Pets · County · Minnesota
Pet grooming and boarding businesses in Dakota County, MN
How Dakota County, MN 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 75 out of 100: High
Ranked #120 of 1,461 scored counties
#1 of 35 scored counties in Minnesota
- Listings
- 58
- 4 chain locations (7%)
- Official establishments
- 37
- −2.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $182.7M
- On pets · $1,048 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.1M
- 24% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 3.3
- 8% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 457,710
- +3.9% since 2020
See the pet grooming and boarding businesses around any address in Dakota 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 Dakota 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
For pet grooming and boarding businesses, Dakota County has a Groundwork market score of 75 (high): #120 of 1,461 scored counties and #1 of 35 scored counties in Minnesota. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for pet grooming and boarding businesses.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 58 pet grooming and boarding businesses in Dakota County. Chain locations make up 7% of them, against 9% across the U.S. That comes to 3.3 for every 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 3.6.
Household spending on pets in Dakota County comes to about $182.7M a year: $1,048 per household, 15% above the U.S. average. That is about $3.1M of household spending for each business on map listings, 24% 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 37 businesses with payroll classed as pet care (except veterinary) in Dakota County in 2023, down 2.6% from 2019. That is one for every 4,712 households, against one for every 5,057 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $1.5M have gone to businesses classed as pet care (except veterinary) in Dakota County. Population estimates put the population change in Dakota County from 2020 to 2025 at +3.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Dakota County compares
The same measures for Minnesota 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 | Dakota County | Minnesota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 3.3 | 3.6 | 3.6 |
| Spending per listing | $3.1M | $2.6M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 4,712 | 4,710 | 5,057 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −2.6% | +18.9% | +25.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.9% | +2.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $1,048 | $951 | $909 |
| Median household income | $106,318 | $89,062 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 75 | 57 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 38 → 37−2.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 322
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $8.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 584 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 72The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $1.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care (except veterinary) in Dakota 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 Dakota County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 457,710+3.9% since 2020
- Households
- 174,362
- Median age
- 39.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 563 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 792
- Median household income
- $106,318+23.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $131,265
- Median home value
- $381,000
- Jobs located here
- 180,369
- Daytime population
- 396,728Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Dakota 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 Dakota 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 Minnesota
Every Minnesota market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Minnesota for pet grooming and boarding businesses, numbered among those based in Minnesota, with Dakota County marked.
Top counties in Minnesota
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Dakota County, MN | 75 | 58 | 3.3 | $3.1M | +3.9% | #120 of 1,461 |
| 2Stearns County, MN | 75 | 19 | 3.1 | $2.7M | +3.6% | #124 of 1,461 |
| 3Ramsey County, MN | 73 | 48 | 2.2 | $4.2M | −1.8% | #147 of 1,461 |
| 4Hennepin County, MN | 71 | 154 | 2.9 | $3.6M | +0.2% | #200 of 1,461 |
| 5Carver County, MN | 70 | 16 | 3.9 | $3M | +6.6% | #231 of 1,461 |
| 6Washington County, MN | 69 | 44 | 4.2 | $2.7M | +6.9% | #256 of 1,461 |
| 7Sherburne County, MN | 64 | 15 | 4.2 | $2.4M | +6.8% | #382 of 1,461 |
| 8Anoka County, MN | 63 | 55 | 4.0 | $2.5M | +4.7% | #403 of 1,461 |
| 9Blue Earth County, MN | 63 | 11 | 4.0 | $2.1M | +2.1% | #411 of 1,461 |
| 10Chisago County, MN | 62 | 10 | 4.7 | $2.1M | +4.3% | #425 of 1,461 |
Other business types in Dakota 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 businesses71
- Veterinarians75
- Pet grooming and boarding75
- Pet stores58
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet grooming and boarding businesses are in Dakota County, MN?
There are 58 pet grooming and boarding businesses on map listings in Dakota County as of September 2026. 4 of them (7%) are chain locations. The listings count groomers, boarding, dog daycare and pet sitters. Official counts show 37 businesses with payroll classed as pet care (except veterinary) in 2023, down 2.6% from 2019.
How much do households in Dakota County, MN spend on pets?
About $182.7M a year, or $1,048 per household. That is 15% above the U.S. average (an index of 115, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 58 pet grooming and boarding businesses on map listings, it comes to $3.1M per business. The spending figure covers all pets, not only pet grooming and boarding businesses. It is estimated from the incomes of the 174,362 households in Dakota County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Dakota County, MN compare with the U.S. for pet grooming and boarding businesses?
Dakota County has 3.3 pet grooming and boarding businesses per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 3.6. Spending per business is $3.1M, 24% above the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the national ratio of pet grooming and boarding businesses to household spending, Dakota County would have about 72, against 58 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 4,712 households, against one for every 5,057 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +25.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Dakota County, MN growing?
Population estimates put Dakota County at 457,710 people in 2025, up 3.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 174,362 households. The median household income in Dakota County is $106,318 a year, 32% 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. Dakota County scores 75 for pet grooming and boarding businesses (high), #120 of 1,461 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Dakota 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 Dakota County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Dakota 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 Dakota 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.