Pets · County · Connecticut
Pet stores in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT
How the South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT 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 47 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #539 of 974 scored counties
#2 of 9 scored counties in Connecticut
- Listings
- 48
- 16 chain locations (33%)
- Official establishments
- 14
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $162.9M
- On pets · $706 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.4M
- 25% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 2.1
- 5% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 578,741
- +2.5% since 2020
See the pet stores around any address in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region
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 South Central Connecticut Planning Region. 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 the South Central Connecticut Planning Region comes to about $162.9M a year: $706 per household, 22% below the U.S. average. That is about $3.4M of household spending for each store on map listings, 25% below the U.S. figure of $4.5M. The spending figure covers all pets, not only pet stores.
There are 48 pet stores on map listings in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 33% 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.
Official counts show 14 businesses with payroll classed as pet and pet supplies stores in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region in 2023. That is one for every 16,477 households, against one for every 13,024 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $100K has gone to businesses classed as pet and pet supplies stores in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region.
Population estimates put the population change in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region from 2020 to 2025 at +2.5%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for pet stores in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region is 47 (lower middle), #539 of 974 scored counties and #2 of 9 scored counties in Connecticut.
How the South Central Connecticut Planning Region compares
The same measures for Connecticut 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 | South Central Connecticut Planning Region | Connecticut | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 2.1 | 2.3 | 2.0 |
| Spending per listing | $3.4M | $3.2M | $4.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 16,477 | 11,565 | 13,024 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −22.5% | −1.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.5% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $706 | $742 | $909 |
| Median household income | $88,197 | $95,781 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 47 | 23 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 14
- Employees, 2023
- 255
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $6.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4816 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
- 1
- Amount
- $100K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet and pet supplies stores in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region, 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 South Central Connecticut Planning Region
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 578,741+2.5% since 2020
- Households
- 230,673
- Median age
- 41.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 367 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,554
- Median household income
- $88,197
- Average household income
- $121,518
- Median home value
- $353,100
- Jobs located here
- 298,580
- Daytime population
- 597,614Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region?
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 the South Central Connecticut Planning Region. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardPet stores across Connecticut
Every Connecticut market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Connecticut for pet stores, numbered among those based in Connecticut, with the South Central Connecticut Planning Region marked.
Top counties in Connecticut
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT | 49 | 18 | 2.4 | $3.2M | +2.3% | #505 of 974 |
| 2South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 47 | 48 | 2.1 | $3.4M | +2.5% | #539 of 974 |
| 3Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, CT | 46 | 31 | 2.6 | $2.8M | +4.1% | #561 of 974 |
| 4Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, CT | 42 | 40 | 2.2 | $3.1M | +3.2% | #626 of 974 |
| 5Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 39 | 70 | 3.0 | $3M | +3.5% | #662 of 974 |
| 6Capitol Planning Region, CT | 38 | 83 | 2.1 | $3.4M | +3.1% | #670 of 974 |
| 7Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 37 | 8 | 2.0 | $3.4M | +3.0% | #682 of 974 |
| 8Northwest Hills Planning Region, CT | 35 | 12 | 2.5 | $2.9M | +2.2% | #711 of 974 |
| 9Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 30 | 26 | 2.2 | $3M | +2.0% | #775 of 974 |
Other business types in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region
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 businesses50
- Veterinarians55
- Pet grooming and boarding50
- Pet stores47
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet stores are in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT?
As of September 2026, map listings count 48 pet stores in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region. 16 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count pet stores. Official counts show 14 businesses with payroll classed as pet and pet supplies stores in 2023.
How much do households in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT spend on pets?
About $162.9M a year, or $706 per household. That is 22% below the U.S. average (an index of 78, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 48 pet stores on map listings, it comes to $3.4M 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 230,673 households in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region and national spending patterns by income.
How does the South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT compare with the U.S. for pet stores?
The South Central Connecticut Planning Region has 2.1 pet stores per 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 2.0. Spending per store is $3.4M, 25% below the U.S. figure of $4.5M. At the U.S. ratio of pet stores to household spending, the South Central Connecticut Planning Region would have about 36, against 48 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 16,477 households, against one for every 13,024 across the U.S.
How fast is the South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT growing?
Population estimates put the South Central Connecticut Planning Region at 578,741 people in 2025, up 2.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 230,673 households. The median household income in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region is $88,197 a year, 9% above 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 South Central Connecticut Planning Region scores 47 for pet stores (lower middle), #539 of 974 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region. 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 South Central Connecticut Planning Region
Screening a site or an acquisition in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region?
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 South Central Connecticut Planning Region. 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.