Pets · County · North Carolina
Pet grooming and boarding businesses in McDowell County, NC
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet grooming and boarding businesses in McDowell County, NC, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 28 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,231 of 1,461 scored counties
#66 of 67 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 10
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $14M
- On pets · $749 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.4M
- 45% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.4
- 50% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 45,198
- +1.5% since 2020
See the pet grooming and boarding businesses around any address in McDowell 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 McDowell 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
McDowell County scores 28 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for pet grooming and boarding businesses, ranking #1,231 of 1,461 scored counties and #66 of 67 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 10 pet grooming and boarding businesses in McDowell County. None of them are chain locations, against 9% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 5.4, 50% above the U.S. rate of 3.6.
Households in McDowell County spend about $14M a year on pets, or $749 per household, 18% below the U.S. average. Spread across 10 pet grooming and boarding businesses, that is $1.4M per business, 45% 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.
There is no official count of businesses with payroll classed as pet care (except veterinary) in McDowell County: counts under 3 aren’t published. Population estimates put the population change in McDowell County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.5%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How McDowell County compares
The same measures for North Carolina 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 | McDowell County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.4 | 3.8 | 3.6 |
| Spending per listing | $1.4M | $2.4M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | n/a | 4,600 | 5,057 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +24.0% | +25.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.5% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $749 | $899 | $909 |
| Median household income | $57,168 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 28 | 56 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- n/a
- Employees, 2023
- n/a
- Annual payroll, 2023
- n/a
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 100 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 6The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care (except veterinary) in McDowell 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 McDowell County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 45,198+1.5% since 2020
- Households
- 18,638
- Median age
- 44.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 440 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 102
- Median household income
- $57,168+31.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $72,753
- Median home value
- $171,100
- Jobs located here
- 15,917
- Daytime population
- 39,859Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in McDowell 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 McDowell 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 North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in North Carolina for pet grooming and boarding businesses, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with McDowell County marked.
Top counties in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Durham County, NC | 82 | 32 | 2.3 | $4.4M | +7.7% | #39 of 1,461 |
| 2Alamance County, NC | 81 | 16 | 2.3 | $3.6M | +8.5% | #47 of 1,461 |
| 3Harnett County, NC | 80 | 18 | 3.6 | $2.4M | +12.3% | #67 of 1,461 |
| 4Wayne County, NC | 79 | 8 | 1.7 | $4.6M | +3.8% | #70 of 1,461 |
| 5Franklin County, NC | 78 | 7 | 2.5 | $3.5M | +18.8% | #84 of 1,461 |
| 6Cabarrus County, NC | 78 | 27 | 3.2 | $3.2M | +9.9% | #89 of 1,461 |
| 7Hoke County, NC | 78 | 5 | 2.6 | $3.1M | +9.0% | #90 of 1,461 |
| 8Guilford County, NC | 78 | 62 | 2.8 | $3.1M | +4.4% | #91 of 1,461 |
| 9Currituck County, NC | 76 | 6 | 5.1 | $2M | +16.7% | #113 of 1,461 |
| 10Mecklenburg County, NC | 75 | 158 | 3.4 | $3M | +10.5% | #121 of 1,461 |
| 66McDowell County, NC | 28 | 10 | 5.4 | $1.4M | +1.5% | #1,231 of 1,461 |
Other business types in McDowell 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
- Veterinarians
- Pet grooming and boarding28
- Pet stores
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet grooming and boarding businesses are in McDowell County, NC?
There are 10 pet grooming and boarding businesses on map listings in McDowell County as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations. The listings count groomers, boarding, dog daycare and pet sitters. No official count is published for pet care (except veterinary) in McDowell County: counts under 3 are left out.
How much do households in McDowell County, NC spend on pets?
About $14M a year, or $749 per household. That is 18% below the U.S. average (an index of 82, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 10 pet grooming and boarding businesses on map listings, it comes to $1.4M per business. The spending figure covers all pets, not only pet grooming and boarding businesses. It is estimated from the incomes of the 18,638 households in McDowell County and national spending patterns by income.
How does McDowell County, NC compare with the U.S. for pet grooming and boarding businesses?
McDowell County has 5.4 pet grooming and boarding businesses per 10,000 households, 50% above the U.S. rate of 3.6. Spending per business is $1.4M, 45% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the national ratio of pet grooming and boarding businesses to household spending, McDowell County would have about 6, against 10 on map listings.
How fast is McDowell County, NC growing?
Population estimates put McDowell County at 45,198 people in 2025, up 1.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 18,638 households. The median household income in McDowell County is $57,168 a year, 29% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.0% 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. McDowell County scores 28 for pet grooming and boarding businesses (lower middle), #1,231 of 1,461 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in McDowell 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 McDowell County
Screening a site or an acquisition in McDowell 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 McDowell 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.