Groundwork

Pets · County · Illinois

Pet stores in Winnebago County, IL

The pet stores in Winnebago County, IL, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 51 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #462 of 974 scored counties
#11 of 25 scored counties in Illinois

Listings
23
6 chain locations (26%)
Official establishments
6
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$90.6M
On pets · $781 a household
Spending per listing
$3.9M
13% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
2.0
In line with the U.S.
Population, 2025
283,674
−0.4% since 2020

See the pet stores around any address in Winnebago 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 Winnebago 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

At $781 per household (14% below the U.S. average), households in Winnebago County spend about $90.6M a year on pets. That works out to $3.9M per store, 13% below the U.S. figure of $4.5M. The spending figure covers all pets, not only pet stores.

There are 23 pet stores on map listings in Winnebago County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 26% of them, against 38% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 2.0, in line with the U.S. rate of 2.0.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as pet and pet supplies stores in Winnebago County was 6 in 2023. That is one for every 19,336 households, against one for every 13,024 across the U.S.

Population estimates put the population change in Winnebago County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for pet stores in Winnebago County is 51 (upper middle), #462 of 974 scored counties and #11 of 25 scored counties in Illinois.

How Winnebago 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 Winnebago County, IL compared with Illinois and the U.S.
MeasureWinnebago CountyIllinoisU.S.
Listings per 10k households2.01.82.0
Spending per listing$3.9M$5M$4.5M
Households per official establishment19,33613,72313,024
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+1.1%−1.6%
Population growth, 2020–2025−0.4%−0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on pets$781$925$909
Median household income$65,837$83,390$80,734
Groundwork market score5152

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
6 → 6
Employees, 2023
83
Annual payroll, 2023
$2.6M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
236 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
20The 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 Winnebago 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 Winnebago County

Population, 2025 estimate
283,674−0.4% since 2020
Households
116,014
Median age
40.4
Homes lived in by their owners
66%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
513 sq. mi.
People per square mile
552
Median household income
$65,837+20.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$86,474
Median home value
$164,500
Jobs located here
121,867
Daytime population
276,449Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Winnebago 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 Winnebago 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 Winnebago 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
11Winnebago County, IL51232.0$3.9M−0.4%#462 of 974

Other business types in Winnebago County

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

Questions

How many pet stores are in Winnebago County, IL?

As of September 2026, map listings count 23 pet stores in Winnebago County. 6 of them (26%) are chain locations. The listings count pet stores. Official counts show 6 businesses with payroll classed as pet and pet supplies stores in 2023.

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

About $90.6M a year, or $781 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 23 pet stores on map listings, it comes to $3.9M 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 116,014 households in Winnebago County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Winnebago County has 2.0 pet stores per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 2.0. Spending per store is $3.9M, 13% below the U.S. figure of $4.5M. At the U.S. ratio of pet stores to household spending, Winnebago County would have about 20, against 23 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 19,336 households, against one for every 13,024 across the U.S.

How fast is Winnebago County, IL growing?

Population estimates put Winnebago County at 283,674 people in 2025, down 0.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 116,014 households. The median household income in Winnebago County is $65,837 a year, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 20.8% 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. Winnebago County scores 51 for pet stores (upper middle), #462 of 974 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Winnebago 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 Winnebago 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.