Pets · Metro area · North Carolina
Pet businesses in the Wilmington, NC metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet businesses in the Wilmington, NC metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 44 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #247 of 387 scored metro areas
#12 of 15 scored metro areas based in North Carolina
- Listings
- 284
- 46 chain locations (16%)
- Official establishments
- 140
- +14.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $183M
- On pets · $918 a household
- Spending per listing
- $644K
- 27% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 14.3
- 38% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 492,772
- +15.9% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in the Wilmington metro 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 Wilmington metro 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
Household spending on pets in the Wilmington metro area comes to about $183M a year: $918 per household, in line with the U.S. average. Spread across 284 pet businesses, that is $644K per business, 27% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
The Wilmington metro area has 284 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 46 are chain locations, or 16%, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 14.3, 38% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Wilmington metro area was 140 in 2023, up 14.1% from 2019. That is one for every 1,423 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts list 383 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 10 SBA-backed loans worth $17.4M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Wilmington metro area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Wilmington metro area grew 15.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For pet businesses, the Wilmington metro area has a Groundwork market score of 44 (lower middle): #247 of 387 scored metro areas and #12 of 15 scored metro areas based in North Carolina.
How the Wilmington metro 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 | Wilmington metro area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 14.3 | 11.0 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $644K | $817K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,423 | 1,719 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +14.1% | +15.0% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +15.9% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $918 | $899 | $909 |
| Median household income | $76,471 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 44 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 140+14.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,703
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $63.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 383Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 28446 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 208The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 10
- Amount
- $17.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Wilmington metro 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 Wilmington metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 492,772+15.9% since 2020
- Households
- 199,271
- Median age
- 45.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,913 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 237
- Median household income
- $76,471
- Average household income
- $104,427
- Median home value
- $362,400
- Jobs located here
- 180,798
- Daytime population
- 448,307Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Wilmington metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 Wilmington metro 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 metro areas in North Carolina for pet businesses, numbered among those based in North Carolina (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Wilmington metro area marked.
Top metro areas in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Goldsboro, NC | 74 | 33 | 6.9 | $1.1M | +3.8% | #35 of 387 |
| 2Rocky Mount, NC | 73 | 36 | 6.2 | $1.3M | +2.8% | #38 of 387 |
| 3Fayetteville, NC | 68 | 106 | 7.1 | $1.1M | +1.6% | #59 of 387 |
| 4Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 68 | 238 | 9.6 | $1M | +7.5% | #61 of 387 |
| 5Burlington, NC | 68 | 60 | 8.6 | $962K | +8.5% | #62 of 387 |
| 6Raleigh-Cary, NC | 67 | 685 | 11.9 | $913K | +12.6% | #70 of 387 |
| 7Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 65 | 1,228 | 11.4 | $863K | +10.1% | #84 of 387 |
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | 63 | 638 | 9.0 | $1.1M | +0.9% | #94 of 387 |
| 8Greenville, NC | 60 | 59 | 7.9 | $989K | +5.4% | #111 of 387 |
| 9Greensboro-High Point, NC | 58 | 320 | 10.1 | $828K | +4.1% | #133 of 387 |
| 12Wilmington, NC | 44 | 284 | 14.3 | $644K | +15.9% | #247 of 387 |
Other business types in the Wilmington metro 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 businesses44
- Veterinarians55
- Pet grooming and boarding42
- Pet stores42
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in the Wilmington, NC metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 284 pet businesses in the Wilmington metro area. 46 of them (16%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 140 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 14.1% from 2019. Official counts also show 383 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Wilmington, NC metro area spend on pets?
About $183M a year, or $918 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 101, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 284 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $644K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 199,271 households in the Wilmington metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Wilmington, NC metro area compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
The Wilmington metro area has 14.3 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 38% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $644K, 27% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, the Wilmington metro area would have about 208, against 284 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,423 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 14.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is the Wilmington, NC metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Wilmington metro area at 492,772 people in 2025, up 15.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 199,271 households. Median household income in the Wilmington metro area is $76,471, 5% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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. The Wilmington metro area scores 44 for pet businesses (lower middle), #247 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Wilmington metro 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 Wilmington metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Wilmington metro 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 Wilmington metro 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.