Pets · County · California
Pet stores in San Diego County, CA
How San Diego 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 52 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #439 of 974 scored counties
#27 of 43 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 320
- 138 chain locations (43%)
- Official establishments
- 129
- −3.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.4B
- On pets · $1,187 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.3M
- 4% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 2.7
- 35% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 3,282,248
- −0.6% since 2020
See the pet stores around any address in San Diego 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 San Diego 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 320 pet stores in San Diego County. Chain locations make up 43% of them, against 38% across the U.S. That is 2.7 per 10,000 households, 35% above the U.S. rate of 2.0.
Household spending on pets in San Diego County comes to about $1.4B a year: $1,187 per household, 31% above the U.S. average. That works out to $4.3M per store, 4% below the U.S. figure of $4.5M. That spending covers all pets, which pet stores share with other businesses in the trade.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as pet and pet supplies stores in San Diego County was 129 in 2023, down 3.7% from 2019. That is one for every 9,080 households, against one for every 13,024 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 8 SBA-backed loans worth $5.6M have gone to businesses classed as pet and pet supplies stores in San Diego County.
Population estimates put the population change in San Diego County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S. San Diego County scores 52 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for pet stores, ranking #439 of 974 scored counties and #27 of 43 scored counties in California.
How San Diego 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 | San Diego County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 2.7 | 2.2 | 2.0 |
| Spending per listing | $4.3M | $5.1M | $4.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 9,080 | 11,619 | 13,024 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −3.7% | −2.4% | −1.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.6% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $1,187 | $1,149 | $909 |
| Median household income | $106,268 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 52 | 55 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 134 → 129−3.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,552
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $58.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 320138 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 307The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 8
- Amount
- $5.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet and pet supplies stores in San Diego 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 San Diego County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 3,282,248−0.6% since 2020
- Households
- 1,171,278
- Median age
- 38.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 55%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 4,211 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 781
- Median household income
- $106,268+34.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $141,250
- Median home value
- $854,700
- Jobs located here
- 1,516,991
- Daytime population
- 3,269,716Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in San Diego 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 San Diego 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 San Diego 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 |
| 27San Diego County, CA | 52 | 320 | 2.7 | $4.3M | −0.6% | #439 of 974 |
Other business types in San Diego 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 businesses61
- Veterinarians65
- Pet grooming and boarding61
- Pet stores52
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet stores are in San Diego County, CA?
There are 320 pet stores on map listings in San Diego County as of September 2026. 138 of them (43%) are chain locations. The listings count pet stores. Official counts show 129 businesses with payroll classed as pet and pet supplies stores in 2023, down 3.7% from 2019.
How much do households in San Diego County, CA spend on pets?
About $1.4B a year, or $1,187 per household. That is 31% above the U.S. average (an index of 131, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 320 pet stores on map listings, it comes to $4.3M per store. The spending figure covers all pets, not only pet stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 1,171,278 households in San Diego County and national spending patterns by income.
How does San Diego County, CA compare with the U.S. for pet stores?
San Diego County has 2.7 pet stores per 10,000 households, 35% above the U.S. rate of 2.0. Spending per store is $4.3M, 4% below the U.S. figure of $4.5M. At the national ratio of pet stores to household spending, San Diego County would have about 307, against 320 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 9,080 households, against one for every 13,024 across the U.S. The official count fell 3.7% from 2019 to 2023, against −1.6% for the U.S.
How fast is San Diego County, CA growing?
Population estimates put San Diego County at 3,282,248 people in 2025, down 0.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 1,171,278 households. Median household income in San Diego County is $106,268, 32% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 34.6%, 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. San Diego County scores 52 for pet stores (upper middle), #439 of 974 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in San Diego 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 San Diego County
Screening a site or an acquisition in San Diego 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 San Diego 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.