Groundwork

Pets · County · North Dakota

Pet businesses in Mercer County, ND

How Mercer County, ND compares with other counties and the U.S. for pet businesses: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.

Groundwork market score

Not scored

Counties under 10,000 people aren’t scored, since a few businesses can swing their figures.

Listings
4
0 chain locations (0%)
Official establishments
n/a
Fewer than 3, or not published
Household spending a year
$3.1M
On pets · $870 a household
Spending per listing
$782K
11% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
11.1
7% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
8,441
+1.1% since 2020

See the pet businesses around any address in Mercer 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 Mercer County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey 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 4 pet businesses in Mercer County. Per 10,000 households, that is 11.1, 7% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.

At $870 per household (4% below the U.S. average), households in Mercer County spend about $3.1M a year on pets. That is about $782K of household spending for each business on map listings, 11% below the U.S. figure of $878K.

There is no official count of businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Mercer County: counts under 3 aren’t published. Official counts list 5 one-person businesses without payroll.

Population estimates show Mercer County grew 1.1% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Counties under 10,000 people aren’t given a market score, since a few businesses can swing their figures.

How Mercer County compares

The same measures for North Dakota 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.

Pet businesses in Mercer County, ND compared with North Dakota and the U.S.
MeasureMercer CountyNorth DakotaU.S.
Listings per 10k households11.110.710.4
Spending per listing$782K$805K$878K
Households per official establishmentn/a1,8501,852
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+7.8%+11.4%
Population growth, 2020–2025+1.1%+2.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on pets$870$858$909
Median household income$80,946$76,657$80,734
Groundwork market scoreNot scored47

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
n/a
Employees, 2023
n/a
Annual payroll, 2023
n/a
One-person businesses, 2023
5Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
40 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
4The 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 Mercer 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 Mercer County

Population, 2025 estimate
8,441+1.1% since 2020
Households
3,594
Median age
44.3
Homes lived in by their owners
81%
Vehicles per household
2.5
Land area
1,043 sq. mi.
People per square mile
8
Median household income
$80,946
Average household income
$96,779
Median home value
$198,500
Jobs located here
3,815
Daytime population
8,416Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Mercer 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 Mercer County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Pet businesses across North Dakota

Every North Dakota market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in North Dakota for pet businesses, numbered among those based in North Dakota, with Mercer County marked.

Top counties in North Dakota

Counties in North Dakota ranked for pet businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Morton County, ND73117.9$1.1M+3.8%#192 of 2,200
2Williams County, ND731811.9$793K+1.4%#205 of 2,200
3Cass County, ND71789.3$927K+9.1%#252 of 2,200
4Burleigh County, ND664410.7$869K+4.7%#435 of 2,200
5Richland County, ND62710.2$828K+1.2%#580 of 2,200
6Grand Forks County, ND61299.3$868K+1.9%#612 of 2,200
7Stutsman County, ND541010.6$727K−0.6%#914 of 2,200
8Ward County, ND493110.9$799K−2.4%#1,130 of 2,200
9Stark County, ND342518.5$462K+0.5%#1,770 of 2,200
10Barnes County, ND27714.3$547K−2.7%#1,958 of 2,200
Mercer County, NDNot scored411.1$782K+1.1%

Other business types in Mercer County

None has a Groundwork market score here. Counties under 10,000 people aren’t scored, since a few businesses can swing their figures.

Questions

How many pet businesses are in Mercer County, ND?

There are 4 pet businesses on map listings in Mercer County as of September 2026. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. No official count is published for pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Mercer County: counts under 3 are left out. Official counts also show 5 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Mercer County, ND spend on pets?

About $3.1M a year, or $870 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 4 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $782K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 3,594 households in Mercer County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Mercer County, ND compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?

Mercer County has 11.1 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 7% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $782K, 11% below the U.S. figure of $878K. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending.

How fast is Mercer County, ND growing?

Population estimates put Mercer County at 8,441 people in 2025, up 1.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 3,594 households. The median household income in Mercer County is $80,946 a year, in line with 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 score leaves out counties under 10,000 people, where a handful of businesses would swing it.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Mercer 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 Mercer County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Mercer 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 Mercer 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.