Pets · County · North Dakota
Pet businesses in Ward County, ND
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet businesses in Ward County, ND, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 49 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,130 of 2,200 scored counties
#8 of 11 scored counties in North Dakota
- Listings
- 31
- 2 chain locations (6%)
- Official establishments
- 17
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $24.8M
- On pets · $867 a household
- Spending per listing
- $799K
- 9% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.9
- 5% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 68,233
- −2.4% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Ward 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 Ward 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 31 pet businesses in Ward County. Of those, 2 are chain locations, or 6%, against 17% across the U.S. That comes to 10.9 for every 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
At $867 per household (5% below the U.S. average), households in Ward County spend about $24.8M a year on pets. That is about $799K of household spending for each business on map listings, 9% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Ward County was 17 in 2023. That is one for every 1,680 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Another 31 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $505K has gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Ward County.
Population estimates show Ward County declined 2.4% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for pet businesses in Ward County is 49 (lower middle), #1,130 of 2,200 scored counties and #8 of 11 scored counties in North Dakota.
How Ward 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.
| Measure | Ward County | North Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.9 | 10.7 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $799K | $805K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,680 | 1,850 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +7.8% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.4% | +2.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $867 | $858 | $909 |
| Median household income | $78,238 | $76,657 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 49 | 47 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 16 → 17
- Employees, 2023
- 111
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 31Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 312 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 28The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $505K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Ward 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 Ward County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 68,233−2.4% since 2020
- Households
- 28,568
- Median age
- 35.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 2,013 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 34
- Median household income
- $78,238+13.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $102,307
- Median home value
- $267,100
- Jobs located here
- 30,323
- Daytime population
- 68,012Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Ward 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 Ward 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 Dakota
Every North Dakota market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in North Dakota for pet businesses, numbered among those based in North Dakota, with Ward County marked.
Top counties in North Dakota
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Morton County, ND | 73 | 11 | 7.9 | $1.1M | +3.8% | #192 of 2,200 |
| 2Williams County, ND | 73 | 18 | 11.9 | $793K | +1.4% | #205 of 2,200 |
| 3Cass County, ND | 71 | 78 | 9.3 | $927K | +9.1% | #252 of 2,200 |
| 4Burleigh County, ND | 66 | 44 | 10.7 | $869K | +4.7% | #435 of 2,200 |
| 5Richland County, ND | 62 | 7 | 10.2 | $828K | +1.2% | #580 of 2,200 |
| 6Grand Forks County, ND | 61 | 29 | 9.3 | $868K | +1.9% | #612 of 2,200 |
| 7Stutsman County, ND | 54 | 10 | 10.6 | $727K | −0.6% | #914 of 2,200 |
| 8Ward County, ND | 49 | 31 | 10.9 | $799K | −2.4% | #1,130 of 2,200 |
| 9Stark County, ND | 34 | 25 | 18.5 | $462K | +0.5% | #1,770 of 2,200 |
| 10Barnes County, ND | 27 | 7 | 14.3 | $547K | −2.7% | #1,958 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Ward 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 businesses49
- Veterinarians69
- Pet grooming and boarding29
- Pet stores48
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Ward County, ND?
There are 31 pet businesses on map listings in Ward County as of September 2026. 2 of them (6%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 17 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 Ward County, ND spend on pets?
About $24.8M a year, or $867 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 31 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $799K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 28,568 households in Ward County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Ward County, ND compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Ward County has 10.9 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $799K, 9% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Ward County would have about 28, against 31 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,680 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.
How fast is Ward County, ND growing?
Population estimates put Ward County at 68,233 people in 2025, down 2.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 28,568 households. The median household income in Ward County is $78,238 a year, 3% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 13.6% 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. Ward County scores 49 for pet businesses (lower middle), #1,130 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Ward 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 Ward County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Ward 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 Ward 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.