Pets · County · Virginia
Pet businesses in Nelson County, VA
The pet businesses in Nelson County, VA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 52 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #986 of 2,200 scored counties
#60 of 100 scored counties in Virginia
- Listings
- 7
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- 7
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $6M
- On pets · $939 a household
- Spending per listing
- $854K
- 3% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.0
- 6% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 14,920
- +1.2% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Nelson 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 Nelson 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
Households in Nelson County spend about $6M a year on pets, or $939 per household, 3% above the U.S. average. That is about $854K of household spending for each business on map listings, 3% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
Nelson County has 7 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 11.0, 6% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
Official counts show 7 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Nelson County in 2023. That is one for every 909 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Another 7 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Population estimates show Nelson County grew 1.2% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For pet businesses, Nelson County has a Groundwork market score of 52 (upper middle): #986 of 2,200 scored counties and #60 of 100 scored counties in Virginia.
How Nelson 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 | Nelson County | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.0 | 10.0 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $854K | $1.1M | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 909 | 1,686 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +10.6% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.2% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $939 | $1,056 | $909 |
| Median household income | $72,589 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 52 | 68 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 4 → 7
- Employees, 2023
- 43
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 7Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 70 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 7The 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 Nelson 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 Nelson County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 14,920+1.2% since 2020
- Households
- 6,364
- Median age
- 49.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 80%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 471 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 31
- Median household income
- $72,589+12.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $104,122
- Median home value
- $321,700
- Jobs located here
- 3,841
- Daytime population
- 12,142Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Nelson 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 Nelson 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 Nelson 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 |
| 60Nelson County, VA | 52 | 7 | 11.0 | $854K | +1.2% | #986 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Nelson 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 businesses52
- Veterinarians
- Pet grooming and boarding
- Pet stores
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Nelson County, VA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 7 pet businesses in Nelson County. 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 7 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Nelson County, VA spend on pets?
About $6M a year, or $939 per household. That is 3% above the U.S. average (an index of 103, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 7 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $854K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 6,364 households in Nelson County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Nelson County, VA compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Nelson County has 11.0 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 6% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $854K, 3% below the U.S. figure of $878K. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 909 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.
How fast is Nelson County, VA growing?
Population estimates put Nelson County at 14,920 people in 2025, up 1.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 6,364 households. Median household income in Nelson County is $72,589, 10% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 12.9%, 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. Nelson County scores 52 for pet businesses (upper middle), #986 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Nelson 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 Nelson County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Nelson 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 Nelson 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.