Pets · County · Pennsylvania
Pet businesses in Dauphin County, PA
How Dauphin County, PA compares with other counties and the U.S. for pet businesses: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 48 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,194 of 2,200 scored counties
#6 of 63 scored counties in Pennsylvania
- Listings
- 107
- 16 chain locations (15%)
- Official establishments
- 50
- +8.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $75.8M
- On pets · $624 a household
- Spending per listing
- $708K
- 19% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.8
- 15% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 293,351
- +2.3% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Dauphin 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 Dauphin 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 107 pet businesses in Dauphin County. Chain locations make up 15% of them, against 17% across the U.S. That comes to 8.8 for every 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 10.4.
At $624 per household (31% below the U.S. average), households in Dauphin County spend about $75.8M a year on pets. That works out to $708K per business, 19% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
In 2023, official counts showed 50 businesses with payroll in Dauphin County classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores, up 8.7% from 2019. That is one for every 2,427 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts also show 144 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $2.3M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Dauphin County.
Population estimates show Dauphin County grew 2.3% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For pet businesses, Dauphin County has a Groundwork market score of 48 (lower middle): #1,194 of 2,200 scored counties and #6 of 63 scored counties in Pennsylvania.
How Dauphin County compares
The same measures for Pennsylvania 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 | Dauphin County | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.8 | 10.5 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $708K | $616K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 2,427 | 1,997 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +8.7% | +6.9% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.3% | +0.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $624 | $647 | $909 |
| Median household income | $76,242 | $77,971 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 48 | 24 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 46 → 50+8.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 502
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $21M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 144Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 10716 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 86The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $2.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Dauphin 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 Dauphin County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 293,351+2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 121,358
- Median age
- 39.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 63%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 525 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 552
- Median household income
- $76,242+25.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $101,388
- Median home value
- $236,400
- Jobs located here
- 201,933
- Daytime population
- 355,122Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Dauphin 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 Dauphin 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 Pennsylvania
Every Pennsylvania market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Pennsylvania for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Pennsylvania, with Dauphin County marked.
Top counties in Pennsylvania
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Pike County, PA | 63 | 22 | 9.1 | $715K | +7.2% | #560 of 2,200 |
| 2Philadelphia County, PA | 61 | 277 | 4.1 | $1.4M | −1.6% | #605 of 2,200 |
| 3Delaware County, PA | 54 | 181 | 8.3 | $859K | +0.8% | #893 of 2,200 |
| 4Northampton County, PA | 51 | 121 | 9.9 | $697K | +3.7% | #1,051 of 2,200 |
| 5Montgomery County, PA | 48 | 372 | 11.1 | $735K | +2.4% | #1,190 of 2,200 |
| 6Dauphin County, PA | 48 | 107 | 8.8 | $708K | +2.3% | #1,194 of 2,200 |
| 7Lehigh County, PA | 45 | 137 | 9.5 | $697K | +2.7% | #1,326 of 2,200 |
| 8Adams County, PA | 44 | 41 | 10.0 | $647K | +3.6% | #1,361 of 2,200 |
| 9Bucks County, PA | 41 | 302 | 12.1 | $672K | +0.3% | #1,468 of 2,200 |
| 10Cambria County, PA | 41 | 45 | 8.0 | $658K | −3.2% | #1,472 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Dauphin 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 businesses48
- Veterinarians64
- Pet grooming and boarding37
- Pet stores54
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Dauphin County, PA?
Dauphin County has 107 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 16 of them (15%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 50 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 8.7% from 2019. Another 144 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Dauphin County, PA spend on pets?
About $75.8M a year, or $624 per household. That is 31% below the U.S. average (an index of 69, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 107 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $708K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 121,358 households in Dauphin County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Dauphin County, PA compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Dauphin County has 8.8 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $708K, 19% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Dauphin County would have about 86, against 107 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,427 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is Dauphin County, PA growing?
Population estimates put Dauphin County at 293,351 people in 2025, up 2.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 121,358 households. The median household income in Dauphin County is $76,242 a year, 6% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 25.6% 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. Dauphin County scores 48 for pet businesses (lower middle), #1,194 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Dauphin 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 Dauphin County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Dauphin 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 Dauphin 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.