Pets · County · Rhode Island
Pet businesses in Washington County, RI
How Washington County, RI 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 22 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,075 of 2,200 scored counties
#5 of 5 scored counties in Rhode Island
- Listings
- 90
- 13 chain locations (14%)
- Official establishments
- 47
- −2.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $41M
- On pets · $779 a household
- Spending per listing
- $455K
- 48% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 17.1
- 64% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 129,795
- 0.0% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Washington 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 Washington 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
Washington County scores 22 (low) on the Groundwork market score for pet businesses, ranking #2,075 of 2,200 scored counties and #5 of 5 scored counties in Rhode Island. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 90 pet businesses in Washington County. Of those, 13 are chain locations, or 14%, against 17% across the U.S. That is 17.1 per 10,000 households, 64% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
At $779 per household (14% below the U.S. average), households in Washington County spend about $41M a year on pets. That is about $455K of household spending for each business on map listings, 48% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
In 2023, official counts showed 47 businesses with payroll in Washington County classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores, down 2.1% from 2019. That is one for every 1,118 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $1.4M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Washington County. Population estimates put the population change in Washington County from 2020 to 2025 at 0.0%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Washington County compares
The same measures for Rhode Island 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 | Washington County | Rhode Island | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 17.1 | 11.0 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $455K | $623K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,118 | 1,666 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −2.1% | +12.3% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | 0.0% | +1.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $779 | $687 | $909 |
| Median household income | $106,638 | $87,796 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 22 | 20 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 48 → 47−2.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 319
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $12.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 95Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 9013 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 47The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $1.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Washington 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 Washington County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 129,7950.0% since 2020
- Households
- 52,549
- Median age
- 45.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 329 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 396
- Median household income
- $106,638+24.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $136,741
- Median home value
- $510,800
- Jobs located here
- 55,609
- Daytime population
- 127,343Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Washington 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 Washington 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 Rhode Island
Every Rhode Island market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Rhode Island for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Rhode Island, with Washington County marked.
Top counties in Rhode Island
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Providence County, RI | 50 | 222 | 8.6 | $749K | +2.8% | #1,092 of 2,200 |
| 2Newport County, RI | 37 | 39 | 10.6 | $720K | −2.9% | #1,628 of 2,200 |
| 3Bristol County, RI | 26 | 28 | 13.9 | $579K | −1.5% | #1,979 of 2,200 |
| 4Kent County, RI | 22 | 108 | 14.8 | $479K | +1.8% | #2,073 of 2,200 |
| 5Washington County, RI | 22 | 90 | 17.1 | $455K | 0.0% | #2,075 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Washington 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 businesses22
- Veterinarians36
- Pet grooming and boarding17
- Pet stores16
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Washington County, RI?
Washington County has 90 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 13 of them (14%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 47 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, down 2.1% from 2019. Another 95 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Washington County, RI spend on pets?
About $41M a year, or $779 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 90 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $455K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 52,549 households in Washington County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Washington County, RI compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Washington County has 17.1 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 64% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $455K, 48% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Washington County would have about 47, against 90 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,118 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is Washington County, RI growing?
Population estimates put Washington County at 129,795 people in 2025, unchanged since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 52,549 households. The median household income in Washington County is $106,638 a year, 32% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 24.7% 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. Washington County scores 22 for pet businesses (low), #2,075 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Washington 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 Washington County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Washington 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 Washington 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.