Groundwork

Pets · County · North Carolina

Pet grooming and boarding businesses in Mecklenburg County, NC

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet grooming and boarding businesses in Mecklenburg County, NC, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 75 out of 100: High

Ranked #121 of 1,461 scored counties
#10 of 67 scored counties in North Carolina

Listings
158
33 chain locations (21%)
Official establishments
114
+2.7% since 2019
Household spending a year
$477.9M
On pets · $1,024 a household
Spending per listing
$3M
19% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
3.4
6% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
1,233,383
+10.5% since 2020

See the pet grooming and boarding businesses around any address in Mecklenburg 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 Mecklenburg County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Mecklenburg County scores 75 (high) on the Groundwork market score for pet grooming and boarding businesses, ranking #121 of 1,461 scored counties and #10 of 67 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for pet grooming and boarding businesses.

Map listings as of September 2026 show 158 pet grooming and boarding businesses in Mecklenburg County. 33 of them (21%) are chain locations, against 9% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 3.4, 6% below the U.S. rate of 3.6.

At $1,024 per household (13% above the U.S. average), households in Mecklenburg County spend about $477.9M a year on pets. That is about $3M of household spending for each business on map listings, 19% 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.

In 2023, official counts showed 114 businesses with payroll in Mecklenburg County classed as pet care (except veterinary), up 2.7% from 2019. That is one for every 4,092 households, against one for every 5,057 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 11 SBA-backed loans worth $5M have gone to businesses classed as pet care (except veterinary) in Mecklenburg County. Population estimates show Mecklenburg County grew 10.5% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Mecklenburg 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.

Pet grooming and boarding in Mecklenburg County, NC compared with North Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureMecklenburg CountyNorth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households3.43.83.6
Spending per listing$3M$2.4M$2.5M
Households per official establishment4,0924,6005,057
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+2.7%+24.0%+25.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025+10.5%+7.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on pets$1,024$899$909
Median household income$87,005$72,388$80,734
Groundwork market score7556

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
111 → 114+2.7% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,062
Annual payroll, 2023
$31.3M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
15833 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
188The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
11
Amount
$5M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care (except veterinary) in Mecklenburg 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 Mecklenburg County

Population, 2025 estimate
1,233,383+10.5% since 2020
Households
466,527
Median age
36.7
Homes lived in by their owners
55%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
524 sq. mi.
People per square mile
2,205
Median household income
$87,005+30.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$128,768
Median home value
$406,800
Jobs located here
829,972
Daytime population
1,424,612Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Mecklenburg 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 Mecklenburg County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Pet 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 Mecklenburg County marked.

Top counties in North Carolina

Counties in North Carolina ranked for pet grooming and boarding businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Durham County, NC82322.3$4.4M+7.7%#39 of 1,461
2Alamance County, NC81162.3$3.6M+8.5%#47 of 1,461
3Harnett County, NC80183.6$2.4M+12.3%#67 of 1,461
4Wayne County, NC7981.7$4.6M+3.8%#70 of 1,461
5Franklin County, NC7872.5$3.5M+18.8%#84 of 1,461
6Cabarrus County, NC78273.2$3.2M+9.9%#89 of 1,461
7Hoke County, NC7852.6$3.1M+9.0%#90 of 1,461
8Guilford County, NC78622.8$3.1M+4.4%#91 of 1,461
9Currituck County, NC7665.1$2M+16.7%#113 of 1,461
10Mecklenburg County, NC751583.4$3M+10.5%#121 of 1,461

Other business types in Mecklenburg County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many pet grooming and boarding businesses are in Mecklenburg County, NC?

There are 158 pet grooming and boarding businesses on map listings in Mecklenburg County as of September 2026. 33 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count groomers, boarding, dog daycare and pet sitters. Official counts show 114 businesses with payroll classed as pet care (except veterinary) in 2023, up 2.7% from 2019.

How much do households in Mecklenburg County, NC spend on pets?

About $477.9M a year, or $1,024 per household. That is 13% above the U.S. average (an index of 113, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 158 pet grooming and boarding businesses on map listings, it comes to $3M per business. The spending figure covers all pets, not only pet grooming and boarding businesses. It is estimated from the incomes of the 466,527 households in Mecklenburg County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Mecklenburg County, NC compare with the U.S. for pet grooming and boarding businesses?

Mecklenburg County has 3.4 pet grooming and boarding businesses per 10,000 households, 6% below the U.S. rate of 3.6. Spending per business is $3M, 19% above the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the national ratio of pet grooming and boarding businesses to household spending, Mecklenburg County would have about 188, against 158 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 4,092 households, against one for every 5,057 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +25.2% for the U.S.

How fast is Mecklenburg County, NC growing?

Population estimates put Mecklenburg County at 1,233,383 people in 2025, up 10.5% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 466,527 households. The median household income in Mecklenburg County is $87,005 a year, 8% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.6% 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. Mecklenburg County scores 75 for pet grooming and boarding businesses (high), #121 of 1,461 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Mecklenburg 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 Mecklenburg County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Mecklenburg 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 Mecklenburg 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.