Pets · County · Tennessee
Pet businesses in Knox County, TN
The pet businesses in Knox County, TN, 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 #736 of 2,200 scored counties
#34 of 82 scored counties in Tennessee
- Listings
- 246
- 50 chain locations (20%)
- Official establishments
- 139
- +9.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $183.2M
- On pets · $911 a household
- Spending per listing
- $745K
- 15% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.2
- 17% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 511,453
- +6.5% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Knox 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 Knox 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 246 pet businesses in Knox County. Of those, 50 are chain locations, or 20%, against 17% across the U.S. That is 12.2 per 10,000 households, 17% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
At $911 per household (in line with the U.S. average), households in Knox County spend about $183.2M a year on pets. That is about $745K of household spending for each business on map listings, 15% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
Official counts show 139 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Knox County in 2023, up 9.5% from 2019. That is one for every 1,447 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts list 342 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 12 SBA-backed loans worth $6.5M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Knox County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Knox County grew 6.5%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for pet businesses in Knox County is 58 (upper middle), #736 of 2,200 scored counties and #34 of 82 scored counties in Tennessee.
How Knox County 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 | Knox County | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 12.2 | 10.7 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $745K | $811K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,447 | 1,990 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +9.5% | +16.8% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.5% | +5.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $911 | $871 | $909 |
| Median household income | $74,222 | $69,595 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 58 | 62 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 127 → 139+9.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,557
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $69.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 342Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 24650 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 209The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 12
- Amount
- $6.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Knox 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 Knox County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 511,453+6.5% since 2020
- Households
- 201,146
- Median age
- 38.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 65%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 508 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 972
- Median household income
- $74,222+29.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $104,460
- Median home value
- $320,900
- Jobs located here
- 270,203
- Daytime population
- 541,810Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Knox 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 Knox 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 Tennessee
Every Tennessee market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Tennessee for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Tennessee, with Knox County marked.
Top counties in Tennessee
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Robertson County, TN | 89 | 26 | 9.2 | $994K | +9.9% | #9 of 2,200 |
| 2Roane County, TN | 82 | 22 | 9.7 | $885K | +7.0% | #55 of 2,200 |
| 3Rutherford County, TN | 80 | 115 | 8.9 | $1.1M | +12.6% | #70 of 2,200 |
| 4Franklin County, TN | 79 | 16 | 9.2 | $878K | +6.4% | #94 of 2,200 |
| 5Tipton County, TN | 78 | 15 | 6.6 | $1.3M | +2.0% | #99 of 2,200 |
| 6Sumner County, TN | 77 | 84 | 10.7 | $926K | +9.2% | #122 of 2,200 |
| 7Davidson County, TN | 76 | 274 | 8.4 | $1.1M | +4.2% | #139 of 2,200 |
| 8Montgomery County, TN | 76 | 85 | 9.7 | $895K | +13.0% | #146 of 2,200 |
| 9Union County, TN | 72 | 7 | 8.8 | $885K | +8.1% | #229 of 2,200 |
| 10Hickman County, TN | 72 | 9 | 9.5 | $841K | +5.0% | #231 of 2,200 |
| 34Knox County, TN | 58 | 246 | 12.2 | $745K | +6.5% | #736 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Knox 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
- Veterinarians54
- Pet grooming and boarding61
- Pet stores62
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Knox County, TN?
Knox County has 246 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 50 of them (20%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 139 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 9.5% from 2019. Official counts also show 342 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Knox County, TN spend on pets?
About $183.2M a year, or $911 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 100, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 246 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $745K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 201,146 households in Knox County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Knox County, TN compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Knox County has 12.2 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 17% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $745K, 15% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Knox County would have about 209, against 246 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,447 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 9.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is Knox County, TN growing?
Population estimates put Knox County at 511,453 people in 2025, up 6.5% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 201,146 households. The median household income in Knox County is $74,222 a year, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.2% 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. Knox County scores 58 for pet businesses (upper middle), #736 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Knox 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 Knox County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Knox 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 Knox 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.