 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 the Morehead City area 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Morehead City area scores 51 for pet businesses (upper middle), #274 of 527 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Morehead City area. 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 the Morehead City area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Morehead City area?
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 the Morehead City area. 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.