Pets · County · South Dakota
Pet businesses in Pennington County, SD
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet businesses in Pennington County, SD, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 54 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #916 of 2,200 scored counties
#4 of 15 scored counties in South Dakota
- Listings
- 55
- 7 chain locations (13%)
- Official establishments
- 30
- +15.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $38.6M
- On pets · $833 a household
- Spending per listing
- $702K
- 20% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.9
- 14% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 116,792
- +6.6% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Pennington 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 Pennington 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
Households in Pennington County spend about $38.6M a year on pets, or $833 per household, 8% below the U.S. average. That is about $702K of household spending for each business on map listings, 20% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
Pennington County has 55 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 7 are chain locations, or 13%, against 17% across the U.S. That comes to 11.9 for every 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
In 2023, official counts showed 30 businesses with payroll in Pennington County classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores, up 15.4% from 2019. That is one for every 1,546 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts also show 71 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $1.6M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Pennington County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Pennington County grew 6.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Pennington County scores 54 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for pet businesses, ranking #916 of 2,200 scored counties and #4 of 15 scored counties in South Dakota.
How Pennington 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.
| Measure | Pennington County | South Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.9 | 12.8 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $702K | $651K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,546 | 1,406 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +15.4% | +19.3% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.6% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $833 | $835 | $909 |
| Median household income | $74,517 | $75,081 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 54 | 32 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 26 → 30+15.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 256
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $10.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 71Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 557 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 44The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $1.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Pennington 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 Pennington County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 116,792+6.6% since 2020
- Households
- 46,370
- Median age
- 41.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 2,777 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 41
- Median household income
- $74,517+30.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $99,289
- Median home value
- $302,200
- Jobs located here
- 59,416
- Daytime population
- 120,445Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Pennington 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 Pennington 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 Dakota
Every South Dakota market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in South Dakota for pet businesses, numbered among those based in South Dakota, with Pennington County marked.
Top counties in South Dakota
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Lincoln County, SD | 74 | 28 | 10.0 | $990K | +17.5% | #179 of 2,200 |
| 2Minnehaha County, SD | 73 | 81 | 9.6 | $904K | +7.6% | #200 of 2,200 |
| 3Union County, SD | 70 | 9 | 12.3 | $770K | +3.3% | #294 of 2,200 |
| 4Pennington County, SD | 54 | 55 | 11.9 | $702K | +6.6% | #916 of 2,200 |
| 5Yankton County, SD | 51 | 11 | 11.3 | $706K | +1.5% | #1,050 of 2,200 |
| 6Lawrence County, SD | 49 | 15 | 12.4 | $644K | +14.0% | #1,156 of 2,200 |
| 7Hughes County, SD | 43 | 8 | 11.0 | $783K | −0.9% | #1,379 of 2,200 |
| 8Brookings County, SD | 43 | 19 | 13.8 | $589K | +9.6% | #1,402 of 2,200 |
| 9Beadle County, SD | 40 | 10 | 13.3 | $576K | +2.4% | #1,529 of 2,200 |
| 10Meade County, SD | 37 | 18 | 15.0 | $560K | +2.7% | #1,644 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Pennington 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 businesses54
- Veterinarians58
- Pet grooming and boarding55
- Pet stores45
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Pennington County, SD?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 55 pet businesses in Pennington County. 7 of them (13%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 30 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 15.4% from 2019. Another 71 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Pennington County, SD spend on pets?
About $38.6M a year, or $833 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 55 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $702K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 46,370 households in Pennington County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Pennington County, SD compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Pennington County has 11.9 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $702K, 20% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Pennington County would have about 44, against 55 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,546 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 15.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is Pennington County, SD growing?
Population estimates put Pennington County at 116,792 people in 2025, up 6.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 46,370 households. Median household income in Pennington County is $74,517, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 30.6%, 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. Pennington County scores 54 for pet businesses (upper middle), #916 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Pennington 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 Pennington County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Pennington 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 Pennington 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.