Pets · Metro area · Ohio
Pet businesses in the Columbus, OH metro area
The pet businesses in the Columbus, OH metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 63 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #96 of 387 scored metro areas
#1 of 12 scored metro areas based in Ohio
- Listings
- 904
- 184 chain locations (20%)
- Official establishments
- 483
- +10.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $789.4M
- On pets · $913 a household
- Spending per listing
- $873K
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.5
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 2,242,028
- +4.7% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in the Columbus 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 Columbus 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 904 pet businesses in the Columbus metro area. Of those, 184 are chain locations, or 20%, against 17% across the U.S. That is 10.5 per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 10.4.
At $913 per household (in line with the U.S. average), households in the Columbus metro area spend about $789.4M a year on pets. That is about $873K of household spending for each business on map listings, in line with the U.S. figure of $878K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Columbus metro area was 483 in 2023, up 10.8% from 2019. That is one for every 1,790 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Another 1,250 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 69 SBA-backed loans worth $33.6M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Columbus metro area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Columbus metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +4.7%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for pet businesses in the Columbus metro area is 63 (upper middle), #96 of 387 scored metro areas and #1 of 12 scored metro areas based in Ohio. That puts it in the top quarter of metro areas.
How the Columbus metro area compares
The same measures for Ohio 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 | Columbus metro area | Ohio | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.5 | 10.5 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $873K | $791K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,790 | 2,030 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +10.8% | +8.4% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.7% | +0.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $913 | $832 | $909 |
| Median household income | $81,945 | $71,389 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 63 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 483+10.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 6,794
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $316.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 1,250Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 904184 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 899The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 69
- Amount
- $33.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Columbus 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 Columbus metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 2,242,028+4.7% since 2020
- Households
- 864,663
- Median age
- 38.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 4,798 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 454
- Median household income
- $81,945+25.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $110,942
- Median home value
- $300,800
- Jobs located here
- 1,129,650
- Daytime population
- 2,268,069Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Columbus 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 Columbus 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 Ohio
Every Ohio market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Ohio for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Ohio (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Columbus metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Ohio
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Columbus, OH | 63 | 904 | 10.5 | $873K | +4.7% | #96 of 387 |
| 2Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH | 59 | 334 | 9.7 | $853K | +1.5% | #125 of 387 |
| 3Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 59 | 992 | 10.9 | $834K | +2.7% | #126 of 387 |
| 4Cleveland, OH | 54 | 856 | 9.2 | $913K | −0.8% | #164 of 387 |
| Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH | 48 | 43 | 8.7 | $850K | −3.6% | #208 of 387 |
| 5Mansfield, OH | 48 | 45 | 9.0 | $800K | −0.1% | #210 of 387 |
| Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH | 47 | 143 | 9.4 | $832K | −2.6% | #217 of 387 |
| 6Toledo, OH | 45 | 247 | 9.7 | $816K | −1.0% | #233 of 387 |
| 7Youngstown-Warren, OH | 43 | 165 | 8.9 | $806K | −1.4% | #251 of 387 |
| 8Akron, OH | 43 | 317 | 10.7 | $784K | 0.0% | #253 of 387 |
Other business types in the Columbus 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 businesses63
- Veterinarians57
- Pet grooming and boarding64
- Pet stores64
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in the Columbus, OH metro area?
The Columbus metro area has 904 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 184 of them (20%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 483 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 10.8% from 2019. Official counts list 1,250 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Columbus, OH metro area spend on pets?
About $789.4M a year, or $913 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 100, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 904 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $873K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 864,663 households in the Columbus metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Columbus, OH metro area compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
The Columbus metro area has 10.5 pet businesses per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $873K, in line with the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, the Columbus metro area would have about 899, against 904 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,790 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 10.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is the Columbus, OH metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Columbus metro area at 2,242,028 people in 2025, up 4.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 864,663 households. The median household income in the Columbus metro area is $81,945 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 25.8% 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 Columbus metro area scores 63 for pet businesses (upper middle), #96 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 Columbus 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 Columbus metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Columbus 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 Columbus 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.