Groundwork

Pets · County · Florida

Pet grooming and boarding businesses in Polk County, FL

How Polk County, FL compares with other counties and the U.S. for pet grooming and boarding businesses: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 82 out of 100: High

Ranked #43 of 1,461 scored counties
#2 of 44 scored counties in Florida

Listings
75
4 chain locations (5%)
Official establishments
41
+51.9% since 2019
Household spending a year
$238.9M
On pets · $825 a household
Spending per listing
$3.2M
25% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
2.6
28% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
874,790
+19.8% since 2020

See the pet grooming and boarding businesses around any address in Polk County

The site report maps the pet grooming and boarding 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 Polk County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

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

What this means

Polk County scores 82 (high) on the Groundwork market score for pet grooming and boarding businesses, ranking #43 of 1,461 scored counties and #2 of 44 scored counties in Florida. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for pet grooming and boarding businesses.

As of September 2026, map listings count 75 pet grooming and boarding businesses in Polk County. 4 of them (5%) are chain locations, against 9% across the U.S. That comes to 2.6 for every 10,000 households, 28% below the U.S. rate of 3.6.

At $825 per household (9% below the U.S. average), households in Polk County spend about $238.9M a year on pets. That works out to $3.2M per business, 25% above the U.S. figure of $2.5M. That spending covers all pets, which pet grooming and boarding businesses share with other businesses in the trade.

Official counts show 41 businesses with payroll classed as pet care (except veterinary) in Polk County in 2023, up 51.9% from 2019. That is one for every 7,059 households, against one for every 5,057 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $653K have gone to businesses classed as pet care (except veterinary) in Polk County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Polk County grew 19.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Polk County compares

The same measures for Florida and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all pets by the pet grooming and boarding 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 grooming and boarding in Polk County, FL compared with Florida and the U.S.
MeasurePolk CountyFloridaU.S.
Listings per 10k households2.63.83.6
Spending per listing$3.2M$2.4M$2.5M
Households per official establishment7,0594,5525,057
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+51.9%+35.7%+25.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025+19.8%+8.7%+3.1%
Spending per household on pets$825$915$909
Median household income$65,978$74,568$80,734
Groundwork market score8259

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
27 → 41+51.9% over the period
Employees, 2023
228
Annual payroll, 2023
$6.3M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
754 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
94The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
4
Amount
$653K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care (except veterinary) in Polk 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 Polk County

Population, 2025 estimate
874,790+19.8% since 2020
Households
289,425
Median age
40.5
Homes lived in by their owners
70%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
1,799 sq. mi.
People per square mile
440
Median household income
$65,978+30.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$87,487
Median home value
$266,500
Jobs located here
284,856
Daytime population
728,367Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Polk 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 grooming and boarding businesses on map listings by name and distance.

Or open the report at the center of Polk County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Pet grooming and boarding across Florida

Every Florida market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Florida for pet grooming and boarding businesses, numbered among those based in Florida, with Polk County marked.

Top counties in Florida

Counties in Florida ranked for pet grooming and boarding businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Sumter County, FL89182.6$3.5M+21.1%#9 of 1,461
2Polk County, FL82752.6$3.2M+19.8%#43 of 1,461
3Orange County, FL751563.0$3.2M+6.7%#119 of 1,461
4Manatee County, FL75714.0$2.4M+16.6%#129 of 1,461
5Miami-Dade County, FL742732.8$3.2M+4.0%#130 of 1,461
6Duval County, FL741403.4$2.6M+6.5%#135 of 1,461
7Bay County, FL74313.9$2.2M+17.2%#140 of 1,461
8St. Lucie County, FL74564.1$2.1M+21.4%#142 of 1,461
9Escambia County, FL72483.7$2.3M+3.5%#186 of 1,461
10Broward County, FL712453.2$2.9M+3.6%#208 of 1,461

Other business types in Polk County

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

Questions

How many pet grooming and boarding businesses are in Polk County, FL?

Polk County has 75 pet grooming and boarding businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 4 of them (5%) are chain locations. The listings count groomers, boarding, dog daycare and pet sitters. Official counts show 41 businesses with payroll classed as pet care (except veterinary) in 2023, up 51.9% from 2019.

How much do households in Polk County, FL spend on pets?

About $238.9M a year, or $825 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 75 pet grooming and boarding businesses on map listings, it comes to $3.2M per business. The spending figure covers all pets, not only pet grooming and boarding businesses. It is estimated from the incomes of the 289,425 households in Polk County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Polk County, FL compare with the U.S. for pet grooming and boarding businesses?

Polk County has 2.6 pet grooming and boarding businesses per 10,000 households, 28% below the U.S. rate of 3.6. Spending per business is $3.2M, 25% above the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the national ratio of pet grooming and boarding businesses to household spending, Polk County would have about 94, against 75 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 7,059 households, against one for every 5,057 across the U.S. The official count rose 51.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +25.2% for the U.S.

How fast is Polk County, FL growing?

Population estimates put Polk County at 874,790 people in 2025, up 19.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 289,425 households. The median household income in Polk County is $65,978 a year, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.4% 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. Polk County scores 82 for pet grooming and boarding businesses (high), #43 of 1,461 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Polk County. It maps the pet grooming and boarding 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 grooming and boarding businesses · All 56 business types in Polk County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Polk 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 Polk 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.