Pets · County · Texas
Pet businesses in Howard County, TX
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet businesses in Howard County, TX, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 48 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,187 of 2,200 scored counties
#101 of 144 scored counties in Texas
- Listings
- 14
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $10.6M
- On pets · $870 a household
- Spending per listing
- $758K
- 14% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.5
- 11% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 30,504
- −12.4% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Howard 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 Howard 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 14 pet businesses in Howard County. None of them are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 11.5, 11% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
Households in Howard County spend about $10.6M a year on pets, or $870 per household, 4% below the U.S. average. That is about $758K of household spending for each business on map listings, 14% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
There is no official count of businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Howard County: counts under 3 aren’t published. Official counts list 12 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates put the population change in Howard County from 2020 to 2025 at −12.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for pet businesses in Howard County is 48 (lower middle), #1,187 of 2,200 scored counties and #101 of 144 scored counties in Texas.
How Howard 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 | Howard County | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.5 | 9.8 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $758K | $972K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | n/a | 1,966 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +20.0% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −12.4% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $870 | $950 | $909 |
| Median household income | $69,649 | $78,476 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 48 | 76 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- n/a
- Employees, 2023
- n/a
- Annual payroll, 2023
- n/a
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 12Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 140 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 12The 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 Howard 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 Howard County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 30,504−12.4% since 2020
- Households
- 12,191
- Median age
- 37.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 901 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 36
- Median household income
- $69,649+28.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $90,688
- Median home value
- $155,600
- Jobs located here
- 11,735
- Daytime population
- 29,322Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Howard 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 Howard 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 Howard 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 |
| 101Howard County, TX | 48 | 14 | 11.5 | $758K | −12.4% | #1,187 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Howard 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 businesses48
- Veterinarians40
- Pet grooming and boarding46
- Pet stores
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Howard County, TX?
There are 14 pet businesses on map listings in Howard County as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. No official count is published for pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Howard County: counts under 3 are left out. Official counts also show 12 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Howard County, TX spend on pets?
About $10.6M a year, or $870 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 14 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $758K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 12,191 households in Howard County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Howard County, TX compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Howard County has 11.5 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 11% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $758K, 14% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Howard County would have about 12, against 14 on map listings.
How fast is Howard County, TX growing?
Population estimates put Howard County at 30,504 people in 2025, down 12.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 12,191 households. The median household income in Howard County is $69,649 a year, 14% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 28.5% 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. Howard County scores 48 for pet businesses (lower middle), #1,187 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Howard 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 Howard County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Howard 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 Howard 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.