Pets · County · Iowa
Pet grooming and boarding businesses in Polk County, IA
How Polk County, IA 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 57 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #555 of 1,461 scored counties
#8 of 28 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 85
- 9 chain locations (11%)
- Official establishments
- 59
- +84.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $187.6M
- On pets · $913 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.2M
- 13% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.1
- 14% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 516,546
- +4.8% 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 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 85 pet grooming and boarding businesses in Polk County. Chain locations make up 11% of them, against 9% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 4.1, 14% above the U.S. rate of 3.6.
Households in Polk County spend about $187.6M a year on pets, or $913 per household, in line with the U.S. average. Spread across 85 pet grooming and boarding businesses, that is $2.2M per business, 13% below 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 59 businesses with payroll in Polk County classed as pet care (except veterinary), up 84.4% from 2019. That is one for every 3,481 households, against one for every 5,057 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $762K have gone to businesses classed as pet care (except veterinary) in Polk County.
Population estimates put the population change in Polk County from 2020 to 2025 at +4.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Polk County scores 57 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for pet grooming and boarding businesses, ranking #555 of 1,461 scored counties and #8 of 28 scored counties in Iowa.
How Polk County compares
The same measures for Iowa 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.
| Measure | Polk County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.1 | 3.9 | 3.6 |
| Spending per listing | $2.2M | $2.2M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,481 | 4,460 | 5,057 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +84.4% | +39.8% | +25.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.8% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $913 | $843 | $909 |
| Median household income | $83,576 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 57 | 35 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 32 → 59+84.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 779
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $19.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 859 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 74The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $762K
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
- 516,546+4.8% since 2020
- Households
- 205,358
- Median age
- 37.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 573 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 879
- Median household income
- $83,576+23.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $109,398
- Median home value
- $262,100
- Jobs located here
- 309,340
- Daytime population
- 566,731Residents 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.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardPet grooming and boarding across Iowa
Every Iowa market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Iowa for pet grooming and boarding businesses, numbered among those based in Iowa, with Polk County marked.
Top counties in Iowa
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Dallas County, IA | 75 | 12 | 2.8 | $3.7M | +17.8% | #116 of 1,461 |
| 2Johnson County, IA | 73 | 16 | 2.5 | $3.5M | +4.6% | #152 of 1,461 |
| 3Story County, IA | 71 | 9 | 2.3 | $3.6M | +2.7% | #199 of 1,461 |
| 4Warren County, IA | 70 | 6 | 2.9 | $3.3M | +9.0% | #226 of 1,461 |
| 5Scott County, IA | 61 | 29 | 4.0 | $2.2M | +0.4% | #456 of 1,461 |
| 6Pottawattamie County, IA | 61 | 14 | 3.7 | $2.2M | −0.7% | #458 of 1,461 |
| 7Woodbury County, IA | 57 | 7 | 1.7 | $4.7M | +0.7% | #544 of 1,461 |
| 8Polk County, IA | 57 | 85 | 4.1 | $2.2M | +4.8% | #555 of 1,461 |
| 9Black Hawk County, IA | 57 | 20 | 3.7 | $2.1M | +0.4% | #558 of 1,461 |
| 10Clinton County, IA | 51 | 6 | 3.1 | $2.6M | −0.9% | #701 of 1,461 |
Other business types in Polk 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 businesses62
- Veterinarians66
- Pet grooming and boarding57
- Pet stores55
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet grooming and boarding businesses are in Polk County, IA?
Polk County has 85 pet grooming and boarding businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 9 of them (11%) are chain locations. The listings count groomers, boarding, dog daycare and pet sitters. Official counts show 59 businesses with payroll classed as pet care (except veterinary) in 2023, up 84.4% from 2019.
How much do households in Polk County, IA spend on pets?
About $187.6M a year, or $913 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 100, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 85 pet grooming and boarding businesses on map listings, it comes to $2.2M per business. The spending figure covers all pets, not only pet grooming and boarding businesses. It is estimated from the incomes of the 205,358 households in Polk County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Polk County, IA compare with the U.S. for pet grooming and boarding businesses?
Polk County has 4.1 pet grooming and boarding businesses per 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 3.6. Spending per business is $2.2M, 13% below 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 74, against 85 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,481 households, against one for every 5,057 across the U.S. The official count rose 84.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +25.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Polk County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Polk County at 516,546 people in 2025, up 4.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 205,358 households. The median household income in Polk County is $83,576 a year, 4% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.6% 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 57 for pet grooming and boarding businesses (upper middle), #555 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.