Pets · County · Virginia
Pet businesses in Fairfax County, VA
The pet businesses in Fairfax County, VA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 75 out of 100: High
Ranked #152 of 2,200 scored counties
#15 of 100 scored counties in Virginia
- Listings
- 341
- 108 chain locations (32%)
- Official establishments
- 229
- −0.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $575.8M
- On pets · $1,391 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.7M
- 92% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.2
- 21% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,167,873
- +1.7% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Fairfax 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 Fairfax 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
The Groundwork market score for pet businesses in Fairfax County is 75 (high), #152 of 2,200 scored counties and #15 of 100 scored counties in Virginia. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for pet businesses.
At $1,391 per household (53% above the U.S. average), households in Fairfax County spend about $575.8M a year on pets. That works out to $1.7M per business, 92% above the U.S. figure of $878K.
Fairfax County has 341 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 32% of them, against 17% across the U.S. That is 8.2 per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 10.4.
In 2023, official counts showed 229 businesses with payroll in Fairfax County classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores, down 0.9% from 2019. That is one for every 1,808 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 21 SBA-backed loans worth $13.1M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Fairfax County. Population estimates put the population change in Fairfax County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.7%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Fairfax 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 | Fairfax County | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.2 | 10.0 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $1.7M | $1.1M | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,808 | 1,686 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −0.9% | +10.6% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.7% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $1,391 | $1,056 | $909 |
| Median household income | $153,637 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 75 | 68 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 231 → 229−0.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,438
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $164.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 1,377Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 341108 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 656The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 21
- Amount
- $13.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Fairfax 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 Fairfax County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,167,873+1.7% since 2020
- Households
- 414,101
- Median age
- 40.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 391 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 2,935
- Median household income
- $153,637+23.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $195,941
- Median home value
- $732,800
- Jobs located here
- 683,496
- Daytime population
- 1,295,194Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Fairfax 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 Fairfax 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 Fairfax 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 |
| 15Fairfax County, VA | 75 | 341 | 8.2 | $1.7M | +1.7% | #152 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Fairfax 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 businesses75
- Veterinarians78
- Pet grooming and boarding75
- Pet stores80
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Fairfax County, VA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 341 pet businesses in Fairfax County. 108 of them (32%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 229 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, down 0.9% from 2019. Official counts also show 1,377 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Fairfax County, VA spend on pets?
About $575.8M a year, or $1,391 per household. That is 53% above the U.S. average (an index of 153, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 341 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $1.7M per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 414,101 households in Fairfax County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Fairfax County, VA compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Fairfax County has 8.2 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $1.7M, 92% above the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Fairfax County would have about 656, against 341 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,808 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count fell 0.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is Fairfax County, VA growing?
Population estimates put Fairfax County at 1,167,873 people in 2025, up 1.7% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 414,101 households. Median household income in Fairfax County is $153,637, 90% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 23.1%, 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. Fairfax County scores 75 for pet businesses (high), #152 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Fairfax 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 Fairfax County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Fairfax 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 Fairfax 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.