Groundwork

Pets · Metro area · Ohio

Pet grooming and boarding businesses in the Columbus, OH metro area

The pet grooming and boarding businesses in the Columbus, OH metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 64 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #92 of 386 scored metro areas
#1 of 12 scored metro areas based in Ohio

Listings
314
30 chain locations (10%)
Official establishments
168
+23.5% since 2019
Household spending a year
$789.4M
On pets · $913 a household
Spending per listing
$2.5M
In line with the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
3.6
In line with the U.S.
Population, 2025
2,242,028
+4.7% since 2020

See the pet grooming and boarding businesses around any address in the Columbus metro area

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 the Columbus metro area. 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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 314 pet grooming and boarding businesses in the Columbus metro area. Of those, 30 are chain locations, or 10%, against 9% across the U.S. That comes to 3.6 for every 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 3.6.

Households in the Columbus metro area spend about $789.4M a year on pets, or $913 per household, in line with the U.S. average. Spread across 314 pet grooming and boarding businesses, that is $2.5M per business, in line with 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 168 businesses with payroll classed as pet care (except veterinary) in the Columbus metro area in 2023, up 23.5% from 2019. That is one for every 5,147 households, against one for every 5,057 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 50 SBA-backed loans worth $17.1M have gone to businesses classed as pet care (except veterinary) in the Columbus metro area.

Population estimates put the population change in the Columbus metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +4.7%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Columbus metro area scores 64 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for pet grooming and boarding businesses, ranking #92 of 386 scored metro areas and #1 of 12 scored metro areas based in Ohio. That puts it in the top quarter of metro areas.

How the Columbus metro area compares

The same measures for Ohio 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 Columbus, OH metro area compared with Ohio and the U.S.
MeasureColumbus metro areaOhioU.S.
Listings per 10k households3.63.73.6
Spending per listing$2.5M$2.2M$2.5M
Households per official establishment5,1475,7625,057
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+23.5%+22.0%+25.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025+4.7%+0.9%+3.1%
Spending per household on pets$913$832$909
Median household income$81,945$71,389$80,734
Groundwork market score6444

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
168+23.5% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,772
Annual payroll, 2023
$44.3M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
31430 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
310The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
50
Amount
$17.1M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care (except veterinary) in the Columbus metro area, 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 the Columbus metro area

Population, 2025 estimate
2,242,028+4.7% since 2020
Households
864,663
Median age
38.1
Homes lived in by their owners
61%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
4,798 sq. mi.
People per square mile
454
Median household income
$81,945+25.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$110,942
Median home value
$300,800
Jobs located here
1,129,650
Daytime population
2,268,069Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Columbus metro area?

These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Columbus metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Pet grooming and boarding across Ohio

Every Ohio market ranked →

The highest-scoring metro areas in Ohio for pet grooming and boarding businesses, numbered among those based in Ohio (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Columbus metro area marked.

Top metro areas in Ohio

Metro areas in Ohio ranked for pet grooming and boarding businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Columbus, OH643143.6$2.5M+4.7%#92 of 386
2Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN583614.0$2.3M+2.7%#139 of 386
3Mansfield, OH54132.6$2.8M−0.1%#165 of 386
4Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH541233.6$2.3M+1.5%#167 of 386
5Cleveland, OH493093.3$2.5M−0.8%#206 of 386
6Akron, OH471063.6$2.3M0.0%#224 of 386
7Lima, OH42133.1$2.4M−1.2%#261 of 386
8Toledo, OH42933.7$2.2M−1.0%#262 of 386
Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH39593.9$2M−2.6%#280 of 386
Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH37183.6$2M−3.6%#290 of 386

Other business types in the Columbus metro area

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

Questions

How many pet grooming and boarding businesses are in the Columbus, OH metro area?

There are 314 pet grooming and boarding businesses on map listings in the Columbus metro area as of September 2026. 30 of them (10%) are chain locations. The listings count groomers, boarding, dog daycare and pet sitters. Official counts show 168 businesses with payroll classed as pet care (except veterinary) in 2023, up 23.5% from 2019.

How much do households in the Columbus, OH metro area spend on pets?

About $789.4M a year, or $913 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 100, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 314 pet grooming and boarding businesses on map listings, it comes to $2.5M per business. The spending figure covers all pets, not only pet grooming and boarding businesses. It is estimated from the incomes of the 864,663 households in the Columbus metro area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Columbus, OH metro area compare with the U.S. for pet grooming and boarding businesses?

The Columbus metro area has 3.6 pet grooming and boarding businesses per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 3.6. Spending per business is $2.5M, in line with the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the national ratio of pet grooming and boarding businesses to household spending, the Columbus metro area would have about 310, against 314 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 5,147 households, against one for every 5,057 across the U.S. The official count rose 23.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +25.2% for the U.S.

How fast is the Columbus, OH metro area growing?

Population estimates put the Columbus metro area at 2,242,028 people in 2025, up 4.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 864,663 households. The median household income in the Columbus metro area is $81,945 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 25.8% 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. The Columbus metro area scores 64 for pet grooming and boarding businesses (upper middle), #92 of 386 scored metro areas.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Columbus metro area. 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 the Columbus metro area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Columbus metro area?

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 the Columbus metro area. 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.