Pets · Small-town market · North Carolina
Pet businesses in the Washington, NC area
How the Washington, NC area compares with other small-town markets and the U.S. for pet businesses: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 71 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #48 of 527 scored small-town markets
#4 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina
- Listings
- 12
- 1 chain location (8%)
- Official establishments
- 6
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $15M
- On pets · $776 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.3M
- 43% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.2
- 40% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 44,670
- 0.0% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in the Washington 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 Washington 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
The Washington area scores 71 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for pet businesses, ranking #48 of 527 scored small-town markets and #4 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina. That puts it in the top 10% of small-town markets for pet businesses.
Household spending on pets in the Washington area comes to about $15M a year: $776 per household, 15% below the U.S. average. Spread across 12 pet businesses, that is $1.3M per business, 43% above the U.S. figure of $878K.
There are 12 pet businesses on map listings in the Washington area as of September 2026. One of them (8%) is a chain location, against 17% across the U.S. That comes to 6.2 for every 10,000 households, 40% below the U.S. rate of 10.4.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Washington area was 6 in 2023. That is one for every 3,231 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $534K has gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Washington area. Population estimates show the Washington area held about level from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Washington 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 | Washington area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.2 | 11.0 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $1.3M | $817K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 3,231 | 1,719 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +15.0% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | 0.0% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $776 | $899 | $909 |
| Median household income | $58,357 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 71 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 6
- Employees, 2023
- 87
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 18Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 121 chain location
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 17The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $534K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Washington 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 Washington area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 44,6700.0% since 2020
- Households
- 19,385
- Median age
- 46.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 833 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 53
- Median household income
- $58,357+29.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $78,141
- Median home value
- $192,700
- Jobs located here
- 16,163
- Daytime population
- 41,743Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Washington 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 Washington 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 Washington 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 |
Other business types in the Washington 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 businesses71
- Veterinarians
- Pet grooming and boarding69
- Pet stores
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in the Washington, NC area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 12 pet businesses in the Washington area. One of them (8%) is a chain location. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 6 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023. Another 18 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Washington, NC area spend on pets?
About $15M a year, or $776 per household. That is 15% below the U.S. average (an index of 85, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 12 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $1.3M per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 19,385 households in the Washington area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Washington, NC area compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
The Washington area has 6.2 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 40% below the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $1.3M, 43% above the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, the Washington area would have about 17, against 12 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,231 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.
How fast is the Washington, NC area growing?
Population estimates put the Washington area at 44,670 people in 2025, unchanged since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 19,385 households. Median household income in the Washington area is $58,357, 28% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.1%, 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 Washington area scores 71 for pet businesses (upper middle), #48 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 Washington 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 Washington area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Washington 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 Washington 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.