Pets · Small-town market · South Carolina
Pet businesses in the Murrells Inlet, SC area
The pet businesses in the Murrells Inlet, SC area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 50 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #282 of 527 scored small-town markets
#5 of 6 scored small-town markets based in South Carolina
- Listings
- 46
- 5 chain locations (11%)
- Official establishments
- 15
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $23.8M
- On pets · $876 a household
- Spending per listing
- $517K
- 41% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 17.0
- 63% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 65,912
- +3.8% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in the Murrells Inlet 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 Murrells Inlet 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
At $876 per household (4% below the U.S. average), households in the Murrells Inlet area spend about $23.8M a year on pets. That works out to $517K per business, 41% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
The Murrells Inlet area has 46 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 5 of them (11%) are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. That comes to 17.0 for every 10,000 households, 63% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Murrells Inlet area was 15 in 2023. That is one for every 1,809 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts list 39 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $2.2M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Murrells Inlet area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Murrells Inlet area grew 3.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For pet businesses, the Murrells Inlet area has a Groundwork market score of 50 (upper middle): #282 of 527 scored small-town markets and #5 of 6 scored small-town markets based in South Carolina.
How the Murrells Inlet 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 | Murrells Inlet area | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 17.0 | 11.2 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $517K | $775K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,809 | 1,891 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +17.3% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.8% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $876 | $869 | $909 |
| Median household income | $68,713 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 50 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 15
- Employees, 2023
- 224
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $9.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 39Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 465 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 27The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $2.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Murrells Inlet 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 Murrells Inlet area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 65,912+3.8% since 2020
- Households
- 27,129
- Median age
- 50.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 84%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 814 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 80
- Median household income
- $68,713
- Average household income
- $100,202
- Median home value
- $289,500
- Jobs located here
- 25,133
- Daytime population
- 61,754Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Murrells Inlet area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 Murrells Inlet 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 small-town markets in South Carolina for pet businesses, numbered among those based in South Carolina, with the Murrells Inlet area marked.
Top small-town markets in South Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Seneca, SC | 69 | 33 | 9.6 | $864K | +6.3% | #62 of 527 |
| 2Newberry, SC | 60 | 21 | 13.7 | $559K | +4.8% | #149 of 527 |
| 3Greenwood, SC | 54 | 43 | 11.4 | $656K | +1.7% | #223 of 527 |
| 4Orangeburg, SC | 50 | 31 | 9.4 | $739K | −0.9% | #276 of 527 |
| 5Murrells Inlet, SC | 50 | 46 | 17.0 | $517K | +3.8% | #282 of 527 |
| 6Gaffney, SC | 50 | 32 | 14.5 | $488K | +3.7% | #283 of 527 |
Other business types in the Murrells Inlet 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 businesses50
- Veterinarians71
- Pet grooming and boarding56
- Pet stores80
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in the Murrells Inlet, SC area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 46 pet businesses in the Murrells Inlet area. 5 of them (11%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 15 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023. Official counts also show 39 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Murrells Inlet, SC area spend on pets?
About $23.8M a year, or $876 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 46 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $517K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 27,129 households in the Murrells Inlet area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Murrells Inlet, SC area compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
The Murrells Inlet area has 17.0 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 63% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $517K, 41% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, the Murrells Inlet area would have about 27, against 46 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,809 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.
How fast is the Murrells Inlet, SC area growing?
Population estimates put the Murrells Inlet area at 65,912 people in 2025, up 3.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 27,129 households. Median household income in the Murrells Inlet area is $68,713, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Murrells Inlet area scores 50 for pet businesses (upper middle), #282 of 527 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Murrells Inlet 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 Murrells Inlet area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Murrells Inlet 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 Murrells Inlet 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.