Pets · County · Wisconsin
Pet businesses in Portage County, WI
How Portage County, WI 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 47 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,252 of 2,200 scored counties
#34 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin
- Listings
- 42
- 6 chain locations (14%)
- Official establishments
- 16
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $24.7M
- On pets · $834 a household
- Spending per listing
- $589K
- 33% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 14.2
- 37% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 71,943
- +2.2% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Portage 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 Portage 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
Household spending on pets in Portage County comes to about $24.7M a year: $834 per household, 8% below the U.S. average. That is about $589K of household spending for each business on map listings, 33% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
There are 42 pet businesses on map listings in Portage County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 14% of them, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 14.2, 37% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
In 2023, official counts showed 16 businesses with payroll in Portage County classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores. That is one for every 1,855 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts also show 44 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $982K has gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Portage County.
Population estimates show Portage County grew 2.2% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for pet businesses in Portage County is 47 (lower middle), #1,252 of 2,200 scored counties and #34 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin.
How Portage County compares
The same measures for Wisconsin 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 | Portage County | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 14.2 | 11.8 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $589K | $730K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,855 | 1,721 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +8.5% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.2% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $834 | $861 | $909 |
| Median household income | $76,070 | $77,485 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 47 | 37 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 11 → 16
- Employees, 2023
- 152
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 44Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 426 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 28The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $982K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Portage 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 Portage County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 71,943+2.2% since 2020
- Households
- 29,679
- Median age
- 40.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 801 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 88
- Median household income
- $76,070+29.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $94,142
- Median home value
- $243,100
- Jobs located here
- 33,759
- Daytime population
- 69,944Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Portage 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 Portage 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 Wisconsin
Every Wisconsin market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Wisconsin for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Wisconsin, with Portage County marked.
Top counties in Wisconsin
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Pierce County, WI | 70 | 18 | 11.3 | $824K | +3.1% | #291 of 2,200 |
| 2Sheboygan County, WI | 69 | 39 | 7.8 | $1.1M | 0.0% | #309 of 2,200 |
| 3Calumet County, WI | 69 | 23 | 10.8 | $852K | +2.9% | #323 of 2,200 |
| 4Douglas County, WI | 67 | 14 | 7.3 | $1.1M | −0.8% | #378 of 2,200 |
| 5Milwaukee County, WI | 64 | 261 | 6.7 | $1.2M | −1.5% | #494 of 2,200 |
| 6Eau Claire County, WI | 63 | 38 | 8.5 | $987K | +3.0% | #538 of 2,200 |
| 7Lincoln County, WI | 62 | 12 | 9.4 | $837K | −0.1% | #578 of 2,200 |
| 8Dane County, WI | 60 | 293 | 11.6 | $827K | +4.9% | #660 of 2,200 |
| 9Outagamie County, WI | 60 | 92 | 11.7 | $769K | +2.6% | #667 of 2,200 |
| 10Kenosha County, WI | 58 | 66 | 9.6 | $930K | −0.4% | #717 of 2,200 |
| 34Portage County, WI | 47 | 42 | 14.2 | $589K | +2.2% | #1,252 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Portage 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 businesses47
- Veterinarians76
- Pet grooming and boarding34
- Pet stores43
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Portage County, WI?
As of September 2026, map listings count 42 pet businesses in Portage County. 6 of them (14%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 16 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023. Another 44 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Portage County, WI spend on pets?
About $24.7M a year, or $834 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 42 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $589K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 29,679 households in Portage County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Portage County, WI compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Portage County has 14.2 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 37% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $589K, 33% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Portage County would have about 28, against 42 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,855 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S.
How fast is Portage County, WI growing?
Population estimates put Portage County at 71,943 people in 2025, up 2.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 29,679 households. Median household income in Portage County is $76,070, 6% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.3%, 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. Portage County scores 47 for pet businesses (lower middle), #1,252 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Portage 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 Portage County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Portage 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 Portage 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.