Pets · County · Wisconsin
Pet businesses in Rusk County, WI
How Rusk 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 35 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,711 of 2,200 scored counties
#51 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin
- Listings
- 7
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $4.6M
- On pets · $718 a household
- Spending per listing
- $652K
- 26% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.0
- 6% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 14,146
- −0.2% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Rusk 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 Rusk 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
Rusk County scores 35 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for pet businesses, ranking #1,711 of 2,200 scored counties and #51 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Household spending on pets in Rusk County comes to about $4.6M a year: $718 per household, 21% below the U.S. average. That works out to $652K per business, 26% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
Rusk County has 7 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. That is 11.0 per 10,000 households, 6% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
Official counts don’t publish a figure for pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Rusk County, since they leave out counts under 3. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Rusk County declined 0.2%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Rusk 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 | Rusk County | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.0 | 11.8 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $652K | $730K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | n/a | 1,721 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +8.5% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.2% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $718 | $861 | $909 |
| Median household income | $59,944 | $77,485 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 35 | 37 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- n/a
- Employees, 2023
- n/a
- Annual payroll, 2023
- n/a
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 4Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 70 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 5The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Rusk 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 Rusk County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 14,146−0.2% since 2020
- Households
- 6,355
- Median age
- 47.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 914 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 16
- Median household income
- $59,944+26.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $73,376
- Median home value
- $163,400
- Jobs located here
- 4,892
- Daytime population
- 12,818Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Rusk 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 Rusk 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 Rusk 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 |
| 51Rusk County, WI | 35 | 7 | 11.0 | $652K | −0.2% | #1,711 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Rusk 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 businesses35
- Veterinarians
- Pet grooming and boarding
- Pet stores
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Rusk County, WI?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 7 pet businesses in Rusk County. None of them are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. No official count is published for pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Rusk County: counts under 3 are left out. Official counts also show 4 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Rusk County, WI spend on pets?
About $4.6M a year, or $718 per household. That is 21% below the U.S. average (an index of 79, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 7 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $652K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 6,355 households in Rusk County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Rusk County, WI compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Rusk County has 11.0 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 6% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $652K, 26% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Rusk County would have about 5, against 7 on map listings.
How fast is Rusk County, WI growing?
Population estimates put Rusk County at 14,146 people in 2025, down 0.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 6,355 households. Median household income in Rusk County is $59,944, 26% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.1%, 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. Rusk County scores 35 for pet businesses (lower middle), #1,711 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Rusk 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 Rusk County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Rusk 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 Rusk 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.