Groundwork

Pets · County · Illinois

Pet stores in Cook County, IL

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet stores in Cook County, IL, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 67 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #206 of 974 scored counties
#3 of 25 scored counties in Illinois

Listings
319
111 chain locations (35%)
Official establishments
142
−2.1% since 2019
Household spending a year
$2B
On pets · $935 a household
Spending per listing
$6.2M
36% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
1.5
25% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
5,194,625
−1.3% since 2020

See the pet stores around any address in Cook 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 Cook County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey 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 319 pet stores in Cook County. Of those, 111 are chain locations, or 35%, against 38% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 1.5, 25% below the U.S. rate of 2.0.

Households in Cook County spend about $2B a year on pets, or $935 per household, 3% above the U.S. average. Spread across 319 pet stores, that is $6.2M per store, 36% above 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 Cook County was 142 in 2023, down 2.1% from 2019. That is one for every 14,790 households, against one for every 13,024 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 8 SBA-backed loans worth $2.3M have gone to businesses classed as pet and pet supplies stores in Cook County.

Population estimates put the population change in Cook County from 2020 to 2025 at −1.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For pet stores, Cook County has a Groundwork market score of 67 (upper middle): #206 of 974 scored counties and #3 of 25 scored counties in Illinois. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Cook County compares

The same measures for Illinois 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.

Pet stores in Cook County, IL compared with Illinois and the U.S.
MeasureCook CountyIllinoisU.S.
Listings per 10k households1.51.82.0
Spending per listing$6.2M$5M$4.5M
Households per official establishment14,79013,72313,024
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−2.1%+1.1%−1.6%
Population growth, 2020–2025−1.3%−0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on pets$935$925$909
Median household income$83,498$83,390$80,734
Groundwork market score6752

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
145 → 142−2.1% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,929
Annual payroll, 2023
$72.3M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
319111 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
434The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
8
Amount
$2.3M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet and pet supplies stores in Cook 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 Cook County

Population, 2025 estimate
5,194,625−1.3% since 2020
Households
2,100,230
Median age
39.2
Homes lived in by their owners
58%
Vehicles per household
1.4
Land area
945 sq. mi.
People per square mile
5,484
Median household income
$83,498+29.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$120,729
Median home value
$324,500
Jobs located here
2,683,238
Daytime population
5,468,881Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Cook 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 Cook County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Pet stores across Illinois

Every Illinois market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Illinois for pet stores, numbered among those based in Illinois, with Cook County marked.

Top counties in Illinois

Counties in Illinois ranked for pet stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Champaign County, IL7460.7$11.4M+1.8%#108 of 974
2Kendall County, IL7081.8$6M+9.9%#163 of 974
3Cook County, IL673191.5$6.2M−1.3%#206 of 974
4Madison County, IL67171.5$5.6M−1.0%#209 of 974
5Peoria County, IL66101.3$6.3M−1.6%#222 of 974
6St. Clair County, IL65121.2$7.1M−2.5%#230 of 974
7Will County, IL64552.3$4.7M+2.2%#252 of 974
8Tazewell County, IL53122.2$3.9M−0.9%#429 of 974
9Rock Island County, IL5191.5$5.4M−1.7%#452 of 974
10DuPage County, IL51922.6$4.2M+0.3%#459 of 974

Other business types in Cook County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many pet stores are in Cook County, IL?

There are 319 pet stores on map listings in Cook County as of September 2026. 111 of them (35%) are chain locations. The listings count pet stores. Official counts show 142 businesses with payroll classed as pet and pet supplies stores in 2023, down 2.1% from 2019.

How much do households in Cook County, IL spend on pets?

About $2B a year, or $935 per household. That is 3% above the U.S. average (an index of 103, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 319 pet stores on map listings, it comes to $6.2M per store. The spending figure covers all pets, not only pet stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 2,100,230 households in Cook County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Cook County, IL compare with the U.S. for pet stores?

Cook County has 1.5 pet stores per 10,000 households, 25% below the U.S. rate of 2.0. Spending per store is $6.2M, 36% above the U.S. figure of $4.5M. At the national ratio of pet stores to household spending, Cook County would have about 434, against 319 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 14,790 households, against one for every 13,024 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.1% from 2019 to 2023, against −1.6% for the U.S.

How fast is Cook County, IL growing?

Population estimates put Cook County at 5,194,625 people in 2025, down 1.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 2,100,230 households. Median household income in Cook County is $83,498, 3% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.1%, 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. Cook County scores 67 for pet stores (upper middle), #206 of 974 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Cook 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 Cook County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Cook 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 Cook 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.