Pets · County · California
Pet stores in Merced County, CA
How Merced 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 61 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #304 of 974 scored counties
#19 of 43 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 18
- 7 chain locations (39%)
- Official establishments
- 7
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $74.9M
- On pets · $870 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.2M
- 8% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 2.1
- 5% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 297,260
- +5.1% since 2020
See the pet stores around any address in Merced 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 Merced 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
Household spending on pets in Merced County comes to about $74.9M a year: $870 per household, 4% below the U.S. average. That works out to $4.2M per store, 8% below the U.S. figure of $4.5M. The spending figure covers all pets, not only pet stores.
Merced County has 18 pet stores on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 39% of them, against 38% across the U.S. That is 2.1 per 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 2.0.
In 2023, official counts showed 7 businesses with payroll in Merced County classed as pet and pet supplies stores. That is one for every 12,294 households, against one for every 13,024 across the U.S.
Population estimates put the population change in Merced County from 2020 to 2025 at +5.1%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Merced County scores 61 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for pet stores, ranking #304 of 974 scored counties and #19 of 43 scored counties in California.
How Merced 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 | Merced County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 2.1 | 2.2 | 2.0 |
| Spending per listing | $4.2M | $5.1M | $4.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 12,294 | 11,619 | 13,024 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −2.4% | −1.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.1% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $870 | $1,149 | $909 |
| Median household income | $65,510 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 61 | 55 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 5 → 7
- Employees, 2023
- 74
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 187 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 17The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet and pet supplies stores in Merced 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 Merced County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 297,260+5.1% since 2020
- Households
- 86,055
- Median age
- 32.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 54%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 1,938 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 150
- Median household income
- $65,510+22.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $87,781
- Median home value
- $391,800
- Jobs located here
- 77,775
- Daytime population
- 255,124Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Merced 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 Merced 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 Merced 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 |
| 19Merced County, CA | 61 | 18 | 2.1 | $4.2M | +5.1% | #304 of 974 |
Other business types in Merced 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 businesses84
- Veterinarians85
- Pet grooming and boarding83
- Pet stores61
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet stores are in Merced County, CA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 18 pet stores in Merced County. 7 of them (39%) are chain locations. The listings count pet stores. Official counts show 7 businesses with payroll classed as pet and pet supplies stores in 2023.
How much do households in Merced County, CA spend on pets?
About $74.9M a year, or $870 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 18 pet stores on map listings, it comes to $4.2M 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 86,055 households in Merced County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Merced County, CA compare with the U.S. for pet stores?
Merced County has 2.1 pet stores per 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 2.0. Spending per store is $4.2M, 8% below the U.S. figure of $4.5M. At the U.S. ratio of pet stores to household spending, Merced County would have about 17, against 18 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 12,294 households, against one for every 13,024 across the U.S.
How fast is Merced County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Merced County at 297,260 people in 2025, up 5.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 86,055 households. The median household income in Merced County is $65,510 a year, 19% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 22.1% 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. Merced County scores 61 for pet stores (upper middle), #304 of 974 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Merced 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 Merced County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Merced 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 Merced 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.