Pets · County · North Carolina
Pet grooming and boarding businesses in Union County, NC
The pet grooming and boarding businesses in Union County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 55 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #615 of 1,461 scored counties
#37 of 67 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 52
- 4 chain locations (8%)
- Official establishments
- 32
- +18.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $93.5M
- On pets · $1,110 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.8M
- 29% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.2
- 72% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 267,674
- +11.7% since 2020
See the pet grooming and boarding businesses around any address in Union 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 Union 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 52 pet grooming and boarding businesses in Union County. Chain locations make up 8% of them, against 9% across the U.S. That is 6.2 per 10,000 households, 72% above the U.S. rate of 3.6.
At $1,110 per household (22% above the U.S. average), households in Union County spend about $93.5M a year on pets. That works out to $1.8M per business, 29% 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 32 businesses with payroll in Union County classed as pet care (except veterinary), up 18.5% from 2019. That is one for every 2,632 households, against one for every 5,057 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $3M have gone to businesses classed as pet care (except veterinary) in Union County.
Population estimates put the population change in Union County from 2020 to 2025 at +11.7%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For pet grooming and boarding businesses, Union County has a Groundwork market score of 55 (upper middle): #615 of 1,461 scored counties and #37 of 67 scored counties in North Carolina.
How Union 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 | Union County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.2 | 3.8 | 3.6 |
| Spending per listing | $1.8M | $2.4M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,632 | 4,600 | 5,057 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +18.5% | +24.0% | +25.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +11.7% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $1,110 | $899 | $909 |
| Median household income | $102,900 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 55 | 56 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 27 → 32+18.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 236
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 524 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 37The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care (except veterinary) in Union 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 Union County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 267,674+11.7% since 2020
- Households
- 84,237
- Median age
- 39.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 82%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 633 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 397
- Median household income
- $102,900+28.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $137,492
- Median home value
- $417,300
- Jobs located here
- 76,151
- Daytime population
- 210,985Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Union 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 Union 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 Union 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 |
| 37Union County, NC | 55 | 52 | 6.2 | $1.8M | +11.7% | #615 of 1,461 |
Other business types in Union 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
- Veterinarians80
- Pet grooming and boarding55
- Pet stores84
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet grooming and boarding businesses are in Union County, NC?
Union County has 52 pet grooming and boarding businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 4 of them (8%) 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 18.5% from 2019.
How much do households in Union County, NC spend on pets?
About $93.5M a year, or $1,110 per household. That is 22% above the U.S. average (an index of 122, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 52 pet grooming and boarding businesses on map listings, it comes to $1.8M per business. The spending figure covers all pets, not only pet grooming and boarding businesses. It is estimated from the incomes of the 84,237 households in Union County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Union County, NC compare with the U.S. for pet grooming and boarding businesses?
Union 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 $1.8M, 29% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the national ratio of pet grooming and boarding businesses to household spending, Union County would have about 37, against 52 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,632 households, against one for every 5,057 across the U.S. The official count rose 18.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +25.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Union County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Union County at 267,674 people in 2025, up 11.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 84,237 households. The median household income in Union County is $102,900 a year, 27% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 28.6% 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. Union County scores 55 for pet grooming and boarding businesses (upper middle), #615 of 1,461 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Union 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 Union County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Union 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 Union 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.