Pets · County · Massachusetts
Pet grooming and boarding businesses in Middlesex County, MA
How Middlesex County, MA 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 52 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #684 of 1,461 scored counties
#2 of 13 scored counties in Massachusetts
- Listings
- 278
- 30 chain locations (11%)
- Official establishments
- 166
- +5.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $557.8M
- On pets · $880 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2M
- 21% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.4
- 22% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,669,979
- +2.8% since 2020
See the pet grooming and boarding businesses around any address in Middlesex 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 Middlesex 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 278 pet grooming and boarding businesses in Middlesex County. Chain locations make up 11% of them, against 9% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 4.4, 22% above the U.S. rate of 3.6.
Households in Middlesex County spend about $557.8M a year on pets, or $880 per household, 3% below the U.S. average. That works out to $2M per business, 21% 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 166 businesses with payroll in Middlesex County classed as pet care (except veterinary), up 5.7% from 2019. That is one for every 3,821 households, against one for every 5,057 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 16 SBA-backed loans worth $3.9M have gone to businesses classed as pet care (except veterinary) in Middlesex County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Middlesex County grew 2.8%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). Middlesex County scores 52 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for pet grooming and boarding businesses, ranking #684 of 1,461 scored counties and #2 of 13 scored counties in Massachusetts.
How Middlesex County compares
The same measures for Massachusetts 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 | Middlesex County | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.4 | 4.3 | 3.6 |
| Spending per listing | $2M | $1.8M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,821 | 3,669 | 5,057 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +5.7% | +16.1% | +25.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.8% | +2.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $880 | $776 | $909 |
| Median household income | $130,847 | $103,960 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 52 | 18 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 157 → 166+5.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,180
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $38.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 27830 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 219The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 16
- Amount
- $3.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care (except veterinary) in Middlesex 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 Middlesex County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,669,979+2.8% since 2020
- Households
- 634,215
- Median age
- 40.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 818 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 2,003
- Median household income
- $130,847+27.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $178,065
- Median home value
- $727,800
- Jobs located here
- 949,767
- Daytime population
- 1,753,217Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Middlesex 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 Middlesex 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 Massachusetts
Every Massachusetts market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Massachusetts for pet grooming and boarding businesses, numbered among those based in Massachusetts, with Middlesex County marked.
Top counties in Massachusetts
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Suffolk County, MA | 59 | 67 | 2.0 | $3.6M | +0.1% | #501 of 1,461 |
| 2Middlesex County, MA | 52 | 278 | 4.4 | $2M | +2.8% | #684 of 1,461 |
| 3Hampden County, MA | 51 | 53 | 2.9 | $2.1M | +0.2% | #710 of 1,461 |
| 4Norfolk County, MA | 44 | 134 | 4.7 | $1.9M | +2.2% | #863 of 1,461 |
| 5Worcester County, MA | 38 | 148 | 4.4 | $1.7M | +3.7% | #1,017 of 1,461 |
| 6Essex County, MA | 32 | 148 | 4.7 | $1.6M | +2.3% | #1,140 of 1,461 |
| 7Franklin County, MA | 30 | 14 | 4.4 | $1.4M | −0.3% | #1,190 of 1,461 |
| 8Hampshire County, MA | 30 | 38 | 6.1 | $1.1M | +10.4% | #1,196 of 1,461 |
| 9Bristol County, MA | 29 | 112 | 4.8 | $1.4M | +2.9% | #1,204 of 1,461 |
| 10Dukes County, MA | 29 | 5 | 6.6 | $1.3M | +3.1% | #1,211 of 1,461 |
Other business types in Middlesex 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 businesses66
- Veterinarians75
- Pet grooming and boarding52
- Pet stores71
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet grooming and boarding businesses are in Middlesex County, MA?
There are 278 pet grooming and boarding businesses on map listings in Middlesex County as of September 2026. 30 of them (11%) are chain locations. The listings count groomers, boarding, dog daycare and pet sitters. Official counts show 166 businesses with payroll classed as pet care (except veterinary) in 2023, up 5.7% from 2019.
How much do households in Middlesex County, MA spend on pets?
About $557.8M a year, or $880 per household. That is 3% below the U.S. average (an index of 97, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 278 pet grooming and boarding businesses on map listings, it comes to $2M per business. The spending figure covers all pets, not only pet grooming and boarding businesses. It is estimated from the incomes of the 634,215 households in Middlesex County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Middlesex County, MA compare with the U.S. for pet grooming and boarding businesses?
Middlesex County has 4.4 pet grooming and boarding businesses per 10,000 households, 22% above the U.S. rate of 3.6. Spending per business is $2M, 21% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the national ratio of pet grooming and boarding businesses to household spending, Middlesex County would have about 219, against 278 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,821 households, against one for every 5,057 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +25.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Middlesex County, MA growing?
Population estimates put Middlesex County at 1,669,979 people in 2025, up 2.8% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 634,215 households. The median household income in Middlesex County is $130,847 a year, 62% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 27.5% 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. Middlesex County scores 52 for pet grooming and boarding businesses (upper middle), #684 of 1,461 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Middlesex 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 Middlesex County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Middlesex 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 Middlesex 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.