Pets · County · North Carolina
Pet businesses in Wilkes County, NC
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet businesses in Wilkes County, NC, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 45 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,331 of 2,200 scored counties
#66 of 85 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 29
- 3 chain locations (10%)
- Official establishments
- 10
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $18.8M
- On pets · $695 a household
- Spending per listing
- $649K
- 26% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.7
- 3% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 66,233
- +0.6% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Wilkes 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 Wilkes 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 29 pet businesses in Wilkes County. Chain locations make up 10% of them, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 10.7, 3% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
Households in Wilkes County spend about $18.8M a year on pets, or $695 per household, 24% below the U.S. average. Spread across 29 pet businesses, that is $649K per business, 26% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
In 2023, official counts showed 10 businesses with payroll in Wilkes County classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores. That is one for every 2,711 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Another 31 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Population estimates put the population change in Wilkes County from 2020 to 2025 at +0.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For pet businesses, Wilkes County has a Groundwork market score of 45 (lower middle): #1,331 of 2,200 scored counties and #66 of 85 scored counties in North Carolina.
How Wilkes 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 | Wilkes County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.7 | 11.0 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $649K | $817K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 2,711 | 1,719 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +15.0% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.6% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $695 | $899 | $909 |
| Median household income | $51,721 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 45 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 5 → 10
- Employees, 2023
- 60
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 31Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 293 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 21The 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 Wilkes 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 Wilkes County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 66,233+0.6% since 2020
- Households
- 27,107
- Median age
- 45.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 754 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 87
- Median household income
- $51,721+17.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $66,361
- Median home value
- $168,800
- Jobs located here
- 19,607
- Daytime population
- 59,600Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Wilkes 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 Wilkes 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 Wilkes 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 |
| 66Wilkes County, NC | 45 | 29 | 10.7 | $649K | +0.6% | #1,331 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Wilkes 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 businesses45
- Veterinarians
- Pet grooming and boarding39
- Pet stores26
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Wilkes County, NC?
There are 29 pet businesses on map listings in Wilkes County as of September 2026. 3 of them (10%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 10 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023. Official counts list 31 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Wilkes County, NC spend on pets?
About $18.8M a year, or $695 per household. That is 24% below the U.S. average (an index of 76, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 29 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $649K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 27,107 households in Wilkes County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Wilkes County, NC compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Wilkes County has 10.7 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 3% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $649K, 26% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Wilkes County would have about 21, against 29 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,711 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.
How fast is Wilkes County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Wilkes County at 66,233 people in 2025, up 0.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 27,107 households. The median household income in Wilkes County is $51,721 a year, 36% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 17.3% 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. Wilkes County scores 45 for pet businesses (lower middle), #1,331 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Wilkes 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 Wilkes County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Wilkes 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 Wilkes 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.