Pets · County · South Carolina
Pet businesses in Horry County, SC
The pet businesses in Horry County, SC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 58 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #744 of 2,200 scored counties
#20 of 41 scored counties in South Carolina
- Listings
- 193
- 40 chain locations (21%)
- Official establishments
- 93
- +8.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $131.3M
- On pets · $827 a household
- Spending per listing
- $680K
- 23% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.2
- 17% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 427,551
- +20.9% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Horry 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 Horry 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 193 pet businesses in Horry County. 40 of them (21%) are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 12.2, 17% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
Household spending on pets in Horry County comes to about $131.3M a year: $827 per household, 9% below the U.S. average. That works out to $680K per business, 23% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
Official counts show 93 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Horry County in 2023, up 8.1% from 2019. That is one for every 1,707 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts also show 238 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $10.7M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Horry County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Horry County grew 20.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For pet businesses, Horry County has a Groundwork market score of 58 (upper middle): #744 of 2,200 scored counties and #20 of 41 scored counties in South Carolina.
How Horry 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 | Horry County | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 12.2 | 11.2 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $680K | $775K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,707 | 1,891 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +8.1% | +17.3% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +20.9% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $827 | $869 | $909 |
| Median household income | $66,880 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 58 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 86 → 93+8.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 909
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $38.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 238Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 19340 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 150The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $10.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Horry 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 Horry County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 427,551+20.9% since 2020
- Households
- 158,779
- Median age
- 47.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 1,133 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 338
- Median household income
- $66,880+31.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $87,740
- Median home value
- $287,700
- Jobs located here
- 142,324
- Daytime population
- 375,675Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Horry 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 Horry 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 Horry 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 |
| 20Horry County, SC | 58 | 193 | 12.2 | $680K | +20.9% | #744 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Horry 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 businesses58
- Veterinarians78
- Pet grooming and boarding48
- Pet stores51
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Horry County, SC?
Horry County has 193 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 40 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 93 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 8.1% from 2019. Another 238 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Horry County, SC spend on pets?
About $131.3M a year, or $827 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 193 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $680K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 158,779 households in Horry County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Horry County, SC compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Horry County has 12.2 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 17% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $680K, 23% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Horry County would have about 150, against 193 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,707 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is Horry County, SC growing?
Population estimates put Horry County at 427,551 people in 2025, up 20.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 158,779 households. The median household income in Horry County is $66,880 a year, 17% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.9% 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. Horry County scores 58 for pet businesses (upper middle), #744 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Horry 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 Horry County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Horry 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 Horry 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.