Pets · County · Texas
Pet businesses in Hays County, TX
How Hays County, TX compares with other counties and the U.S. for pet businesses: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 70 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #287 of 2,200 scored counties
#37 of 144 scored counties in Texas
- Listings
- 119
- 21 chain locations (18%)
- Official establishments
- 65
- +27.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $101.3M
- On pets · $1,015 a household
- Spending per listing
- $851K
- 3% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.9
- 14% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 304,390
- +24.8% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Hays 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 Hays 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 119 pet businesses in Hays County. Of those, 21 are chain locations, or 18%, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 11.9, 14% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
Households in Hays County spend about $101.3M a year on pets, or $1,015 per household, 12% above the U.S. average. That is about $851K of household spending for each business on map listings, 3% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Hays County was 65 in 2023, up 27.5% from 2019. That is one for every 1,536 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts list 191 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 8 SBA-backed loans worth $12.9M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Hays County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Hays County grew 24.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for pet businesses in Hays County is 70 (upper middle), #287 of 2,200 scored counties and #37 of 144 scored counties in Texas. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Hays County 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 | Hays County | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.9 | 9.8 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $851K | $972K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,536 | 1,966 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +27.5% | +20.0% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +24.8% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $1,015 | $950 | $909 |
| Median household income | $89,097 | $78,476 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 70 | 76 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 51 → 65+27.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 712
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $30.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 191Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 11921 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 115The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 8
- Amount
- $12.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Hays 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 Hays County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 304,390+24.8% since 2020
- Households
- 99,849
- Median age
- 35.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 677 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 397
- Median household income
- $89,097+29.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $117,554
- Median home value
- $399,800
- Jobs located here
- 86,425
- Daytime population
- 232,827Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Hays 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 Hays 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 Texas
Every Texas market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Texas for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Texas, with Hays County marked.
Top counties in Texas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Ector County, TX | 87 | 37 | 5.7 | $1.5M | +5.0% | #12 of 2,200 |
| 2Fort Bend County, TX | 86 | 242 | 8.3 | $1.4M | +17.4% | #18 of 2,200 |
| 3Midland County, TX | 85 | 53 | 7.8 | $1.3M | +10.0% | #24 of 2,200 |
| 4Blanco County, TX | 85 | 6 | 11.6 | $855K | +18.6% | #33 of 2,200 |
| 5Webb County, TX | 84 | 42 | 5.2 | $1.5M | +5.2% | #36 of 2,200 |
| 6Harris County, TX | 84 | 1,347 | 7.7 | $1.2M | +6.6% | #38 of 2,200 |
| 7Ellis County, TX | 83 | 67 | 9.3 | $1.1M | +24.0% | #42 of 2,200 |
| 8Milam County, TX | 81 | 7 | 6.9 | $1.2M | +6.0% | #58 of 2,200 |
| 9Hill County, TX | 80 | 10 | 7.3 | $1.1M | +9.8% | #69 of 2,200 |
| 10Dallas County, TX | 79 | 682 | 6.9 | $1.4M | +1.9% | #80 of 2,200 |
| 37Hays County, TX | 70 | 119 | 11.9 | $851K | +24.8% | #287 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Hays 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 businesses70
- Veterinarians75
- Pet grooming and boarding68
- Pet stores64
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Hays County, TX?
There are 119 pet businesses on map listings in Hays County as of September 2026. 21 of them (18%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 65 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 27.5% from 2019. Official counts also show 191 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Hays County, TX spend on pets?
About $101.3M a year, or $1,015 per household. That is 12% above the U.S. average (an index of 112, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 119 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $851K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 99,849 households in Hays County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Hays County, TX compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Hays County has 11.9 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $851K, 3% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Hays County would have about 115, against 119 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,536 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 27.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is Hays County, TX growing?
Population estimates put Hays County at 304,390 people in 2025, up 24.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 99,849 households. The median household income in Hays County is $89,097 a year, 10% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.7% 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. Hays County scores 70 for pet businesses (upper middle), #287 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Hays 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 Hays County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Hays 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 Hays 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.