Pets · County · Minnesota
Pet stores in Dakota County, MN
The pet stores in Dakota County, MN, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 58 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #348 of 974 scored counties
#12 of 24 scored counties in Minnesota
- Listings
- 39
- 20 chain locations (51%)
- Official establishments
- 23
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $182.7M
- On pets · $1,048 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.7M
- 4% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 2.2
- 10% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 457,710
- +3.9% since 2020
See the pet stores around any address in Dakota 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 Dakota 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
At $1,048 per household (15% above the U.S. average), households in Dakota County spend about $182.7M a year on pets. That works out to $4.7M per store, 4% above the U.S. figure of $4.5M. The spending figure covers all pets, not only pet stores.
Dakota County has 39 pet stores on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 20 are chain locations, or 51%, against 38% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 2.2, 10% above the U.S. rate of 2.0.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as pet and pet supplies stores in Dakota County was 23 in 2023. That is one for every 7,581 households, against one for every 13,024 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $40K have gone to businesses classed as pet and pet supplies stores in Dakota County.
Population estimates show Dakota County grew 3.9% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For pet stores, Dakota County has a Groundwork market score of 58 (upper middle): #348 of 974 scored counties and #12 of 24 scored counties in Minnesota.
How Dakota County compares
The same measures for Minnesota 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 | Dakota County | Minnesota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 2.2 | 1.9 | 2.0 |
| Spending per listing | $4.7M | $5.1M | $4.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 7,581 | 14,335 | 13,024 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +1.9% | −1.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.9% | +2.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $1,048 | $951 | $909 |
| Median household income | $106,318 | $89,062 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 58 | 66 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 19 → 23
- Employees, 2023
- 302
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $8.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3920 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 40The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $40K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet and pet supplies stores in Dakota 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 Dakota County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 457,710+3.9% since 2020
- Households
- 174,362
- Median age
- 39.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 563 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 792
- Median household income
- $106,318+23.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $131,265
- Median home value
- $381,000
- Jobs located here
- 180,369
- Daytime population
- 396,728Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Dakota 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 Dakota 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 Minnesota
Every Minnesota market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Minnesota for pet stores, numbered among those based in Minnesota, with Dakota County marked.
Top counties in Minnesota
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Carver County, MN | 92 | 5 | 1.2 | $9.7M | +6.6% | #4 of 974 |
| 2Sherburne County, MN | 81 | 7 | 2.0 | $5.2M | +6.8% | #49 of 974 |
| 3Scott County, MN | 81 | 13 | 2.4 | $4.9M | +5.1% | #51 of 974 |
| 4Wright County, MN | 76 | 13 | 2.4 | $4.3M | +11.1% | #91 of 974 |
| 5Hennepin County, MN | 71 | 88 | 1.6 | $6.3M | +0.2% | #152 of 974 |
| 6Anoka County, MN | 63 | 29 | 2.1 | $4.8M | +4.7% | #269 of 974 |
| 7Clay County, MN | 62 | 5 | 1.9 | $4.6M | +3.6% | #287 of 974 |
| 8St. Louis County, MN | 61 | 15 | 1.7 | $4.7M | +0.2% | #299 of 974 |
| 9Olmsted County, MN | 60 | 12 | 1.8 | $5.6M | +2.3% | #310 of 974 |
| 10Washington County, MN | 60 | 28 | 2.7 | $4.2M | +6.9% | #320 of 974 |
| 12Dakota County, MN | 58 | 39 | 2.2 | $4.7M | +3.9% | #348 of 974 |
Other business types in Dakota 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 businesses71
- Veterinarians75
- Pet grooming and boarding75
- Pet stores58
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet stores are in Dakota County, MN?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 39 pet stores in Dakota County. 20 of them (51%) are chain locations. The listings count pet stores. Official counts show 23 businesses with payroll classed as pet and pet supplies stores in 2023.
How much do households in Dakota County, MN spend on pets?
About $182.7M a year, or $1,048 per household. That is 15% above the U.S. average (an index of 115, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 39 pet stores on map listings, it comes to $4.7M 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 174,362 households in Dakota County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Dakota County, MN compare with the U.S. for pet stores?
Dakota County has 2.2 pet stores per 10,000 households, 10% above the U.S. rate of 2.0. Spending per store is $4.7M, 4% above the U.S. figure of $4.5M. At the U.S. ratio of pet stores to household spending, Dakota County would have about 40, against 39 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 7,581 households, against one for every 13,024 across the U.S.
How fast is Dakota County, MN growing?
Population estimates put Dakota County at 457,710 people in 2025, up 3.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 174,362 households. The median household income in Dakota County is $106,318 a year, 32% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.6% 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. Dakota County scores 58 for pet stores (upper middle), #348 of 974 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Dakota 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 Dakota County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Dakota 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 Dakota 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.