Pets · Small-town market · Georgia
Pet stores in the Waycross, GA area
The pet stores in the Waycross, GA area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 33 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #179 of 220 scored small-town markets
#7 of 8 scored small-town markets based in Georgia
- Listings
- 8
- 2 chain locations (25%)
- Official establishments
- 3
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $14.7M
- On pets · $715 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.8M
- 59% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 3.9
- 95% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 57,670
- +3.0% since 2020
See the pet stores around any address in the Waycross 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 Waycross 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 Waycross area is 33 (lower middle), #179 of 220 scored small-town markets and #7 of 8 scored small-town markets based in Georgia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 8 pet stores in the Waycross area. 2 of them (25%) are chain locations, against 38% across the U.S. That is 3.9 per 10,000 households, 95% above the U.S. rate of 2.0.
Household spending on pets in the Waycross area comes to about $14.7M a year: $715 per household, 21% below the U.S. average. That works out to $1.8M per store, 59% below the U.S. figure of $4.5M. That spending covers all pets, which pet stores share with other businesses in the trade.
In 2023, official counts showed 3 businesses with payroll in the Waycross area classed as pet and pet supplies stores. That is one for every 6,854 households, against one for every 13,024 across the U.S. Population estimates show the Waycross area grew 3.0% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Waycross area compares
The same measures for Georgia 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 | Waycross area | Georgia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 3.9 | 1.8 | 2.0 |
| Spending per listing | $1.8M | $5.3M | $4.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 6,854 | 14,924 | 13,024 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +4.2% | −1.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.0% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $715 | $936 | $909 |
| Median household income | $51,821 | $77,353 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 33 | 76 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 3
- Employees, 2023
- 16
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $333K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 82 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 3The 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 the Waycross 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 Waycross area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 57,670+3.0% since 2020
- Households
- 20,562
- Median age
- 38.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 1,240 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 45
- Median household income
- $51,821+34.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $70,222
- Median home value
- $126,600
- Jobs located here
- 19,660
- Daytime population
- 54,001Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Waycross area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 Waycross 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 Georgia
Every Georgia market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Georgia for pet stores, numbered among those based in Georgia, with the Waycross area marked.
Top small-town markets in Georgia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Jefferson, GA | 91 | 7 | 2.5 | $4M | +29.3% | #4 of 220 |
| 2LaGrange, GA-AL | 74 | 7 | 1.7 | $4.4M | +3.0% | #22 of 220 |
| 3Cornelia, GA | 67 | 5 | 3.0 | $2.8M | +9.3% | #45 of 220 |
| 4Thomasville, GA | 66 | 6 | 2.1 | $3.8M | +1.3% | #49 of 220 |
| 5Moultrie, GA | 45 | 5 | 3.0 | $2.5M | +3.3% | #127 of 220 |
| 6Milledgeville, GA | 38 | 5 | 3.0 | $2.5M | +0.6% | #166 of 220 |
| 7Waycross, GA | 33 | 8 | 3.9 | $1.8M | +3.0% | #179 of 220 |
| 8Bainbridge, GA | 18 | 5 | 4.7 | $1.5M | 0.0% | #206 of 220 |
Other business types in the Waycross 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 businesses41
- Veterinarians68
- Pet grooming and boarding62
- Pet stores33
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet stores are in the Waycross, GA area?
There are 8 pet stores on map listings in the Waycross area as of September 2026. 2 of them (25%) are chain locations. The listings count pet stores. Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as pet and pet supplies stores in 2023.
How much do households in the Waycross, GA area spend on pets?
About $14.7M a year, or $715 per household. That is 21% below the U.S. average (an index of 79, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 8 pet stores on map listings, it comes to $1.8M per store. The spending figure covers all pets, not only pet stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 20,562 households in the Waycross area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Waycross, GA area compare with the U.S. for pet stores?
The Waycross area has 3.9 pet stores per 10,000 households, 95% above the U.S. rate of 2.0. Spending per store is $1.8M, 59% below the U.S. figure of $4.5M. At the national ratio of pet stores to household spending, the Waycross area would have about 3, against 8 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 6,854 households, against one for every 13,024 across the U.S.
How fast is the Waycross, GA area growing?
Population estimates put the Waycross area at 57,670 people in 2025, up 3.0% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 20,562 households. Median household income in the Waycross area is $51,821, 36% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 34.7%, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Waycross area scores 33 for pet stores (lower middle), #179 of 220 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Waycross 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 Waycross area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Waycross 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 Waycross 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.