Pets · Small-town market · Texas
Pet businesses in the Athens, TX area
The pet businesses in the Athens, TX area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 68 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #74 of 527 scored small-town markets
#8 of 34 scored small-town markets based in Texas
- Listings
- 43
- 6 chain locations (14%)
- Official establishments
- 13
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $27.7M
- On pets · $824 a household
- Spending per listing
- $644K
- 27% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.8
- 23% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 88,595
- +7.5% 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
Household spending on pets in the Athens area comes to about $27.7M a year: $824 per household, 9% below the U.S. average. That is about $644K of household spending for each business on map listings, 27% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
There are 43 pet businesses on map listings in the Athens area as of September 2026. 6 of them (14%) are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. That comes to 12.8 for every 10,000 households, 23% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
In 2023, official counts showed 13 businesses with payroll in the Athens area classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores. That is one for every 2,583 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts also show 46 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates show the Athens area grew 7.5% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for pet businesses in the Athens area is 68 (upper middle), #74 of 527 scored small-town markets and #8 of 34 scored small-town markets based in Texas. That puts it in the top quarter of small-town markets.
How the Athens area compares
The same measures for Texas 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 | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 12.8 | 9.8 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $644K | $972K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 2,583 | 1,966 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +20.0% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +7.5% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $824 | $950 | $909 |
| Median household income | $65,179 | $78,476 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 68 | 76 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 13
- Employees, 2023
- 196
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $8.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 46Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 436 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 32The 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
- 88,595+7.5% since 2020
- Households
- 33,575
- Median age
- 43.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 874 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 97
- Median household income
- $65,179+37.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $86,325
- Median home value
- $211,300
- Jobs located here
- 19,641
- Daytime population
- 73,197Residents 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 Texas
Every Texas market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Texas for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Texas, with the Athens area marked.
Top small-town markets in Texas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Lufkin, TX | 80 | 20 | 6.2 | $1.3M | +1.9% | #13 of 527 |
| 2Bay City, TX | 79 | 10 | 6.5 | $1.2M | +0.5% | #15 of 527 |
| 3Jacksonville, TX | 77 | 18 | 9.9 | $810K | +5.4% | #22 of 527 |
| 4Corsicana, TX | 76 | 22 | 11.6 | $702K | +8.2% | #27 of 527 |
| 5Del Rio, TX | 72 | 12 | 7.1 | $1.1M | +0.5% | #44 of 527 |
| 6Paris, TX | 71 | 27 | 10.8 | $730K | +2.6% | #52 of 527 |
| 7Kerrville, TX | 69 | 32 | 14.1 | $607K | +2.5% | #65 of 527 |
| 8Athens, TX | 68 | 43 | 12.8 | $644K | +7.5% | #74 of 527 |
| 9Pampa, TX | 67 | 6 | 7.2 | $1.1M | −1.1% | #77 of 527 |
| 10Kingsville, TX | 63 | 7 | 5.9 | $1.3M | −2.2% | #108 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 businesses68
- Veterinarians70
- Pet grooming and boarding78
- Pet stores87
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in the Athens, TX area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 43 pet businesses in the Athens area. 6 of them (14%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 13 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023. Another 46 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Athens, TX area spend on pets?
About $27.7M a year, or $824 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 43 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $644K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 33,575 households in the Athens area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Athens, TX area compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
The Athens area has 12.8 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 23% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $644K, 27% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, the Athens area would have about 32, against 43 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,583 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.
How fast is the Athens, TX area growing?
Population estimates put the Athens area at 88,595 people in 2025, up 7.5% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 33,575 households. Median household income in the Athens area is $65,179, 19% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 37.6%, 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. 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 68 for pet businesses (upper middle), #74 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.