Pets · Metro area · South Carolina
Pet businesses in the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC metro area
How the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC 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 53 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #176 of 387 scored metro areas
#6 of 8 scored metro areas based in South Carolina
- Listings
- 126
- 20 chain locations (16%)
- Official establishments
- 65
- +18.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $94.1M
- On pets · $986 a household
- Spending per listing
- $747K
- 15% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.2
- 27% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 242,966
- +12.0% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal 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 Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 126 pet businesses in the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal metro area. Chain locations make up 16% of them, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 13.2, 27% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
Households in the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal metro area spend about $94.1M a year on pets, or $986 per household, 8% above the U.S. average. That is about $747K of household spending for each business on map listings, 15% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal metro area was 65 in 2023, up 18.5% from 2019. That is one for every 1,468 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Another 159 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $4.5M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal metro area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal metro area grew 12.0%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal metro area scores 53 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for pet businesses, ranking #176 of 387 scored metro areas and #6 of 8 scored metro areas based in South Carolina.
How the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal metro area 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 | Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal metro area | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.2 | 11.2 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $747K | $775K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,468 | 1,891 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +18.5% | +17.3% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +12.0% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $986 | $869 | $909 |
| Median household income | $83,304 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 53 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 65+18.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 668
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $33M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 159Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 12620 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 107The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $4.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal 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 Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 242,966+12.0% since 2020
- Households
- 95,451
- Median age
- 47.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 1,231 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 185
- Median household income
- $83,304+28.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $120,028
- Median home value
- $439,500
- Jobs located here
- 79,620
- Daytime population
- 225,611Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal 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 Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal 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 South Carolina
Every South Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in South Carolina for pet businesses, numbered among those based in South Carolina (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal metro area marked.
Top metro areas in South Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Spartanburg, SC | 69 | 132 | 9.2 | $885K | +14.3% | #57 of 387 |
| Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC | 67 | 207 | 8.9 | $972K | +4.7% | #68 of 387 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 65 | 1,228 | 11.4 | $863K | +10.1% | #84 of 387 |
| 2Columbia, SC | 64 | 342 | 10.1 | $855K | +6.0% | #91 of 387 |
| 3Sumter, SC | 59 | 30 | 7.3 | $1M | −0.3% | #120 of 387 |
| 4Charleston-North Charleston, SC | 55 | 427 | 12.7 | $773K | +10.7% | #159 of 387 |
| 5Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC | 55 | 457 | 11.9 | $737K | +9.0% | #161 of 387 |
| 6Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC | 53 | 126 | 13.2 | $747K | +12.0% | #176 of 387 |
| 7Florence, SC | 52 | 76 | 9.7 | $798K | +0.9% | #180 of 387 |
| 8Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC | 46 | 193 | 12.2 | $680K | +20.9% | #227 of 387 |
Other business types in the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal 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 businesses53
- Veterinarians55
- Pet grooming and boarding59
- Pet stores44
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC metro area?
The Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal metro area has 126 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 20 of them (16%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 65 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 18.5% from 2019. Official counts list 159 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC metro area spend on pets?
About $94.1M a year, or $986 per household. That is 8% above the U.S. average (an index of 108, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 126 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $747K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 95,451 households in the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC metro area compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
The Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal metro area has 13.2 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 27% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $747K, 15% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal metro area would have about 107, against 126 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,468 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 18.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal metro area at 242,966 people in 2025, up 12.0% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 95,451 households. The median household income in the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal metro area is $83,304 a year, 3% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 28.2% 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. The Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal metro area scores 53 for pet businesses (upper middle), #176 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 Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal 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 Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal 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 Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal 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.