Pets · Metro area · Pennsylvania
Pet businesses in the Pittsburgh, PA metro area
How the Pittsburgh, PA metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for pet businesses: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 23 out of 100: Low
Ranked #363 of 387 scored metro areas
#12 of 16 scored metro areas based in Pennsylvania
- Listings
- 1,125
- 218 chain locations (19%)
- Official establishments
- 540
- +11.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $674.1M
- On pets · $635 a household
- Spending per listing
- $599K
- 32% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.6
- 2% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 2,421,992
- −1.3% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in the Pittsburgh 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 Pittsburgh 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
The Pittsburgh metro area scores 23 (low) on the Groundwork market score for pet businesses, ranking #363 of 387 scored metro areas and #12 of 16 scored metro areas based in Pennsylvania. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
As of September 2026, map listings count 1,125 pet businesses in the Pittsburgh metro area. 218 of them (19%) are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. That is 10.6 per 10,000 households, 2% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
Households in the Pittsburgh metro area spend about $674.1M a year on pets, or $635 per household, 30% below the U.S. average. That is about $599K of household spending for each business on map listings, 32% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Pittsburgh metro area was 540 in 2023, up 11.9% from 2019. That is one for every 1,966 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 46 SBA-backed loans worth $28.9M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Pittsburgh metro area. Population estimates show the Pittsburgh metro area declined 1.3% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Pittsburgh metro area 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 | Pittsburgh metro area | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.6 | 10.5 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $599K | $616K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,966 | 1,997 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +11.9% | +6.9% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.3% | +0.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $635 | $647 | $909 |
| Median household income | $75,762 | $77,971 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 23 | 24 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 540+11.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 6,090
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $254.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 1,226Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,125218 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 768The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 46
- Amount
- $28.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Pittsburgh 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 Pittsburgh metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 2,421,992−1.3% since 2020
- Households
- 1,061,705
- Median age
- 43.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 5,640 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 433
- Median household income
- $75,762
- Average household income
- $103,604
- Median home value
- $215,000
- Jobs located here
- 1,169,523
- Daytime population
- 2,467,515Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Pittsburgh 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 Pittsburgh 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 Pennsylvania
Every Pennsylvania market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Pennsylvania for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Pennsylvania, with the Pittsburgh metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Pennsylvania
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 48 | 2,176 | 8.8 | $851K | +1.4% | #207 of 387 |
| 2Gettysburg, PA | 37 | 41 | 10.0 | $647K | +3.6% | #294 of 387 |
| 3Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ | 35 | 368 | 10.8 | $620K | +3.0% | #305 of 387 |
| 4Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA | 34 | 263 | 10.7 | $607K | +4.2% | #314 of 387 |
| 5Johnstown, PA | 33 | 45 | 8.0 | $658K | −3.2% | #321 of 387 |
| 6Reading, PA | 31 | 192 | 11.8 | $545K | +2.7% | #330 of 387 |
| 7Lebanon, PA | 31 | 82 | 14.5 | $432K | +2.2% | #331 of 387 |
| 8Williamsport, PA | 30 | 46 | 9.8 | $568K | −1.3% | #337 of 387 |
| 9Chambersburg, PA | 29 | 74 | 11.7 | $531K | +3.0% | #345 of 387 |
| 10York-Hanover, PA | 25 | 238 | 13.1 | $500K | +3.6% | #359 of 387 |
| 12Pittsburgh, PA | 23 | 1,125 | 10.6 | $599K | −1.3% | #363 of 387 |
Other business types in the Pittsburgh 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 businesses23
- Veterinarians29
- Pet grooming and boarding17
- Pet stores22
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in the Pittsburgh, PA metro area?
The Pittsburgh metro area has 1,125 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 218 of them (19%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 540 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 11.9% from 2019. Another 1,226 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Pittsburgh, PA metro area spend on pets?
About $674.1M a year, or $635 per household. That is 30% below the U.S. average (an index of 70, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,125 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $599K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 1,061,705 households in the Pittsburgh metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Pittsburgh, PA metro area compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
The Pittsburgh metro area has 10.6 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 2% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $599K, 32% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, the Pittsburgh metro area would have about 768, against 1,125 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,966 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 11.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is the Pittsburgh, PA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Pittsburgh metro area at 2,421,992 people in 2025, down 1.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 1,061,705 households. The median household income in the Pittsburgh metro area is $75,762 a year, 6% below 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 Pittsburgh metro area scores 23 for pet businesses (low), #363 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 Pittsburgh 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 Pittsburgh metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Pittsburgh 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 Pittsburgh 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.