Pets · County · Wisconsin
Pet businesses in Waukesha County, WI
How Waukesha 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 57 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #775 of 2,200 scored counties
#13 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin
- Listings
- 231
- 50 chain locations (22%)
- Official establishments
- 122
- +8.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $177.7M
- On pets · $1,054 a household
- Spending per listing
- $769K
- 12% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.7
- 32% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 417,210
- +2.4% since 2020
See the pet businesses around any address in Waukesha 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 Waukesha 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 231 pet businesses in Waukesha County. 50 of them (22%) are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. That is 13.7 per 10,000 households, 32% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.
Household spending on pets in Waukesha County comes to about $177.7M a year: $1,054 per household, 16% above the U.S. average. That is about $769K of household spending for each business on map listings, 12% below the U.S. figure of $878K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Waukesha County was 122 in 2023, up 8.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,382 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Another 180 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 12 SBA-backed loans worth $10.1M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Waukesha County.
Population estimates put the population change in Waukesha County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.4%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Waukesha County scores 57 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for pet businesses, ranking #775 of 2,200 scored counties and #13 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin.
How Waukesha 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 | Waukesha County | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.7 | 11.8 | 10.4 |
| Spending per listing | $769K | $730K | $878K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,382 | 1,721 | 1,852 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +8.0% | +8.5% | +11.4% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.4% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $1,054 | $861 | $909 |
| Median household income | $106,076 | $77,485 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 57 | 37 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 113 → 122+8.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,761
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $67.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 180Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 23150 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 202The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 12
- Amount
- $10.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in Waukesha 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 Waukesha County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 417,210+2.4% since 2020
- Households
- 168,658
- Median age
- 44.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 550 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 749
- Median household income
- $106,076+21.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $137,605
- Median home value
- $398,200
- Jobs located here
- 265,439
- Daytime population
- 468,429Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Waukesha 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 Waukesha 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 Waukesha 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 |
| 13Waukesha County, WI | 57 | 231 | 13.7 | $769K | +2.4% | #775 of 2,200 |
Other business types in Waukesha 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 businesses57
- Veterinarians68
- Pet grooming and boarding53
- Pet stores41
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet businesses are in Waukesha County, WI?
Waukesha County has 231 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 50 of them (22%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 122 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, up 8.0% from 2019. Official counts list 180 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Waukesha County, WI spend on pets?
About $177.7M a year, or $1,054 per household. That is 16% above the U.S. average (an index of 116, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 231 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $769K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 168,658 households in Waukesha County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Waukesha County, WI compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?
Waukesha County has 13.7 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 32% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $769K, 12% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the national ratio of pet businesses to household spending, Waukesha County would have about 202, against 231 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,382 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.
How fast is Waukesha County, WI growing?
Population estimates put Waukesha County at 417,210 people in 2025, up 2.4% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 168,658 households. The median household income in Waukesha County is $106,076 a year, 31% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 21.5% 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. Waukesha County scores 57 for pet businesses (upper middle), #775 of 2,200 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Waukesha 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 Waukesha County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Waukesha 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 Waukesha 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.