Pets · County · South Carolina
Pet businesses in Charleston County, SC
How Charleston County, SC 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 57 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #783 of 2,200 scored counties
#21 of 41 scored counties in South Carolina
- Listings
- 256
- 64 chain locations (25%)
- Official establishments
- 153
- +25.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $183.6M
- On pets · $1,026 a household
- Spending per listing
- $717K
- 18% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 14.3
- 38% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 436,200
- +6.4% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Charleston 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 Charleston 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 256 pet businesses in Charleston County. 64 of them (25%) are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. That comes to 14.3 for every 10,000 households, 38% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
At $1,026 per household (13% above the U.S. average), households in Charleston County spend about $183.6M a year on pets. That works out to $717K per business, 18% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Charleston County was 153 in 2023, up 25.4% from 2019. That is one for every 1,170 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts also show 399 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 9 SBA-backed loans worth $5.9M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Charleston County.
Population estimates show Charleston County grew 6.4% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for pet businesses in Charleston County is 57 (upper middle), #783 of 2,200 scored counties and #21 of 41 scored counties in South Carolina.
How Charleston County compares
The same measures for South Carolina 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 | Charleston County | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 14.3 | 11.2 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $717K | $775K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,170 | 1,891 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +25.4% | +17.3% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.4% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $1,026 | $869 | $909 |
| Median household income | $88,494 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 57 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 122 → 153+25.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,618
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $68.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 399Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 25664 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 209The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 9
- Amount
- $5.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Charleston 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 Charleston County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 436,200+6.4% since 2020
- Households
- 178,975
- Median age
- 40.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 918 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 458
- Median household income
- $88,494+38.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $131,674
- Median home value
- $489,100
- Jobs located here
- 279,531
- Daytime population
- 508,326Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Charleston 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 Charleston 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 South Carolina
Every South Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in South Carolina for pet businesses, numbered among those based in South Carolina, with Charleston County marked.
Top counties in South Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Berkeley County, SC | 79 | 95 | 10.1 | $924K | +18.7% | #92 of 2,200 |
| 2York County, SC | 76 | 122 | 10.7 | $946K | +8.1% | #144 of 2,200 |
| 3Edgefield County, SC | 73 | 7 | 7.2 | $1.2M | +16.1% | #188 of 2,200 |
| 4Richland County, SC | 73 | 147 | 8.8 | $973K | +4.6% | #196 of 2,200 |
| 5Lancaster County, SC | 72 | 52 | 13.0 | $727K | +18.3% | #235 of 2,200 |
| 6Laurens County, SC | 71 | 21 | 7.8 | $952K | +6.2% | #248 of 2,200 |
| 7Spartanburg County, SC | 71 | 127 | 9.6 | $858K | +15.6% | #255 of 2,200 |
| 8Dorchester County, SC | 71 | 76 | 12.0 | $773K | +10.1% | #264 of 2,200 |
| 9Greenville County, SC | 67 | 265 | 12.0 | $775K | +10.6% | #402 of 2,200 |
| 10Chesterfield County, SC | 66 | 10 | 5.7 | $1.2M | +3.4% | #417 of 2,200 |
| 21Charleston County, SC | 57 | 256 | 14.3 | $717K | +6.4% | #783 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Charleston 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 businesses57
- Veterinarians50
- Pet grooming and boarding58
- Pet stores63
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Charleston County, SC?
Charleston County has 256 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 64 of them (25%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 153 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 25.4% from 2019. Another 399 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Charleston County, SC spend on pets?
About $183.6M a year, or $1,026 per household. That is 13% above the U.S. average (an index of 113, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 256 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $717K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 178,975 households in Charleston County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Charleston County, SC compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Charleston County has 14.3 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 38% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $717K, 18% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Charleston County would have about 209, against 256 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,170 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 25.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is Charleston County, SC growing?
Population estimates put Charleston County at 436,200 people in 2025, up 6.4% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 178,975 households. The median household income in Charleston County is $88,494 a year, 10% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 38.2% 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. Charleston County scores 57 for pet businesses (upper middle), #783 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Charleston 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 Charleston County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Charleston 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 Charleston 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.