Groundwork

Pets · County · Vermont

Pet businesses in Washington County, VT

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet businesses in Washington County, VT, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 16 out of 100: Low

Ranked #2,156 of 2,200 scored counties
#8 of 12 scored counties in Vermont

Listings
38
5 chain locations (13%)
Official establishments
19
−5.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$17M
On pets · $658 a household
Spending per listing
$447K
49% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
14.7
41% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
59,652
−0.2% since 2020

See the pet businesses around any address in Washington 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 Washington County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

For pet businesses, Washington County has a Groundwork market score of 16 (low): #2,156 of 2,200 scored counties and #8 of 12 scored counties in Vermont. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

Household spending on pets in Washington County comes to about $17M a year: $658 per household, 28% below the U.S. average. That works out to $447K per business, 49% below the U.S. figure of $878K.

Washington County has 38 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 5 are chain locations, or 13%, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 14.7, 41% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.

Official counts show 19 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Washington County in 2023, down 5.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,361 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Washington County declined 0.2%, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Washington County compares

The same measures for Vermont 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.

Pet businesses in Washington County, VT compared with Vermont and the U.S.
MeasureWashington CountyVermontU.S.
Listings per 10k households14.715.110.4
Spending per listing$447K$434K$878K
Households per official establishment1,3611,3151,852
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−5.0%−6.7%+11.4%
Population growth, 2020–2025−0.2%+0.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on pets$658$654$909
Median household income$83,449$81,203$80,734
Groundwork market score167

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
20 → 19−5.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
132
Annual payroll, 2023
$5.7M
One-person businesses, 2023
59Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
385 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
19The 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 Washington 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 Washington County

Population, 2025 estimate
59,652−0.2% since 2020
Households
25,855
Median age
44.1
Homes lived in by their owners
74%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
687 sq. mi.
People per square mile
87
Median household income
$83,449+32.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$108,553
Median home value
$315,000
Jobs located here
30,099
Daytime population
61,944Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Washington 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 Washington County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Pet businesses across Vermont

Every Vermont market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Vermont for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Vermont, with Washington County marked.

Top counties in Vermont

Counties in Vermont ranked for pet businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Orange County, VT40129.4$681K+2.4%#1,519 of 2,200
2Addison County, VT38128.0$838K+1.8%#1,587 of 2,200
3Franklin County, VT362814.0$451K+2.3%#1,703 of 2,200
4Orleans County, VT262319.1$308K+0.7%#1,996 of 2,200
5Chittenden County, VT2010815.1$479K+0.4%#2,109 of 2,200
6Windham County, VT172713.6$449K−1.4%#2,146 of 2,200
7Windsor County, VT163714.6$448K−0.7%#2,155 of 2,200
8Washington County, VT163814.7$447K−0.2%#2,156 of 2,200
9Caledonia County, VT142519.1$307K+0.8%#2,177 of 2,200
10Lamoille County, VT142722.6$282K+1.4%#2,178 of 2,200

Other business types in Washington County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many pet businesses are in Washington County, VT?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 38 pet businesses in Washington County. 5 of them (13%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 19 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, down 5.0% from 2019. Official counts list 59 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Washington County, VT spend on pets?

About $17M a year, or $658 per household. That is 28% below the U.S. average (an index of 72, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 38 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $447K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 25,855 households in Washington County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Washington County, VT compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?

Washington County has 14.7 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 41% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $447K, 49% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Washington County would have about 19, against 38 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,361 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count fell 5.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.

How fast is Washington County, VT growing?

Population estimates put Washington County at 59,652 people in 2025, down 0.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 25,855 households. Median household income in Washington County is $83,449, 3% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 32.9%, 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. Washington County scores 16 for pet businesses (low), #2,156 of 2,200 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Washington 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 Washington County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Washington 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 Washington 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.