Groundwork

Pets · County · North Carolina

Pet businesses in Sampson County, NC

The pet businesses in Sampson County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 60 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #656 of 2,200 scored counties
#39 of 85 scored counties in North Carolina

Listings
18
2 chain locations (11%)
Official establishments
n/a
Fewer than 3, or not published
Household spending a year
$15.5M
On pets · $719 a household
Spending per listing
$864K
2% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
8.3
20% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
61,504
+4.1% since 2020

See the pet businesses around any address in Sampson 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 Sampson County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey 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 Sampson County comes to about $15.5M a year: $719 per household, 21% below the U.S. average. That is about $864K of household spending for each business on map listings, 2% below the U.S. figure of $878K.

There are 18 pet businesses on map listings in Sampson County as of September 2026. 2 of them (11%) are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 8.3, 20% below the U.S. rate of 10.4.

Official counts don’t publish a figure for pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Sampson County, since they leave out counts under 3. Official counts list 30 one-person businesses without payroll.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Sampson County grew 4.1%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Sampson County scores 60 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for pet businesses, ranking #656 of 2,200 scored counties and #39 of 85 scored counties in North Carolina.

How Sampson 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.

Pet businesses in Sampson County, NC compared with North Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureSampson CountyNorth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households8.311.010.4
Spending per listing$864K$817K$878K
Households per official establishmentn/a1,7191,852
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+15.0%+11.4%
Population growth, 2020–2025+4.1%+7.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on pets$719$899$909
Median household income$52,432$72,388$80,734
Groundwork market score6059

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
n/a
Employees, 2023
n/a
Annual payroll, 2023
n/a
One-person businesses, 2023
30Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
182 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
18The 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 Sampson 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 Sampson County

Population, 2025 estimate
61,504+4.1% since 2020
Households
21,607
Median age
39.9
Homes lived in by their owners
74%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
946 sq. mi.
People per square mile
63
Median household income
$52,432+24.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$70,124
Median home value
$150,700
Jobs located here
18,057
Daytime population
51,988Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Sampson 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 Sampson County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Pet 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 Sampson County marked.

Top counties in North Carolina

Counties in North Carolina ranked for pet businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Harnett County, NC84448.8$967K+12.3%#40 of 2,200
2Wayne County, NC78336.9$1.1M+3.8%#106 of 2,200
3Franklin County, NC78279.5$916K+18.8%#111 of 2,200
4Currituck County, NC781815.2$681K+16.7%#113 of 2,200
5Durham County, NC771138.0$1.2M+7.7%#116 of 2,200
6Duplin County, NC77146.7$1.1M+6.0%#118 of 2,200
7Hoke County, NC772010.4$787K+9.0%#129 of 2,200
8Nash County, NC75297.5$1.1M+3.9%#158 of 2,200
9Johnston County, NC759310.9$867K+17.9%#166 of 2,200
10Mecklenburg County, NC7448910.5$977K+10.5%#180 of 2,200
39Sampson County, NC60188.3$864K+4.1%#656 of 2,200

Other business types in Sampson County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many pet businesses are in Sampson County, NC?

As of September 2026, map listings count 18 pet businesses in Sampson County. 2 of them (11%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. No official count is published for pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Sampson County: counts under 3 are left out. Official counts also show 30 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Sampson County, NC spend on pets?

About $15.5M 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 18 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $864K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 21,607 households in Sampson County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Sampson County, NC compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?

Sampson County has 8.3 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 20% below the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $864K, 2% below the U.S. figure of $878K. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending.

How fast is Sampson County, NC growing?

Population estimates put Sampson County at 61,504 people in 2025, up 4.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 21,607 households. Median household income in Sampson County is $52,432, 35% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.4%, 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. Sampson County scores 60 for pet businesses (upper middle), #656 of 2,200 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Sampson 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 Sampson County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Sampson 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 Sampson 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.