Pets · Metro area · North Carolina
Pet businesses in the Winston-Salem, NC metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet businesses in the Winston-Salem, NC metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 58 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #134 of 387 scored metro areas
#10 of 15 scored metro areas based in North Carolina
- Listings
- 289
- 44 chain locations (15%)
- Official establishments
- 146
- +15.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $236.7M
- On pets · $841 a household
- Spending per listing
- $819K
- 7% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.3
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 712,206
- +5.3% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in the Winston-Salem 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 Winston-Salem 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 289 pet businesses in the Winston-Salem metro area. Chain locations make up 15% of them, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 10.3, in line with the U.S. rate of 10.4.
At $841 per household (8% below the U.S. average), households in the Winston-Salem metro area spend about $236.7M a year on pets. That works out to $819K per business, 7% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Winston-Salem metro area was 146 in 2023, up 15.7% from 2019. That is one for every 1,929 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts list 428 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $711K have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Winston-Salem metro area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Winston-Salem metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +5.3%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Winston-Salem metro area scores 58 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for pet businesses, ranking #134 of 387 scored metro areas and #10 of 15 scored metro areas based in North Carolina.
How the Winston-Salem 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 | Winston-Salem metro area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.3 | 11.0 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $819K | $817K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,929 | 1,719 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +15.7% | +15.0% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.3% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $841 | $899 | $909 |
| Median household income | $65,975 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 58 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 146+15.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,392
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $48.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 428Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 28944 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 270The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $711K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Winston-Salem 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 Winston-Salem metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 712,206+5.3% since 2020
- Households
- 281,596
- Median age
- 41.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 2,009 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 343
- Median household income
- $65,975+29.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $90,215
- Median home value
- $233,300
- Jobs located here
- 278,334
- Daytime population
- 663,457Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Winston-Salem 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 Winston-Salem 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 Winston-Salem 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 |
| 10Winston-Salem, NC | 58 | 289 | 10.3 | $819K | +5.3% | #134 of 387 |
Other business types in the Winston-Salem 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 businesses58
- Veterinarians63
- Pet grooming and boarding50
- Pet stores62
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in the Winston-Salem, NC metro area?
There are 289 pet businesses on map listings in the Winston-Salem metro area as of September 2026. 44 of them (15%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 146 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 15.7% from 2019. Official counts also show 428 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Winston-Salem, NC metro area spend on pets?
About $236.7M a year, or $841 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 289 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $819K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 281,596 households in the Winston-Salem metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Winston-Salem, NC metro area compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
The Winston-Salem metro area has 10.3 pet businesses per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $819K, 7% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, the Winston-Salem metro area would have about 270, against 289 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,929 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 15.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is the Winston-Salem, NC metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Winston-Salem metro area at 712,206 people in 2025, up 5.3% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 281,596 households. The median household income in the Winston-Salem metro area is $65,975 a year, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.9% 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. The Winston-Salem metro area scores 58 for pet businesses (upper middle), #134 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 Winston-Salem 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 Winston-Salem metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Winston-Salem 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 Winston-Salem 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.