Pets · Small-town market · Tennessee
Pet businesses in the Athens, TN area
The pet businesses in the Athens, TN area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 74 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #38 of 527 scored small-town markets
#3 of 17 scored small-town markets based in Tennessee
- Listings
- 28
- 2 chain locations (7%)
- Official establishments
- 9
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $21M
- On pets · $793 a household
- Spending per listing
- $749K
- 15% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.6
- 2% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 71,590
- +8.2% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in the Athens 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 Athens 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
The Groundwork market score for pet businesses in the Athens area is 74 (upper middle), #38 of 527 scored small-town markets and #3 of 17 scored small-town markets based in Tennessee. That puts it in the top 10% of small-town markets for pet businesses.
Households in the Athens area spend about $21M a year on pets, or $793 per household, 13% below the U.S. average. That works out to $749K per business, 15% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
There are 28 pet businesses on map listings in the Athens area as of September 2026. Of those, 2 are chain locations, or 7%, against 17% across the U.S. That comes to 10.6 for every 10,000 households, 2% 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 Athens area was 9 in 2023. That is one for every 2,939 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Athens area grew 8.2%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Athens area compares
The same measures for Tennessee 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 | Athens area | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.6 | 10.7 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $749K | $811K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 2,939 | 1,990 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +16.8% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +8.2% | +5.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $793 | $871 | $909 |
| Median household income | $61,438 | $69,595 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 74 | 62 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 9
- Employees, 2023
- 89
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 41Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 282 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 24The 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 the Athens 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 Athens area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 71,590+8.2% since 2020
- Households
- 26,453
- Median age
- 43.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 625 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 109
- Median household income
- $61,438
- Average household income
- $81,180
- Median home value
- $205,300
- Jobs located here
- 19,824
- Daytime population
- 61,141Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Athens 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 Athens 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 Tennessee
Every Tennessee market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Tennessee for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Tennessee, with the Athens area marked.
Top small-town markets in Tennessee
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Winchester, TN | 87 | 16 | 9.2 | $878K | +6.4% | #5 of 527 |
| 2Lewisburg, TN | 75 | 18 | 13.2 | $649K | +10.5% | #33 of 527 |
| 3Athens, TN | 74 | 28 | 10.6 | $749K | +8.2% | #38 of 527 |
| 4Paris, TN | 65 | 13 | 9.7 | $740K | +2.3% | #96 of 527 |
| 5Fayetteville, TN | 65 | 20 | 13.5 | $607K | +4.3% | #99 of 527 |
| 6Crossville, TN | 57 | 35 | 12.4 | $604K | +8.0% | #182 of 527 |
| 7Union City, TN | 56 | 7 | 5.6 | $1.3M | −2.3% | #189 of 527 |
| 8Shelbyville, TN | 53 | 26 | 13.3 | $615K | +9.7% | #240 of 527 |
| 9Lawrenceburg, TN | 52 | 21 | 12.4 | $601K | +6.2% | #255 of 527 |
| 10Cookeville, TN | 49 | 81 | 13.8 | $549K | +7.6% | #295 of 527 |
Other business types in the Athens 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 businesses74
- Veterinarians79
- Pet grooming and boarding60
- Pet stores
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in the Athens, TN area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 28 pet businesses in the Athens area. 2 of them (7%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 9 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023. Official counts also show 41 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Athens, TN area spend on pets?
About $21M a year, or $793 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 28 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $749K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 26,453 households in the Athens area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Athens, TN area compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
The Athens area has 10.6 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 2% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $749K, 15% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, the Athens area would have about 24, against 28 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,939 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.
How fast is the Athens, TN area growing?
Population estimates put the Athens area at 71,590 people in 2025, up 8.2% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 26,453 households. Median household income in the Athens area is $61,438, 24% 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 Athens area scores 74 for pet businesses (upper middle), #38 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 Athens 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 Athens area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Athens 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 Athens 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.