Pets · Metro area · West Virginia
Pet businesses in the Charleston, WV metro area
How the Charleston, WV metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for pet businesses: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 55 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #155 of 387 scored metro areas
#3 of 7 scored metro areas based in West Virginia
- Listings
- 64
- 11 chain locations (17%)
- Official establishments
- 39
- +27.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $68.6M
- On pets · $785 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.1M
- 22% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.3
- 30% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 200,170
- −4.7% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in the Charleston 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 Charleston 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
Household spending on pets in the Charleston metro area comes to about $68.6M a year: $785 per household, 14% below the U.S. average. Spread across 64 pet businesses, that is $1.1M per business, 22% above the U.S. figure of $878K.
There are 64 pet businesses on map listings in the Charleston metro area as of September 2026. Of those, 11 are chain locations, or 17%, against 17% across the U.S. That is 7.3 per 10,000 households, 30% below the U.S. rate of 10.4.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Charleston metro area was 39 in 2023, up 27.6% from 2019. That is one for every 2,240 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts also show 38 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $75K has gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Charleston metro area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Charleston metro area from 2020 to 2025 at −4.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Charleston metro area scores 55 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for pet businesses, ranking #155 of 387 scored metro areas and #3 of 7 scored metro areas based in West Virginia.
How the Charleston metro area compares
The same measures for West 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 | Charleston metro area | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.3 | 9.0 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $1.1M | $876K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 2,240 | 2,575 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +27.6% | +10.1% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −4.7% | −1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $785 | $788 | $909 |
| Median household income | $60,117 | $59,608 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 55 | 50 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 39+27.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 532
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $17.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 38Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6411 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 78The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $75K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Charleston 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 Charleston metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 200,170−4.7% since 2020
- Households
- 87,358
- Median age
- 43.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 1,746 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 118
- Median household income
- $60,117
- Average household income
- $81,990
- Median home value
- $141,100
- Jobs located here
- 110,278
- Daytime population
- 231,110Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Charleston 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 Charleston 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 West Virginia
Every West Virginia market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in West Virginia for pet businesses, numbered among those based in West Virginia (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Charleston metro area marked.
Top metro areas in West 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 |
| 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 |
Other business types in the Charleston 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 businesses55
- Veterinarians51
- Pet grooming and boarding52
- Pet stores54
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in the Charleston, WV metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 64 pet businesses in the Charleston metro area. 11 of them (17%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 39 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 27.6% from 2019. Another 38 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Charleston, WV metro area spend on pets?
About $68.6M a year, or $785 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 64 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $1.1M per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 87,358 households in the Charleston metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Charleston, WV metro area compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
The Charleston metro area has 7.3 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 30% below the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $1.1M, 22% above the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, the Charleston metro area would have about 78, against 64 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,240 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 27.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is the Charleston, WV metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Charleston metro area at 200,170 people in 2025, down 4.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 87,358 households. Median household income in the Charleston metro area is $60,117, 26% below 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 Charleston metro area scores 55 for pet businesses (upper middle), #155 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 Charleston 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 Charleston metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Charleston 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 Charleston 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.