Market rankings · West Virginia
Pet businesses in West Virginia
Markets across West Virginia ranked by the Groundwork market score for pet businesses, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 655
- 95 chain locations (15%)
- Official establishments
- 283
- +10.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $574M
- On pets
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.0
- 13% below the U.S.
- Spending per listing
- $876K
- In line with the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #26 of 51
- Market score 50 · Upper middle
A site report maps the pet businesses on map listings around any address in West Virginia by name and distance, and the spending within reach.
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 655 pet businesses in West Virginia. 95 of them (15%) are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 9.0, 13% below the U.S. rate of 10.4.
Households in West Virginia spend about $574M a year on pets, or $788 per household, 13% below the U.S. average. Spread across 655 pet businesses, that is $876K per business, in line with the U.S. figure of $878K.
In 2023, official counts showed 283 businesses with payroll in West Virginia classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores, up 10.1% from 2019. That is one for every 2,575 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 11.4% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 14 SBA-backed loans worth $3.1M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in West Virginia.
Among the 50 states and DC, West Virginia ranks #26 for pet businesses, with a Groundwork market score of 50 (upper middle). Of the 10 scored metro areas in or partly in West Virginia, the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area scores highest (81). Of the 5 scored small-town markets in or partly in West Virginia, the Fairmont area scores highest (60).
Every market in West Virginia for pet businesses
Download the ranking (CSV)Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in West Virginia, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.
Metro areas
| 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 |
| Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV | 73 | 123 | 10.4 | $874K | +7.1% | #43 of 387 |
| 1Morgantown, WV | 67 | 52 | 9.1 | $949K | +1.3% | #69 of 387 |
| 2Parkersburg-Vienna, WV | 57 | 28 | 7.4 | $1M | −2.3% | #138 of 387 |
| 3Charleston, WV | 55 | 64 | 7.3 | $1.1M | −4.7% | #155 of 387 |
| Winchester, VA-WV | 52 | 71 | 12.8 | $761K | +6.5% | #183 of 387 |
| 4Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH | 48 | 43 | 8.7 | $850K | −3.6% | #208 of 387 |
| 5Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH | 47 | 143 | 9.4 | $832K | −2.6% | #217 of 387 |
| 6Beckley, WV | 39 | 44 | 9.8 | $734K | −4.3% | #284 of 387 |
| 7Wheeling, WV-OH | 38 | 59 | 10.2 | $742K | −3.6% | #286 of 387 |
Small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Fairmont, WV | 60 | 24 | 10.3 | $789K | −1.2% | #147 of 527 |
| Cumberland, MD-WV | 55 | 42 | 10.9 | $709K | −1.3% | #211 of 527 |
| 2Clarksburg, WV | 55 | 41 | 11.5 | $697K | −2.4% | #213 of 527 |
| 3Bluefield, WV-VA | 48 | 41 | 10.1 | $714K | −3.8% | #299 of 527 |
| 4Elkins, WV | 38 | 14 | 13.1 | $567K | −3.6% | #399 of 527 |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Jefferson County, WV | 86 | 28 | 12.3 | $860K | +9.2% | #20 of 2,200 |
| 2Berkeley County, WV | 85 | 41 | 8.0 | $1.1M | +13.7% | #27 of 2,200 |
| 3Monongalia County, WV | 68 | 43 | 9.6 | $916K | +2.0% | #351 of 2,200 |
| 4Putnam County, WV | 66 | 24 | 10.3 | $913K | −1.0% | #429 of 2,200 |
| 5Wayne County, WV | 65 | 9 | 5.7 | $1.3M | −4.0% | #454 of 2,200 |
| 6Hampshire County, WV | 63 | 10 | 11.6 | $689K | +4.4% | #561 of 2,200 |
| 7Upshur County, WV | 60 | 6 | 6.3 | $1.2M | −0.3% | #644 of 2,200 |
| 8Preston County, WV | 60 | 9 | 7.0 | $1.1M | −0.6% | #646 of 2,200 |
| 9Wood County, WV | 59 | 28 | 7.8 | $992K | −2.1% | #682 of 2,200 |
| 10Mineral County, WV | 59 | 10 | 9.0 | $902K | −0.4% | #686 of 2,200 |
| 11Cabell County, WV | 58 | 32 | 8.1 | $941K | −3.2% | #716 of 2,200 |
| 12Taylor County, WV | 57 | 5 | 7.6 | $1M | −2.4% | #759 of 2,200 |
| 13Fayette County, WV | 57 | 12 | 7.5 | $946K | −5.6% | #762 of 2,200 |
| 14Kanawha County, WV | 55 | 58 | 7.6 | $1M | −4.3% | #852 of 2,200 |
| 15Marion County, WV | 55 | 24 | 10.3 | $789K | −1.2% | #863 of 2,200 |
| 16Mason County, WV | 54 | 5 | 4.9 | $1.5M | −2.7% | #887 of 2,200 |
| 17Hancock County, WV | 53 | 10 | 7.8 | $1M | −4.5% | #937 of 2,200 |
| 18Marshall County, WV | 52 | 9 | 7.2 | $1.1M | −4.4% | #981 of 2,200 |
| 19Boone County, WV | 51 | 5 | 6.3 | $1.2M | −6.9% | #1,030 of 2,200 |
| 20Jackson County, WV | 49 | 14 | 12.2 | $632K | −1.0% | #1,160 of 2,200 |
| 21Lewis County, WV | 48 | 6 | 8.6 | $915K | −3.7% | #1,181 of 2,200 |
