Pets · Metro area · Virginia
Pet businesses in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet businesses in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 63 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #94 of 387 scored metro areas
#2 of 9 scored metro areas based in Virginia
- Listings
- 638
- 134 chain locations (21%)
- Official establishments
- 399
- +28.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $678.6M
- On pets · $959 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.1M
- 21% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.0
- 13% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,797,213
- +0.9% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro area
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 the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro area. 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 the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro area spend about $678.6M a year on pets, or $959 per household, 5% above the U.S. average. That is about $1.1M of household spending for each business on map listings, 21% above the U.S. figure of $878K.
The Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro area has 638 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 21% of them, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 9.0, 13% below the U.S. rate of 10.4.
In 2023, official counts showed 399 businesses with payroll in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro area classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores, up 28.9% from 2019. That is one for every 1,773 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts list 1,031 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 19 SBA-backed loans worth $19.6M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro area.
Population estimates show the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro area grew 0.9% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For pet businesses, the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro area has a Groundwork market score of 63 (upper middle): #94 of 387 scored metro areas and #2 of 9 scored metro areas based in Virginia. That puts it in the top quarter of metro areas.
How the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro area 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 | Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro area | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.0 | 10.0 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $1.1M | $1.1M | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,773 | 1,686 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +28.9% | +10.6% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.9% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $959 | $1,056 | $909 |
| Median household income | $82,330 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 63 | 68 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 399+28.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,732
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $187M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 1,031Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 638134 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 773The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 19
- Amount
- $19.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro area, 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 the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,797,213+0.9% since 2020
- Households
- 707,408
- Median age
- 39.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 63%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 3,202 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 558
- Median household income
- $82,330
- Average household income
- $108,120
- Median home value
- $340,900
- Jobs located here
- 729,464
- Daytime population
- 1,773,219Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro area. 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 metro areas in Virginia for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Virginia (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Virginia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 81 | 1,932 | 8.1 | $1.5M | +3.3% | #11 of 387 |
| 1Richmond, VA | 73 | 489 | 9.2 | $1.1M | +5.5% | #40 of 387 |
| 2Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | 63 | 638 | 9.0 | $1.1M | +0.9% | #94 of 387 |
| 3Charlottesville, VA | 57 | 106 | 11.7 | $901K | +3.1% | #140 of 387 |
| 4Winchester, VA-WV | 52 | 71 | 12.8 | $761K | +6.5% | #183 of 387 |
| 5Harrisonburg, VA | 51 | 58 | 11.6 | $762K | +3.5% | #190 of 387 |
| Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA | 45 | 146 | 11.2 | $699K | +2.3% | #238 of 387 |
| 6Lynchburg, VA | 41 | 115 | 11.1 | $754K | +2.9% | #267 of 387 |
| 7Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA | 40 | 73 | 10.4 | $816K | −0.1% | #272 of 387 |
| 8Roanoke, VA | 40 | 153 | 11.6 | $739K | +0.4% | #273 of 387 |
Other business types in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro area
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 businesses63
- Veterinarians62
- Pet grooming and boarding58
- Pet stores65
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 638 pet businesses in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro area. 134 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 399 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 28.9% from 2019. Official counts also show 1,031 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro area spend on pets?
About $678.6M a year, or $959 per household. That is 5% above the U.S. average (an index of 105, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 638 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $1.1M per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 707,408 households in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro area compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
The Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro area has 9.0 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $1.1M, 21% above the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro area would have about 773, against 638 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,773 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 28.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro area at 1,797,213 people in 2025, up 0.9% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 707,408 households. Median household income in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro area is $82,330, 2% above the U.S. median of $80,734.
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. The Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro area scores 63 for pet businesses (upper middle), #94 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro area. 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 the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro area?
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 the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro area. 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.