Pets · County · Virginia
Pet businesses in Clarke County, VA
How Clarke County, VA 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 38 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,622 of 2,200 scored counties
#94 of 100 scored counties in Virginia
- Listings
- 16
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- 7
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $6.7M
- On pets · $1,143 a household
- Spending per listing
- $421K
- 52% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 27.2
- 2.6 times the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 15,609
- +5.4% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Clarke 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 Clarke 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 16 pet businesses in Clarke County. None of them are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. That comes to 27.2 for every 10,000 households, 2.6 times the U.S. rate of 10.4.
At $1,143 per household (26% above the U.S. average), households in Clarke County spend about $6.7M a year on pets. That works out to $421K per business, 52% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
In 2023, official counts showed 7 businesses with payroll in Clarke County classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores. That is one for every 841 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Another 27 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Population estimates show Clarke County grew 5.4% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Clarke County scores 38 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for pet businesses, ranking #1,622 of 2,200 scored counties and #94 of 100 scored counties in Virginia.
How Clarke County compares
The same measures for Virginia 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 | Clarke County | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 27.2 | 10.0 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $421K | $1.1M | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 841 | 1,686 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +10.6% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.4% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $1,143 | $1,056 | $909 |
| Median household income | $117,111 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 38 | 68 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 9 → 7
- Employees, 2023
- 53
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 27Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 160 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 8The 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 Clarke 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 Clarke County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 15,609+5.4% since 2020
- Households
- 5,890
- Median age
- 48.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 81%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.3
- Land area
- 176 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 86
- Median household income
- $117,111+46.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $139,793
- Median home value
- $550,100
- Jobs located here
- 3,824
- Daytime population
- 10,938Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Clarke 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 Clarke 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 Virginia
Every Virginia market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Virginia for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Virginia, with Clarke County marked.
Top counties in Virginia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Arlington County, VA | 85 | 68 | 6.1 | $2.2M | +2.1% | #22 of 2,200 |
| 2Richmond city, VA | 84 | 59 | 5.7 | $1.5M | +4.6% | #37 of 2,200 |
| 3Prince George County, VA | 83 | 7 | 5.4 | $1.8M | +2.0% | #41 of 2,200 |
| 4New Kent County, VA | 82 | 10 | 10.8 | $1.1M | +21.2% | #51 of 2,200 |
| 5Chesterfield County, VA | 81 | 123 | 8.8 | $1.2M | +8.7% | #56 of 2,200 |
| 6Prince William County, VA | 80 | 135 | 8.6 | $1.5M | +4.2% | #66 of 2,200 |
| 7Dinwiddie County, VA | 80 | 9 | 8.4 | $1.1M | +3.6% | #72 of 2,200 |
| 8Suffolk city, VA | 80 | 37 | 9.8 | $1M | +10.4% | #73 of 2,200 |
| 9Spotsylvania County, VA | 78 | 55 | 10.5 | $1.1M | +10.5% | #108 of 2,200 |
| 10Warren County, VA | 78 | 17 | 11.1 | $876K | +4.8% | #112 of 2,200 |
| 94Clarke County, VA | 38 | 16 | 27.2 | $421K | +5.4% | #1,622 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Clarke 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 businesses38
- Veterinarians35
- Pet grooming and boarding
- Pet stores
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Clarke County, VA?
Clarke County has 16 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 7 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023. Official counts list 27 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Clarke County, VA spend on pets?
About $6.7M a year, or $1,143 per household. That is 26% above the U.S. average (an index of 126, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 16 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $421K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 5,890 households in Clarke County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Clarke County, VA compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Clarke County has 27.2 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 2.6 times the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $421K, 52% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Clarke County would have about 8, against 16 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 841 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.
How fast is Clarke County, VA growing?
Population estimates put Clarke County at 15,609 people in 2025, up 5.4% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 5,890 households. The median household income in Clarke County is $117,111 a year, 45% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 46.3% 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. Clarke County scores 38 for pet businesses (lower middle), #1,622 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Clarke 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 Clarke County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Clarke 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 Clarke 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.