| 22Morgan County, WV | 48 | 11 | 15.0 | $544K | +5.5% | #1,219 of 2,200 |
| 23Raleigh County, WV | 46 | 32 | 11.0 | $654K | −3.5% | #1,283 of 2,200 |
| 24Logan County, WV | 45 | 9 | 7.1 | $1M | −6.6% | #1,309 of 2,200 |
| 25Brooke County, WV | 44 | 8 | 8.3 | $921K | −6.0% | #1,352 of 2,200 |
Show all 55 counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26Harrison County, WV | 41 | 34 | 12.9 | $626K | −2.5% | #1,473 of 2,200 |
| 27Nicholas County, WV | 38 | 9 | 9.5 | $770K | −2.9% | #1,589 of 2,200 |
| 28Ohio County, WV | 38 | 22 | 12.0 | $671K | −4.4% | #1,594 of 2,200 |
| 29Mercer County, WV | 37 | 29 | 12.0 | $612K | −3.4% | #1,634 of 2,200 |
| 30Randolph County, WV | 37 | 14 | 13.1 | $567K | −3.6% | #1,642 of 2,200 |
| 31Wetzel County, WV | 25 | 8 | 13.1 | $578K | −4.6% | #2,000 of 2,200 |
| 32Hardy County, WV | 25 | 8 | 13.4 | $530K | +0.7% | #2,007 of 2,200 |
| 33Summers County, WV | 21 | 5 | 10.7 | $601K | −3.3% | #2,087 of 2,200 |
| 34Greenbrier County, WV | 16 | 27 | 18.3 | $379K | −4.0% | #2,160 of 2,200 |
| 35Braxton County, WV | 10 | 7 | 14.6 | $464K | −4.1% | #2,189 of 2,200 |
| Mingo County, WV | Not scored | 3 | 3.2 | $2M | −8.7% | |
| Wyoming County, WV | Not scored | 2 | 2.5 | $2.6M | −7.1% | |
| Lincoln County, WV | Not scored | 3 | 3.9 | $1.7M | −5.8% | |
| McDowell County, WV | Not scored | 1 | 1.5 | $3.6M | −10.9% | |
| Barbour County, WV | Not scored | 4 | 6.5 | $1.1M | −0.3% | |
| Roane County, WV | Not scored | 3 | 5.3 | $1.3M | −4.8% | |
| Monroe County, WV | Not scored | 3 | 6.5 | $1.1M | +0.8% | |
| Grant County, WV | Not scored | 4 | 9.1 | $823K | +0.4% | |
| Ritchie County, WV | Not scored | 2 | 5.9 | $1.2M | −4.6% | |
| Webster County, WV | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −7.1% | |
| Tyler County, WV | Not scored | 4 | 12.1 | $660K | −5.0% | |
| Clay County, WV | Not scored | 1 | 3.4 | $2M | −5.9% | |
| Pocahontas County, WV | Not scored | 4 | 12.6 | $514K | −3.3% | |
| Doddridge County, WV | Not scored | 2 | 7.8 | $1M | −1.9% | |
| Pleasants County, WV | Not scored | 2 | 7.2 | $1.1M | −4.1% | |
| Gilmer County, WV | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −4.2% | |
| Tucker County, WV | Not scored | 1 | 3.5 | $2.2M | −3.1% | |
| Calhoun County, WV | Not scored | 4 | 15.8 | $417K | −3.6% | |
| Pendleton County, WV | Not scored | 1 | 4.3 | $1.7M | −4.9% | |
| Wirt County, WV | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −5.9% |
Markets with fewer than 5 pet businesses on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.
Questions
How many pet businesses are in West Virginia?
West Virginia has 655 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 95 of them (15%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 283 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 10.1% from 2019. Official counts list 547 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in West Virginia spend on pets?
About $574M a year, or $788 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 655 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $876K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 728,655 households in West Virginia and national spending patterns by income.
How does West Virginia compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
West Virginia has 9.0 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $876K, in line with the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, West Virginia would have about 654, against 655 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,575 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 10.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
Which market in West Virginia has the highest market score for pet businesses?
Among 10 scored metro areas in or partly in West Virginia, the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area scores highest, at 81 (high). Among 5 scored small-town markets in or partly in West Virginia, the Fairmont area scores highest, at 60 (upper middle). Among 35 scored counties in West Virginia, Jefferson County scores highest, at 86 (high). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.
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. West Virginia scores 50 for pet businesses (upper middle), #26 of the 50 states and DC.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in West Virginia. 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.
Pet businesses in other states
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Top markets for pet businesses across the U.S. · All business types in West Virginia
Related business types in West Virginia
- Veterinarians218 listings
- Pet grooming and boarding234 listings
- Pet stores106 listings
Screening a site or an acquisition in West Virginia?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
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.