Pets · County · North Carolina
Pet businesses in Wake County, NC
The pet businesses in Wake County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 71 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #253 of 2,200 scored counties
#14 of 85 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 565
- 167 chain locations (30%)
- Official establishments
- 335
- +15.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $520.3M
- On pets · $1,131 a household
- Spending per listing
- $921K
- 5% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.3
- 18% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,257,235
- +11.2% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Wake 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 Wake 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 Wake County spend about $520.3M a year on pets, or $1,131 per household, 24% above the U.S. average. That is about $921K of household spending for each business on map listings, 5% above the U.S. figure of $878K.
Wake County has 565 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 30% of them, against 17% across the U.S. That is 12.3 per 10,000 households, 18% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
In 2023, official counts showed 335 businesses with payroll in Wake County classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores, up 15.5% from 2019. That is one for every 1,374 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Another 1,231 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 23 SBA-backed loans worth $8.7M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Wake County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Wake County grew 11.2%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For pet businesses, Wake County has a Groundwork market score of 71 (upper middle): #253 of 2,200 scored counties and #14 of 85 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Wake 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 | Wake County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 12.3 | 11.0 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $921K | $817K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,374 | 1,719 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +15.5% | +15.0% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +11.2% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $1,131 | $899 | $909 |
| Median household income | $105,768 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 71 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 290 → 335+15.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,642
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $200.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 1,231Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 565167 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 592The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 23
- Amount
- $8.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Wake 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 Wake County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,257,235+11.2% since 2020
- Households
- 460,175
- Median age
- 38.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 835 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,412
- Median household income
- $105,768+31.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $139,587
- Median home value
- $461,300
- Jobs located here
- 687,531
- Daytime population
- 1,293,967Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Wake 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 Wake 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 Wake 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 |
| 14Wake County, NC | 71 | 565 | 12.3 | $921K | +11.2% | #253 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Wake 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 businesses71
- Veterinarians67
- Pet grooming and boarding73
- Pet stores74
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Wake County, NC?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 565 pet businesses in Wake County. 167 of them (30%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 335 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 15.5% from 2019. Official counts list 1,231 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Wake County, NC spend on pets?
About $520.3M a year, or $1,131 per household. That is 24% above the U.S. average (an index of 124, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 565 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $921K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 460,175 households in Wake County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Wake County, NC compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Wake County has 12.3 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 18% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $921K, 5% above the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Wake County would have about 592, against 565 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,374 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 15.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is Wake County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Wake County at 1,257,235 people in 2025, up 11.2% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 460,175 households. Median household income in Wake County is $105,768, 31% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 31.2%, 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. Wake County scores 71 for pet businesses (upper middle), #253 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Wake 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 Wake County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Wake 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 Wake 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.