Pets · Metro area · Colorado
Pet stores in the Boulder, CO metro area
The pet stores in the Boulder, CO metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 33 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #315 of 382 scored metro areas
#7 of 7 scored metro areas based in Colorado
- Listings
- 44
- 12 chain locations (27%)
- Official establishments
- 24
- −4.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $163.5M
- On pets · $1,194 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.7M
- 18% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 3.2
- 60% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 328,560
- −0.7% since 2020
See the pet stores around any address in the Boulder metro area
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 the Boulder 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 stores in the Boulder metro area is 33 (lower middle), #315 of 382 scored metro areas and #7 of 7 scored metro areas based in Colorado. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
Households in the Boulder metro area spend about $163.5M a year on pets, or $1,194 per household, 31% above the U.S. average. Spread across 44 pet stores, that is $3.7M per store, 18% below the U.S. figure of $4.5M. The spending figure covers all pets, not only pet stores.
The Boulder metro area has 44 pet stores on map listings as of September 2026. 12 of them (27%) are chain locations, against 38% across the U.S. That is 3.2 per 10,000 households, 60% above the U.S. rate of 2.0.
In 2023, official counts showed 24 businesses with payroll in the Boulder metro area classed as pet and pet supplies stores, down 4.0% from 2019. That is one for every 5,709 households, against one for every 13,024 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $1.2M have gone to businesses classed as pet and pet supplies stores in the Boulder metro area. Population estimates show the Boulder metro area declined 0.7% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Boulder metro area compares
The same measures for Colorado 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 | Boulder metro area | Colorado | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 3.2 | 2.7 | 2.0 |
| Spending per listing | $3.7M | $4.1M | $4.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 5,709 | 8,273 | 13,024 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −4.0% | +16.2% | −1.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.7% | +3.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $1,194 | $1,110 | $909 |
| Median household income | $103,994 | $95,470 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 33 | 44 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 24−4.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 241
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $9.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4412 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 36The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $1.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet and pet supplies stores in the Boulder 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 Boulder metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 328,560−0.7% since 2020
- Households
- 137,008
- Median age
- 39.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 726 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 453
- Median household income
- $103,994+25.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $148,846
- Median home value
- $756,300
- Jobs located here
- 190,563
- Daytime population
- 376,803Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Boulder 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 stores on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Boulder metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardPet stores across Colorado
Every Colorado market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Colorado for pet stores, numbered among those based in Colorado, with the Boulder metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Colorado
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Greeley, CO | 78 | 31 | 2.5 | $4.3M | +14.2% | #15 of 382 |
| 2Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | 56 | 307 | 2.5 | $4.7M | +4.1% | #144 of 382 |
| 3Colorado Springs, CO | 41 | 88 | 2.9 | $3.6M | +3.1% | #262 of 382 |
| 4Grand Junction, CO | 39 | 22 | 3.3 | $2.8M | +4.4% | #272 of 382 |
| 5Fort Collins-Loveland, CO | 38 | 55 | 3.6 | $3M | +4.8% | #283 of 382 |
| 6Pueblo, CO | 34 | 16 | 2.3 | $3.7M | +0.6% | #310 of 382 |
| 7Boulder, CO | 33 | 44 | 3.2 | $3.7M | −0.7% | #315 of 382 |
Other business types in the Boulder 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 businesses43
- Veterinarians31
- Pet grooming and boarding48
- Pet stores33
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet stores are in the Boulder, CO metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 44 pet stores in the Boulder metro area. 12 of them (27%) are chain locations. The listings count pet stores. Official counts show 24 businesses with payroll classed as pet and pet supplies stores in 2023, down 4.0% from 2019.
How much do households in the Boulder, CO metro area spend on pets?
About $163.5M a year, or $1,194 per household. That is 31% above the U.S. average (an index of 131, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 44 pet stores on map listings, it comes to $3.7M 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 137,008 households in the Boulder metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Boulder, CO metro area compare with the U.S. for pet stores?
The Boulder metro area has 3.2 pet stores per 10,000 households, 60% above the U.S. rate of 2.0. Spending per store is $3.7M, 18% below the U.S. figure of $4.5M. At the U.S. ratio of pet stores to household spending, the Boulder metro area would have about 36, against 44 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 5,709 households, against one for every 13,024 across the U.S. The official count fell 4.0% from 2019 to 2023, against −1.6% for the U.S.
How fast is the Boulder, CO metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Boulder metro area at 328,560 people in 2025, down 0.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 137,008 households. The median household income in the Boulder metro area is $103,994 a year, 29% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 25.3% 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 Boulder metro area scores 33 for pet stores (lower middle), #315 of 382 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Boulder metro area. 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 the Boulder metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Boulder 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 Boulder 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.