Groundwork

Pets · Small-town market · Wisconsin

Pet businesses in the Whitewater-Elkhorn, WI area

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet businesses in the Whitewater-Elkhorn, WI area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 44 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #347 of 527 scored small-town markets
#6 of 13 scored small-town markets based in Wisconsin

Listings
72
7 chain locations (10%)
Official establishments
26
−10.3% since 2019
Household spending a year
$38.7M
On pets · $897 a household
Spending per listing
$537K
39% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
16.7
61% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
106,127
+0.8% since 2020

See the pet businesses around any address in the Whitewater-Elkhorn 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 Whitewater-Elkhorn area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

At $897 per household (in line with the U.S. average), households in the Whitewater-Elkhorn area spend about $38.7M a year on pets. Spread across 72 pet businesses, that is $537K per business, 39% below the U.S. figure of $878K.

The Whitewater-Elkhorn area has 72 pet businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 7 of them (10%) are chain locations, against 17% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 16.7, 61% above the U.S. rate of 10.4.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Whitewater-Elkhorn area was 26 in 2023, down 10.3% from 2019. That is one for every 1,657 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. Official counts also show 57 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $1.4M have gone to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Whitewater-Elkhorn area.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Whitewater-Elkhorn area grew 0.8%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for pet businesses in the Whitewater-Elkhorn area is 44 (lower middle), #347 of 527 scored small-town markets and #6 of 13 scored small-town markets based in Wisconsin.

How the Whitewater-Elkhorn area 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.

Pet businesses in Whitewater-Elkhorn, WI area compared with Wisconsin and the U.S.
MeasureWhitewater-Elkhorn areaWisconsinU.S.
Listings per 10k households16.711.810.4
Spending per listing$537K$730K$878K
Households per official establishment1,6571,7211,852
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−10.3%+8.5%+11.4%
Population growth, 2020–2025+0.8%+1.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on pets$897$861$909
Median household income$80,520$77,485$80,734
Groundwork market score4437

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
26−10.3% over the period
Employees, 2023
231
Annual payroll, 2023
$10.5M
One-person businesses, 2023
57Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
727 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
44The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
2
Amount
$1.4M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in the Whitewater-Elkhorn 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 Whitewater-Elkhorn area

Population, 2025 estimate
106,127+0.8% since 2020
Households
43,087
Median age
42.4
Homes lived in by their owners
71%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
555 sq. mi.
People per square mile
190
Median household income
$80,520+26.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$109,464
Median home value
$302,700
Jobs located here
43,660
Daytime population
95,627Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Whitewater-Elkhorn area?

These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 Whitewater-Elkhorn area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Pet businesses across Wisconsin

Every Wisconsin market ranked →

The highest-scoring small-town markets in Wisconsin for pet businesses, numbered among those based in Wisconsin (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Whitewater-Elkhorn area marked.

Top small-town markets in Wisconsin

Small-town markets in Wisconsin ranked for pet businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Shawano, WI59189.7$785K+1.4%#152 of 527
2Stevens Point-Plover, WI524214.2$589K+2.2%#256 of 527
Iron Mountain, MI-WI491913.5$557K+0.4%#294 of 527
3Sparta, WI482111.5$688K+0.6%#300 of 527
4Manitowoc, WI484613.1$602K+0.4%#307 of 527
5Wisconsin Rapids-Marshfield, WI454112.7$610K−0.2%#332 of 527
6Whitewater-Elkhorn, WI447216.7$537K+0.8%#347 of 527
7Menomonie, WI422614.9$554K+1.7%#364 of 527
8Watertown-Fort Atkinson, WI425716.3$528K+0.3%#366 of 527
9Baraboo, WI414315.4$554K+1.3%#375 of 527

Other business types in the Whitewater-Elkhorn area

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many pet businesses are in the Whitewater-Elkhorn, WI area?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 72 pet businesses in the Whitewater-Elkhorn area. 7 of them (10%) are chain locations. The listings count vets, groomers, boarding and pet stores. Official counts show 26 businesses with payroll classed as pet care, veterinarians and pet stores in 2023, down 10.3% from 2019. Another 57 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in the Whitewater-Elkhorn, WI area spend on pets?

About $38.7M a year, or $897 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 99, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 72 pet businesses on map listings, it comes to $537K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 43,087 households in the Whitewater-Elkhorn area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Whitewater-Elkhorn, WI area compare with the U.S. for pet businesses?

The Whitewater-Elkhorn area has 16.7 pet businesses per 10,000 households, 61% above the U.S. rate of 10.4. Spending per business is $537K, 39% below the U.S. figure of $878K. At the U.S. ratio of pet businesses to household spending, the Whitewater-Elkhorn area would have about 44, against 72 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,657 households, against one for every 1,852 across the U.S. The official count fell 10.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.4% for the U.S.

How fast is the Whitewater-Elkhorn, WI area growing?

Population estimates put the Whitewater-Elkhorn area at 106,127 people in 2025, up 0.8% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 43,087 households. Median household income in the Whitewater-Elkhorn area is $80,520, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.3%, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Whitewater-Elkhorn area scores 44 for pet businesses (lower middle), #347 of 527 scored small-town markets.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Whitewater-Elkhorn 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 Whitewater-Elkhorn area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Whitewater-Elkhorn 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 Whitewater-Elkhorn 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.