Pets · County · Massachusetts
Pet stores in Essex County, MA
How Essex County, MA 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 51 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #455 of 974 scored counties
#5 of 11 scored counties in Massachusetts
- Listings
- 50
- 22 chain locations (44%)
- Official establishments
- 30
- 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $239.6M
- On pets · $765 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.8M
- 6% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 1.6
- 20% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 826,653
- +2.3% since 2020
See the pet stores around any address in Essex 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 Essex County. 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 50 pet stores in Essex County. 22 of them (44%) are chain locations, against 38% across the U.S. That is 1.6 per 10,000 households, 20% below the U.S. rate of 2.0.
At $765 per household (16% below the U.S. average), households in Essex County spend about $239.6M a year on pets. Spread across 50 pet stores, that is $4.8M per store, 6% above the U.S. figure of $4.5M. That spending covers all pets, which pet stores share with other businesses in the trade.
Official counts show 30 businesses with payroll classed as pet and pet supplies stores in Essex County in 2023, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 10,438 households, against one for every 13,024 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $155K have gone to businesses classed as pet and pet supplies stores in Essex County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Essex County grew 2.3%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For pet stores, Essex County has a Groundwork market score of 51 (upper middle): #455 of 974 scored counties and #5 of 11 scored counties in Massachusetts.
How Essex County compares
The same measures for Massachusetts 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 | Essex County | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 1.6 | 1.8 | 2.0 |
| Spending per listing | $4.8M | $4.4M | $4.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 10,438 | 13,454 | 13,024 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | −12.3% | −1.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.3% | +2.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $765 | $776 | $909 |
| Median household income | $101,883 | $103,960 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 51 | 41 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 30 → 300.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 310
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $10.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5022 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 53The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $155K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet and pet supplies stores in Essex 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 Essex County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 826,653+2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 313,147
- Median age
- 42.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 493 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,651
- Median household income
- $101,883+28.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $140,108
- Median home value
- $619,100
- Jobs located here
- 329,644
- Daytime population
- 736,954Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Essex 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 Essex County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardPet stores across Massachusetts
Every Massachusetts market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Massachusetts for pet stores, numbered among those based in Massachusetts, with Essex County marked.
Top counties in Massachusetts
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Middlesex County, MA | 71 | 95 | 1.5 | $5.9M | +2.8% | #153 of 974 |
| 2Suffolk County, MA | 68 | 31 | 0.9 | $7.8M | +0.1% | #190 of 974 |
| 3Worcester County, MA | 53 | 59 | 1.8 | $4.2M | +3.7% | #424 of 974 |
| 4Norfolk County, MA | 53 | 62 | 2.2 | $4M | +2.2% | #427 of 974 |
| 5Essex County, MA | 51 | 50 | 1.6 | $4.8M | +2.3% | #455 of 974 |
| 6Plymouth County, MA | 49 | 44 | 2.2 | $3.7M | +3.5% | #499 of 974 |
| 7Bristol County, MA | 41 | 51 | 2.2 | $3.1M | +2.9% | #637 of 974 |
| 8Hampden County, MA | 39 | 32 | 1.7 | $3.5M | +0.2% | #657 of 974 |
| 9Hampshire County, MA | 38 | 16 | 2.6 | $2.7M | +10.4% | #676 of 974 |
| 10Barnstable County, MA | 32 | 29 | 2.7 | $2.7M | +2.4% | #757 of 974 |
Other business types in Essex County
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 businesses46
- Veterinarians63
- Pet grooming and boarding32
- Pet stores51
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet stores are in Essex County, MA?
There are 50 pet stores on map listings in Essex County as of September 2026. 22 of them (44%) are chain locations. The listings count pet stores. Official counts show 30 businesses with payroll classed as pet and pet supplies stores in 2023, unchanged from 2019.
How much do households in Essex County, MA spend on pets?
About $239.6M a year, or $765 per household. That is 16% below the U.S. average (an index of 84, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 50 pet stores on map listings, it comes to $4.8M per store. The spending figure covers all pets, not only pet stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 313,147 households in Essex County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Essex County, MA compare with the U.S. for pet stores?
Essex County has 1.6 pet stores per 10,000 households, 20% below the U.S. rate of 2.0. Spending per store is $4.8M, 6% above the U.S. figure of $4.5M. At the national ratio of pet stores to household spending, Essex County would have about 53, against 50 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 10,438 households, against one for every 13,024 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against −1.6% for the U.S.
How fast is Essex County, MA growing?
Population estimates put Essex County at 826,653 people in 2025, up 2.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 313,147 households. Median household income in Essex County is $101,883, 26% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.5%, 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. Essex County scores 51 for pet stores (upper middle), #455 of 974 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Essex 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 Essex County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Essex 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 Essex 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.