Pets · County · Maryland
Pet grooming and boarding businesses in Howard County, MD
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet grooming and boarding businesses in Howard County, MD, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 71 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #195 of 1,461 scored counties
#9 of 21 scored counties in Maryland
- Listings
- 42
- 5 chain locations (12%)
- Official establishments
- 31
- +14.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $166M
- On pets · $1,371 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4M
- 55% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 3.5
- 3% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 339,183
- +1.9% since 2020
See the pet grooming and boarding businesses around any address in Howard 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 Howard 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 42 pet grooming and boarding businesses in Howard County. Of those, 5 are chain locations, or 12%, against 9% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 3.5, 3% below the U.S. rate of 3.6.
Household spending on pets in Howard County comes to about $166M a year: $1,371 per household, 51% above the U.S. average. Spread across 42 pet grooming and boarding businesses, that is $4M per business, 55% 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as pet care (except veterinary) in Howard County was 31 in 2023, up 14.8% from 2019. That is one for every 3,905 households, against one for every 5,057 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $2.4M have gone to businesses classed as pet care (except veterinary) in Howard County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Howard County grew 1.9%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For pet grooming and boarding businesses, Howard County has a Groundwork market score of 71 (upper middle): #195 of 1,461 scored counties and #9 of 21 scored counties in Maryland. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Howard County compares
The same measures for Maryland 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 | Howard County | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 3.5 | 2.8 | 3.6 |
| Spending per listing | $4M | $4M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,905 | 5,735 | 5,057 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +14.8% | +17.7% | +25.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.9% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $1,371 | $1,117 | $909 |
| Median household income | $149,763 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 71 | 76 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 27 → 31+14.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 485
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $11.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 425 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 65The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $2.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care (except veterinary) in Howard 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 Howard County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 339,183+1.9% since 2020
- Households
- 121,065
- Median age
- 40.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 251 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,340
- Median household income
- $149,763+23.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $184,243
- Median home value
- $597,900
- Jobs located here
- 185,575
- Daytime population
- 363,145Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Howard 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 Howard 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 Maryland
Every Maryland market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Maryland for pet grooming and boarding businesses, numbered among those based in Maryland, with Howard County marked.
Top counties in Maryland
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Charles County, MD | 85 | 19 | 3.1 | $3.9M | +5.9% | #18 of 1,461 |
| 2Prince George’s County, MD | 84 | 40 | 1.2 | $9.5M | +0.5% | #24 of 1,461 |
| 3Frederick County, MD | 84 | 38 | 3.6 | $3.4M | +11.0% | #29 of 1,461 |
| 4Montgomery County, MD | 78 | 99 | 2.5 | $5.1M | +1.3% | #81 of 1,461 |
| 5Baltimore County, MD | 76 | 84 | 2.5 | $4.1M | −0.7% | #99 of 1,461 |
| 6St. Mary’s County, MD | 76 | 17 | 4.0 | $3M | +2.4% | #105 of 1,461 |
| 7Harford County, MD | 72 | 24 | 2.4 | $4.9M | +2.0% | #172 of 1,461 |
| 8Baltimore city, MD | 71 | 42 | 1.6 | $5.1M | −2.3% | #191 of 1,461 |
| 9Howard County, MD | 71 | 42 | 3.5 | $4M | +1.9% | #195 of 1,461 |
| 10Anne Arundel County, MD | 68 | 71 | 3.2 | $3.9M | +1.7% | #270 of 1,461 |
Other business types in Howard 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 businesses68
- Veterinarians69
- Pet grooming and boarding71
- Pet stores67
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet grooming and boarding businesses are in Howard County, MD?
Howard County has 42 pet grooming and boarding businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 5 of them (12%) are chain locations. The listings count groomers, boarding, dog daycare and pet sitters. Official counts show 31 businesses with payroll classed as pet care (except veterinary) in 2023, up 14.8% from 2019.
How much do households in Howard County, MD spend on pets?
About $166M a year, or $1,371 per household. That is 51% above the U.S. average (an index of 151, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 42 pet grooming and boarding businesses on map listings, it comes to $4M per business. The spending figure covers all pets, not only pet grooming and boarding businesses. It is estimated from the incomes of the 121,065 households in Howard County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Howard County, MD compare with the U.S. for pet grooming and boarding businesses?
Howard County has 3.5 pet grooming and boarding businesses per 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 3.6. Spending per business is $4M, 55% above the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the national ratio of pet grooming and boarding businesses to household spending, Howard County would have about 65, against 42 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,905 households, against one for every 5,057 across the U.S. The official count rose 14.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +25.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Howard County, MD growing?
Population estimates put Howard County at 339,183 people in 2025, up 1.9% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 121,065 households. The median household income in Howard County is $149,763 a year, 86% 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. Howard County scores 71 for pet grooming and boarding businesses (upper middle), #195 of 1,461 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Howard 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 Howard County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Howard 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 Howard 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.