Pets · County · North Carolina
Pet businesses in Wayne County, NC
How Wayne 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 78 out of 100: High
Ranked #106 of 2,200 scored counties
#2 of 85 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 33
- 6 chain locations (18%)
- Official establishments
- 12
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $37.1M
- On pets · $781 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.1M
- 28% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.9
- 34% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 122,278
- +3.8% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Wayne 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 Wayne 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
Wayne County scores 78 (high) on the Groundwork market score for pet businesses, ranking #106 of 2,200 scored counties and #2 of 85 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for pet businesses.
As of September 2026, map listings count 33 pet businesses in Wayne County. Chain locations make up 18% of them, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 6.9, 34% below the U.S. rate of 10.4.
Household spending on pets in Wayne County comes to about $37.1M a year: $781 per household, 14% below the U.S. average. That works out to $1.1M per business, 28% above the U.S. figure of $878K.
Official counts show 12 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Wayne County in 2023. That is one for every 3,959 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $1.2M has gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Wayne County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Wayne County grew 3.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Wayne 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 | Wayne County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.9 | 11.0 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $1.1M | $817K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 3,959 | 1,719 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +15.0% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.8% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $781 | $899 | $909 |
| Median household income | $59,733 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 78 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 12 → 12
- Employees, 2023
- 146
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $5.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 46Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 336 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 42The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $1.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Wayne 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 Wayne County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 122,278+3.8% since 2020
- Households
- 47,507
- Median age
- 38.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 554 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 214
- Median household income
- $59,733+34.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $79,980
- Median home value
- $178,700
- Jobs located here
- 40,987
- Daytime population
- 111,023Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Wayne 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 Wayne 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 Wayne 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 |
Other business types in Wayne 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 businesses78
- Veterinarians73
- Pet grooming and boarding79
- Pet stores69
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Wayne County, NC?
Wayne County has 33 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 6 of them (18%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 12 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023. Another 46 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Wayne County, NC spend on pets?
About $37.1M a year, or $781 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 33 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $1.1M per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 47,507 households in Wayne County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Wayne County, NC compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Wayne County has 6.9 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 34% below the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $1.1M, 28% above the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Wayne County would have about 42, against 33 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,959 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.
How fast is Wayne County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Wayne County at 122,278 people in 2025, up 3.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 47,507 households. The median household income in Wayne County is $59,733 a year, 26% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 34.5% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Wayne County scores 78 for pet businesses (high), #106 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Wayne 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 Wayne County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Wayne 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 Wayne 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.