Pets · County · Texas
Pet businesses in Nueces County, TX
The pet businesses in Nueces County, TX, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 67 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #380 of 2,200 scored counties
#44 of 144 scored counties in Texas
- Listings
- 101
- 20 chain locations (20%)
- Official establishments
- 58
- +61.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $111.1M
- On pets · $847 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.1M
- 25% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.7
- 26% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 352,992
- −0.2% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Nueces 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 Nueces 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 101 pet businesses in Nueces County. 20 of them (20%) are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. That comes to 7.7 for every 10,000 households, 26% below the U.S. rate of 10.4.
Households in Nueces County spend about $111.1M a year on pets, or $847 per household, 7% below the U.S. average. That is about $1.1M of household spending for each business on map listings, 25% above the U.S. figure of $878K.
In 2023, official counts showed 58 businesses with payroll in Nueces County classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores, up 61.1% from 2019. That is one for every 2,261 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts list 112 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $1.2M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Nueces County.
Population estimates put the population change in Nueces County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.2%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Nueces County scores 67 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for pet businesses, ranking #380 of 2,200 scored counties and #44 of 144 scored counties in Texas. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Nueces 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 | Nueces County | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.7 | 9.8 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $1.1M | $972K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 2,261 | 1,966 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +61.1% | +20.0% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.2% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $847 | $950 | $909 |
| Median household income | $66,897 | $78,476 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 67 | 76 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 36 → 58+61.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 681
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $25.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 112Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 10120 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 127The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $1.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Nueces 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 Nueces County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 352,992−0.2% since 2020
- Households
- 131,160
- Median age
- 38.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 60%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 839 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 420
- Median household income
- $66,897+19.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $90,650
- Median home value
- $208,800
- Jobs located here
- 153,852
- Daytime population
- 357,013Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Nueces 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 Nueces 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 Nueces 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 |
| 44Nueces County, TX | 67 | 101 | 7.7 | $1.1M | −0.2% | #380 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Nueces 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 businesses67
- Veterinarians66
- Pet grooming and boarding69
- Pet stores54
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Nueces County, TX?
Nueces County has 101 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 20 of them (20%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 58 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 61.1% from 2019. Official counts also show 112 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Nueces County, TX spend on pets?
About $111.1M a year, or $847 per household. That is 7% below the U.S. average (an index of 93, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 101 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $1.1M per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 131,160 households in Nueces County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Nueces County, TX compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Nueces County has 7.7 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 26% below the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $1.1M, 25% above the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Nueces County would have about 127, against 101 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,261 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 61.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is Nueces County, TX growing?
Population estimates put Nueces County at 352,992 people in 2025, down 0.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 131,160 households. The median household income in Nueces County is $66,897 a year, 17% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 19.6% 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. Nueces County scores 67 for pet businesses (upper middle), #380 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Nueces 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 Nueces County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Nueces 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 Nueces 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.