Pets · County · Washington
Pet businesses in Thurston County, WA
How Thurston County, WA 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 56 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #825 of 2,200 scored counties
#25 of 31 scored counties in Washington
- Listings
- 166
- 29 chain locations (17%)
- Official establishments
- 93
- +24.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $126.4M
- On pets · $1,063 a household
- Spending per listing
- $761K
- 13% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 14.0
- 35% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 304,261
- +2.8% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Thurston 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 Thurston 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 166 pet businesses in Thurston County. Chain locations make up 17% of them, against 17% across the U.S. That comes to 14.0 for every 10,000 households, 35% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
At $1,063 per household (17% above the U.S. average), households in Thurston County spend about $126.4M a year on pets. That is about $761K of household spending for each business on map listings, 13% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Thurston County was 93 in 2023, up 24.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,278 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Another 192 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 8 SBA-backed loans worth $7.9M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Thurston County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Thurston County grew 2.8%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for pet businesses in Thurston County is 56 (upper middle), #825 of 2,200 scored counties and #25 of 31 scored counties in Washington.
How Thurston County compares
The same measures for Washington 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 | Thurston County | Washington | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 14.0 | 10.8 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $761K | $1M | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,278 | 1,554 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +24.0% | +10.0% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.8% | +3.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $1,063 | $1,131 | $909 |
| Median household income | $96,563 | $98,141 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 56 | 69 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 75 → 93+24.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,798
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $78.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 192Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 16629 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 144The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 8
- Amount
- $7.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Thurston 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 Thurston County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 304,261+2.8% since 2020
- Households
- 118,899
- Median age
- 40.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 723 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 414
- Median household income
- $96,563+34.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $114,140
- Median home value
- $480,300
- Jobs located here
- 136,091
- Daytime population
- 311,425Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Thurston 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 Thurston 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 Washington
Every Washington market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Washington for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Washington, with Thurston County marked.
Top counties in Washington
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Douglas County, WA | 93 | 11 | 6.9 | $1.5M | +8.0% | #1 of 2,200 |
| 2Franklin County, WA | 90 | 19 | 6.4 | $1.6M | +5.6% | #5 of 2,200 |
| 3Mason County, WA | 87 | 24 | 9.2 | $1.1M | +7.8% | #16 of 2,200 |
| 4Walla Walla County, WA | 79 | 19 | 8.1 | $1.2M | −0.4% | #84 of 2,200 |
| 5Klickitat County, WA | 79 | 11 | 11.1 | $827K | +6.6% | #95 of 2,200 |
| 6Jefferson County, WA | 76 | 16 | 9.8 | $977K | +2.7% | #142 of 2,200 |
| 7Grant County, WA | 75 | 35 | 9.9 | $910K | +6.3% | #165 of 2,200 |
| 8Yakima County, WA | 74 | 59 | 6.7 | $1.3M | +1.0% | #172 of 2,200 |
| 9Clark County, WA | 74 | 213 | 10.9 | $1M | +5.3% | #177 of 2,200 |
| 10King County, WA | 73 | 912 | 9.7 | $1.4M | +3.1% | #187 of 2,200 |
| 25Thurston County, WA | 56 | 166 | 14.0 | $761K | +2.8% | #825 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Thurston 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 businesses56
- Veterinarians55
- Pet grooming and boarding61
- Pet stores58
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Thurston County, WA?
Thurston County has 166 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 29 of them (17%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 93 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 24.0% from 2019. Official counts list 192 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Thurston County, WA spend on pets?
About $126.4M a year, or $1,063 per household. That is 17% above the U.S. average (an index of 117, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 166 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $761K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 118,899 households in Thurston County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Thurston County, WA compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Thurston County has 14.0 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 35% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $761K, 13% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Thurston County would have about 144, against 166 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,278 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 24.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is Thurston County, WA growing?
Population estimates put Thurston County at 304,261 people in 2025, up 2.8% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 118,899 households. The median household income in Thurston County is $96,563 a year, 20% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 34.1% 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. Thurston County scores 56 for pet businesses (upper middle), #825 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Thurston 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 Thurston County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Thurston 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 Thurston 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.