Groundwork

Pets · County · South Dakota

Pet businesses in Lake County, SD

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet businesses in Lake County, SD, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 26 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,995 of 2,200 scored counties
#14 of 15 scored counties in South Dakota

Listings
12
0 chain locations (0%)
Official establishments
n/a
Fewer than 3, or not published
Household spending a year
$4M
On pets · $847 a household
Spending per listing
$333K
62% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
25.4
2.4 times the U.S.
Population, 2025
10,993
−0.2% since 2020

See the pet businesses around any address in Lake 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 Lake County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

For pet businesses, Lake County has a Groundwork market score of 26 (lower middle): #1,995 of 2,200 scored counties and #14 of 15 scored counties in South Dakota. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

Households in Lake County spend about $4M a year on pets, or $847 per household, 7% below the U.S. average. That works out to $333K per business, 62% below the U.S. figure of $878K.

There are 12 pet businesses on map listings in Lake County as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 25.4, 2.4 times the U.S. rate of 10.4.

Official counts don’t publish a figure for pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Lake County, since they leave out counts under 3. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Lake County declined 0.2%, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Lake County compares

The same measures for South Dakota 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.

Pet businesses in Lake County, SD compared with South Dakota and the U.S.
MeasureLake CountySouth DakotaU.S.
Listings per 10k households25.412.810.4
Spending per listing$333K$651K$878K
Households per official establishmentn/a1,4061,852
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+19.3%+11.4%
Population growth, 2020–2025−0.2%+5.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on pets$847$835$909
Median household income$76,808$75,081$80,734
Groundwork market score2632

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
n/a
Employees, 2023
n/a
Annual payroll, 2023
n/a
One-person businesses, 2023
9Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
120 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
5The 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 Lake 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 Lake County

Population, 2025 estimate
10,993−0.2% since 2020
Households
4,716
Median age
44.3
Homes lived in by their owners
74%
Vehicles per household
2.3
Land area
563 sq. mi.
People per square mile
19
Median household income
$76,808+24.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$104,754
Median home value
$247,600
Jobs located here
5,183
Daytime population
10,346Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Lake 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 Lake County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Pet businesses across South Dakota

Every South Dakota market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in South Dakota for pet businesses, numbered among those based in South Dakota, with Lake County marked.

Top counties in South Dakota

Counties in South Dakota ranked for pet businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Lincoln County, SD742810.0$990K+17.5%#179 of 2,200
2Minnehaha County, SD73819.6$904K+7.6%#200 of 2,200
3Union County, SD70912.3$770K+3.3%#294 of 2,200
4Pennington County, SD545511.9$702K+6.6%#916 of 2,200
5Yankton County, SD511111.3$706K+1.5%#1,050 of 2,200
6Lawrence County, SD491512.4$644K+14.0%#1,156 of 2,200
7Hughes County, SD43811.0$783K−0.9%#1,379 of 2,200
8Brookings County, SD431913.8$589K+9.6%#1,402 of 2,200
9Beadle County, SD401013.3$576K+2.4%#1,529 of 2,200
10Meade County, SD371815.0$560K+2.7%#1,644 of 2,200
14Lake County, SD261225.4$333K−0.2%#1,995 of 2,200

Other business types in Lake County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many pet businesses are in Lake County, SD?

As of September 2026, map listings count 12 pet businesses in Lake County. None of them are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. No official count is published for pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Lake County: counts under 3 are left out. Official counts list 9 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Lake County, SD spend on pets?

About $4M a year, or $847 per household. That is 7% below the U.S. average (an index of 93, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 12 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $333K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 4,716 households in Lake County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Lake County, SD compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?

Lake County has 25.4 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 2.4 times the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $333K, 62% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Lake County would have about 5, against 12 on map listings.

How fast is Lake County, SD growing?

Population estimates put Lake County at 10,993 people in 2025, down 0.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 4,716 households. Median household income in Lake County is $76,808, 5% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.2%, 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. Lake County scores 26 for pet businesses (lower middle), #1,995 of 2,200 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lake 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 Lake County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Lake 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 Lake 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.