Pets · County · California
Pet stores in Kern County, CA
How Kern County, CA compares with other counties and the U.S. for pet stores: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 72 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #145 of 974 scored counties
#12 of 43 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 56
- 15 chain locations (27%)
- Official establishments
- 9
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $260.6M
- On pets · $914 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.7M
- 3% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 2.0
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 927,068
- +2.3% since 2020
See the pet stores around any address in Kern County
The site report maps the pet stores 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 Kern 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
At $914 per household (in line with the U.S. average), households in Kern County spend about $260.6M a year on pets. That is about $4.7M of household spending for each store on map listings, 3% above the U.S. figure of $4.5M. The spending figure covers all pets, not only pet stores.
Kern County has 56 pet stores on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 27% of them, against 38% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 2.0, in line with the U.S. rate of 2.0.
In 2023, official counts showed 9 businesses with payroll in Kern County classed as pet and pet supplies stores. That is one for every 31,659 households, against one for every 13,024 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $30K has gone to businesses classed as pet and pet supplies stores in Kern County.
Population estimates put the population change in Kern County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.3%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For pet stores, Kern County has a Groundwork market score of 72 (upper middle): #145 of 974 scored counties and #12 of 43 scored counties in California. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Kern County compares
The same measures for California and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all pets by the pet stores 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 | Kern County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 2.0 | 2.2 | 2.0 |
| Spending per listing | $4.7M | $5.1M | $4.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 31,659 | 11,619 | 13,024 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −2.4% | −1.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.3% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $914 | $1,149 | $909 |
| Median household income | $70,210 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 72 | 55 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 9 → 9
- Employees, 2023
- 161
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5615 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 58The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $30K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet and pet supplies stores in Kern 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 Kern County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 927,068+2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 284,931
- Median age
- 33.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 60%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 8,135 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 112
- Median household income
- $70,210+31.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $93,147
- Median home value
- $338,300
- Jobs located here
- 302,967
- Daytime population
- 882,683Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Kern 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 stores on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Kern County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardPet stores across California
Every California market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in California for pet stores, numbered among those based in California, with Kern County marked.
Top counties in California
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1San Joaquin County, CA | 84 | 43 | 1.8 | $6.1M | +5.5% | #26 of 974 |
| 2Yuba County, CA | 80 | 5 | 1.7 | $5.4M | +8.2% | #57 of 974 |
| 3Fresno County, CA | 79 | 49 | 1.5 | $6.3M | +2.6% | #60 of 974 |
| 4Yolo County, CA | 78 | 12 | 1.6 | $7M | +3.1% | #67 of 974 |
| 5Santa Clara County, CA | 77 | 94 | 1.4 | $10.4M | −0.9% | #74 of 974 |
| 6Napa County, CA | 76 | 6 | 1.2 | $10.2M | −3.3% | #84 of 974 |
| 7Sacramento County, CA | 75 | 99 | 1.7 | $6.2M | +2.0% | #98 of 974 |
| 8San Mateo County, CA | 74 | 38 | 1.4 | $10.2M | −2.5% | #109 of 974 |
| 9Tulare County, CA | 73 | 22 | 1.5 | $5.9M | +2.4% | #129 of 974 |
| 10Alameda County, CA | 72 | 107 | 1.8 | $7.5M | −2.6% | #135 of 974 |
| 12Kern County, CA | 72 | 56 | 2.0 | $4.7M | +2.3% | #145 of 974 |
Other business types in Kern 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 businesses81
- Veterinarians80
- Pet grooming and boarding81
- Pet stores72
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet stores are in Kern County, CA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 56 pet stores in Kern County. 15 of them (27%) are chain locations. The listings count pet stores. Official counts show 9 businesses with payroll classed as pet and pet supplies stores in 2023.
How much do households in Kern County, CA spend on pets?
About $260.6M a year, or $914 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 101, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 56 pet stores on map listings, it comes to $4.7M per store. That spending covers all pets, which pet stores share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 284,931 households in Kern County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Kern County, CA compare with the U.S. for pet stores?
Kern County has 2.0 pet stores per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 2.0. Spending per store is $4.7M, 3% above the U.S. figure of $4.5M. At the U.S. ratio of pet stores to household spending, Kern County would have about 58, against 56 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 31,659 households, against one for every 13,024 across the U.S.
How fast is Kern County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Kern County at 927,068 people in 2025, up 2.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 284,931 households. The median household income in Kern County is $70,210 a year, 13% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.6% 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. Kern County scores 72 for pet stores (upper middle), #145 of 974 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Kern County. It maps the pet stores 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 stores · All 56 business types in Kern County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Kern 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 Kern 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.