Pets · County · New Hampshire
Pet stores in Merrimack County, NH
The pet stores in Merrimack County, NH, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 35 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #712 of 974 scored counties
#1 of 9 scored counties in New Hampshire
- Listings
- 16
- 6 chain locations (38%)
- Official establishments
- 5
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $43.6M
- On pets · $716 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.7M
- 40% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 2.6
- 30% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 158,078
- +2.6% since 2020
See the pet stores around any address in Merrimack 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 Merrimack 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 16 pet stores in Merrimack County. Of those, 6 are chain locations, or 38%, against 38% across the U.S. That is 2.6 per 10,000 households, 30% above the U.S. rate of 2.0.
Households in Merrimack County spend about $43.6M a year on pets, or $716 per household, 21% below the U.S. average. That works out to $2.7M per store, 40% below 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 5 businesses with payroll classed as pet and pet supplies stores in Merrimack County in 2023. That is one for every 12,180 households, against one for every 13,024 across the U.S.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Merrimack County grew 2.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For pet stores, Merrimack County has a Groundwork market score of 35 (lower middle): #712 of 974 scored counties and #1 of 9 scored counties in New Hampshire.
How Merrimack County compares
The same measures for New Hampshire 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 | Merrimack County | New Hampshire | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 2.6 | 3.1 | 2.0 |
| Spending per listing | $2.7M | $2.3M | $4.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 12,180 | 7,218 | 13,024 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +6.9% | −1.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.6% | +2.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $716 | $740 | $909 |
| Median household income | $97,004 | $99,031 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 35 | 12 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 4 → 5
- Employees, 2023
- 66
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 166 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 10The 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 Merrimack 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 Merrimack County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 158,078+2.6% since 2020
- Households
- 60,901
- Median age
- 43.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 933 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 167
- Median household income
- $97,004+28.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $123,673
- Median home value
- $367,600
- Jobs located here
- 83,058
- Daytime population
- 159,180Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Merrimack 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 Merrimack 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 New Hampshire
Every New Hampshire market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in New Hampshire for pet stores, numbered among those based in New Hampshire, with Merrimack County marked.
Top counties in New Hampshire
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Merrimack County, NH | 35 | 16 | 2.6 | $2.7M | +2.6% | #712 of 974 |
| 2Cheshire County, NH | 26 | 7 | 2.3 | $2.9M | +2.3% | #839 of 974 |
| 3Hillsborough County, NH | 25 | 50 | 3.0 | $2.6M | +2.5% | #853 of 974 |
| 4Belknap County, NH | 24 | 7 | 2.7 | $2.6M | +2.1% | #866 of 974 |
| 5Rockingham County, NH | 24 | 50 | 3.9 | $2.1M | +3.0% | #873 of 974 |
| 6Strafford County, NH | 21 | 15 | 2.9 | $2.4M | +3.0% | #893 of 974 |
| 7Carroll County, NH | 18 | 9 | 4.1 | $1.6M | +5.0% | #913 of 974 |
| 8Grafton County, NH | 16 | 15 | 4.0 | $1.7M | +2.2% | #923 of 974 |
| 9Coos County, NH | 9 | 5 | 3.6 | $1.5M | +0.4% | #959 of 974 |
Other business types in Merrimack 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 businesses20
- Veterinarians23
- Pet grooming and boarding20
- Pet stores35
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet stores are in Merrimack County, NH?
Merrimack County has 16 pet stores on map listings as of September 2026. 6 of them (38%) are chain locations. The listings count pet stores. Official counts show 5 businesses with payroll classed as pet and pet supplies stores in 2023.
How much do households in Merrimack County, NH spend on pets?
About $43.6M a year, or $716 per household. That is 21% below the U.S. average (an index of 79, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 16 pet stores on map listings, it comes to $2.7M per store. The spending figure covers all pets, not only pet stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 60,901 households in Merrimack County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Merrimack County, NH compare with the U.S. for pet stores?
Merrimack County has 2.6 pet stores per 10,000 households, 30% above the U.S. rate of 2.0. Spending per store is $2.7M, 40% below the U.S. figure of $4.5M. At the national ratio of pet stores to household spending, Merrimack County would have about 10, against 16 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 12,180 households, against one for every 13,024 across the U.S.
How fast is Merrimack County, NH growing?
Population estimates put Merrimack County at 158,078 people in 2025, up 2.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 60,901 households. Median household income in Merrimack County is $97,004, 20% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.1%, 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. Merrimack County scores 35 for pet stores (lower middle), #712 of 974 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Merrimack 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 Merrimack County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Merrimack 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 Merrimack 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.