Pets · County · South Carolina
Pet businesses in Darlington County, SC
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet businesses in Darlington County, SC, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 51 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,060 of 2,200 scored counties
#29 of 41 scored counties in South Carolina
- Listings
- 30
- 2 chain locations (7%)
- Official establishments
- 5
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $18.9M
- On pets · $740 a household
- Spending per listing
- $631K
- 28% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.7
- 13% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 62,888
- +0.1% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Darlington 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 Darlington 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 30 pet businesses in Darlington County. 2 of them (7%) are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. That is 11.7 per 10,000 households, 13% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
Households in Darlington County spend about $18.9M a year on pets, or $740 per household, 19% below the U.S. average. That works out to $631K per business, 28% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
In 2023, official counts showed 5 businesses with payroll in Darlington County classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores. That is one for every 5,112 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts list 31 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates show Darlington County grew 0.1% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For pet businesses, Darlington County has a Groundwork market score of 51 (upper middle): #1,060 of 2,200 scored counties and #29 of 41 scored counties in South Carolina.
How Darlington 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 | Darlington County | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.7 | 11.2 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $631K | $775K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 5,112 | 1,891 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +17.3% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.1% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $740 | $869 | $909 |
| Median household income | $48,581 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 51 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 7 → 5
- Employees, 2023
- 81
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 31Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 302 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 22The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Darlington 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 Darlington County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 62,888+0.1% since 2020
- Households
- 25,561
- Median age
- 40.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 561 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 112
- Median household income
- $48,581+26.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $74,762
- Median home value
- $158,200
- Jobs located here
- 21,095
- Daytime population
- 56,282Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Darlington 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 Darlington 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 Darlington 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 |
| 29Darlington County, SC | 51 | 30 | 11.7 | $631K | +0.1% | #1,060 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Darlington 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 businesses51
- Veterinarians57
- Pet grooming and boarding28
- Pet stores
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Darlington County, SC?
There are 30 pet businesses on map listings in Darlington County as of September 2026. 2 of them (7%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 5 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023. Official counts also show 31 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Darlington County, SC spend on pets?
About $18.9M a year, or $740 per household. That is 19% below the U.S. average (an index of 81, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 30 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $631K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 25,561 households in Darlington County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Darlington County, SC compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Darlington County has 11.7 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 13% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $631K, 28% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Darlington County would have about 22, against 30 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 5,112 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.
How fast is Darlington County, SC growing?
Population estimates put Darlington County at 62,888 people in 2025, up 0.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 25,561 households. The median household income in Darlington County is $48,581 a year, 40% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.4% 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. Darlington County scores 51 for pet businesses (upper middle), #1,060 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Darlington 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 Darlington County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Darlington 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 Darlington 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.