Groundwork

Pets · County · North Carolina

Pet grooming and boarding businesses in New Hanover County, NC

The pet grooming and boarding businesses in New Hanover County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 48 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #794 of 1,461 scored counties
#48 of 67 scored counties in North Carolina

Listings
65
6 chain locations (9%)
Official establishments
32
+14.3% since 2019
Household spending a year
$97.4M
On pets · $929 a household
Spending per listing
$1.5M
41% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
6.2
72% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
245,959
+8.6% since 2020

See the pet grooming and boarding businesses around any address in New Hanover 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 New Hanover 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

At $929 per household (2% above the U.S. average), households in New Hanover County spend about $97.4M a year on pets. Spread across 65 pet grooming and boarding businesses, that is $1.5M per business, 41% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. The spending figure covers all pets, not only pet grooming and boarding businesses.

New Hanover County has 65 pet grooming and boarding businesses on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 6 are chain locations, or 9%, against 9% across the U.S. That is 6.2 per 10,000 households, 72% above the U.S. rate of 3.6.

Official counts show 32 businesses with payroll classed as pet care (except veterinary) in New Hanover County in 2023, up 14.3% from 2019. That is one for every 3,277 households, against one for every 5,057 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $619K have gone to businesses classed as pet care (except veterinary) in New Hanover County.

Population estimates put the population change in New Hanover County from 2020 to 2025 at +8.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for pet grooming and boarding businesses in New Hanover County is 48 (lower middle), #794 of 1,461 scored counties and #48 of 67 scored counties in North Carolina.

How New Hanover 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 New Hanover County, NC compared with North Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureNew Hanover CountyNorth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households6.23.83.6
Spending per listing$1.5M$2.4M$2.5M
Households per official establishment3,2774,6005,057
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+14.3%+24.0%+25.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025+8.6%+7.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on pets$929$899$909
Median household income$75,166$72,388$80,734
Groundwork market score4856

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
28 → 32+14.3% over the period
Employees, 2023
328
Annual payroll, 2023
$8M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
656 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
38The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
2
Amount
$619K

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

Population, 2025 estimate
245,959+8.6% since 2020
Households
104,856
Median age
41.0
Homes lived in by their owners
61%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
192 sq. mi.
People per square mile
1,223
Median household income
$75,166+36.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$107,828
Median home value
$387,800
Jobs located here
128,058
Daytime population
260,358Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in New Hanover 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 New Hanover 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 New Hanover 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
48New Hanover County, NC48656.2$1.5M+8.6%#794 of 1,461

Other business types in New Hanover 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 New Hanover County, NC?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 65 pet grooming and boarding businesses in New Hanover County. 6 of them (9%) are chain locations. The listings count groomers, boarding, dog daycare and pet sitters. Official counts show 32 businesses with payroll classed as pet care (except veterinary) in 2023, up 14.3% from 2019.

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

About $97.4M a year, or $929 per household. That is 2% above the U.S. average (an index of 102, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 65 pet grooming and boarding businesses on map listings, it comes to $1.5M per business. That spending covers all pets, which pet grooming and boarding businesses share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 104,856 households in New Hanover County and national spending patterns by income.

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

New Hanover County has 6.2 pet grooming and boarding businesses per 10,000 households, 72% above the U.S. rate of 3.6. Spending per business is $1.5M, 41% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the U.S. ratio of pet grooming and boarding businesses to household spending, New Hanover County would have about 38, against 65 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,277 households, against one for every 5,057 across the U.S. The official count rose 14.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +25.2% for the U.S.

How fast is New Hanover County, NC growing?

Population estimates put New Hanover County at 245,959 people in 2025, up 8.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 104,856 households. Median household income in New Hanover County is $75,166, 7% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 36.9%, 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. New Hanover County scores 48 for pet grooming and boarding businesses (lower middle), #794 of 1,461 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in New Hanover 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 New Hanover County

Screening a site or an acquisition in New Hanover 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 New Hanover 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.