Pets · Metro area · Pennsylvania
Pet grooming and boarding businesses in the Pittsburgh, PA metro area
How the Pittsburgh, PA metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for pet grooming and boarding businesses: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 17 out of 100: Low
Ranked #373 of 386 scored metro areas
#13 of 16 scored metro areas based in Pennsylvania
- Listings
- 435
- 39 chain locations (9%)
- Official establishments
- 230
- +18.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $674.1M
- On pets · $635 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.5M
- 39% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.1
- 14% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 2,421,992
- −1.3% since 2020
See the pet grooming and boarding businesses around any address in the Pittsburgh 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 Pittsburgh metro area. 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
The Groundwork market score for pet grooming and boarding businesses in the Pittsburgh metro area is 17 (low), #373 of 386 scored metro areas and #13 of 16 scored metro areas based in Pennsylvania. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 435 pet grooming and boarding businesses in the Pittsburgh metro area. 39 of them (9%) are chain locations, against 9% across the U.S. That comes to 4.1 for every 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 3.6.
Households in the Pittsburgh metro area spend about $674.1M a year on pets, or $635 per household, 30% below the U.S. average. Spread across 435 pet grooming and boarding businesses, that is $1.5M per business, 39% 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.
Official counts show 230 businesses with payroll classed as pet care (except veterinary) in the Pittsburgh metro area in 2023, up 18.0% from 2019. That is one for every 4,616 households, against one for every 5,057 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 27 SBA-backed loans worth $7M have gone to businesses classed as pet care (except veterinary) in the Pittsburgh metro area. Population estimates show the Pittsburgh metro area declined 1.3% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Pittsburgh metro area compares
The same measures for Pennsylvania 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 | Pittsburgh metro area | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.1 | 3.9 | 3.6 |
| Spending per listing | $1.5M | $1.7M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 4,616 | 5,350 | 5,057 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +18.0% | +17.9% | +25.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.3% | +0.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $635 | $647 | $909 |
| Median household income | $75,762 | $77,971 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 17 | 22 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 230+18.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,669
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $39.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 43539 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 265The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 27
- Amount
- $7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet care (except veterinary) in the Pittsburgh 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 Pittsburgh metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 2,421,992−1.3% since 2020
- Households
- 1,061,705
- Median age
- 43.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 5,640 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 433
- Median household income
- $75,762
- Average household income
- $103,604
- Median home value
- $215,000
- Jobs located here
- 1,169,523
- Daytime population
- 2,467,515Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Pittsburgh 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 Pittsburgh metro area. 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 Pennsylvania
Every Pennsylvania market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Pennsylvania for pet grooming and boarding businesses, numbered among those based in Pennsylvania, with the Pittsburgh metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Pennsylvania
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1State College, PA | 54 | 12 | 2.0 | $3.1M | −0.4% | #163 of 386 |
| 2Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 47 | 742 | 3.0 | $2.5M | +1.4% | #222 of 386 |
| 3Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ | 37 | 131 | 3.9 | $1.7M | +3.0% | #296 of 386 |
| 4Lancaster, PA | 34 | 71 | 3.3 | $2M | +1.9% | #308 of 386 |
| 5Gettysburg, PA | 33 | 16 | 3.9 | $1.7M | +3.6% | #318 of 386 |
| 6Chambersburg, PA | 31 | 28 | 4.4 | $1.4M | +3.0% | #323 of 386 |
| 7Reading, PA | 31 | 78 | 4.8 | $1.3M | +2.7% | #324 of 386 |
| 8Lebanon, PA | 30 | 37 | 6.5 | $958K | +2.2% | #332 of 386 |
| 9Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA | 26 | 107 | 4.3 | $1.5M | +4.2% | #351 of 386 |
| 10Johnstown, PA | 26 | 21 | 3.8 | $1.4M | −3.2% | #352 of 386 |
| 13Pittsburgh, PA | 17 | 435 | 4.1 | $1.5M | −1.3% | #373 of 386 |
Other business types in the Pittsburgh metro area
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 businesses23
- Veterinarians29
- Pet grooming and boarding17
- Pet stores22
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet grooming and boarding businesses are in the Pittsburgh, PA metro area?
There are 435 pet grooming and boarding businesses on map listings in the Pittsburgh metro area as of September 2026. 39 of them (9%) are chain locations. The listings count groomers, boarding, dog daycare and pet sitters. Official counts show 230 businesses with payroll classed as pet care (except veterinary) in 2023, up 18.0% from 2019.
How much do households in the Pittsburgh, PA metro area spend on pets?
About $674.1M a year, or $635 per household. That is 30% below the U.S. average (an index of 70, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 435 pet grooming and boarding businesses on map listings, it comes to $1.5M per business. The spending figure covers all pets, not only pet grooming and boarding businesses. It is estimated from the incomes of the 1,061,705 households in the Pittsburgh metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Pittsburgh, PA metro area compare with the U.S. for pet grooming and boarding businesses?
The Pittsburgh metro area has 4.1 pet grooming and boarding businesses per 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 3.6. Spending per business is $1.5M, 39% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the national ratio of pet grooming and boarding businesses to household spending, the Pittsburgh metro area would have about 265, against 435 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 4,616 households, against one for every 5,057 across the U.S. The official count rose 18.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +25.2% for the U.S.
How fast is the Pittsburgh, PA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Pittsburgh metro area at 2,421,992 people in 2025, down 1.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 1,061,705 households. The median household income in the Pittsburgh metro area is $75,762 a year, 6% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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 Pittsburgh metro area scores 17 for pet grooming and boarding businesses (low), #373 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 Pittsburgh 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 Pittsburgh metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Pittsburgh 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 Pittsburgh 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.