Pets · County · New Jersey
Pet stores in Essex County, NJ
The pet stores in Essex County, NJ, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 70 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #165 of 974 scored counties
#2 of 20 scored counties in New Jersey
- Listings
- 39
- 8 chain locations (21%)
- Official establishments
- 12
- −40.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $222.8M
- On pets · $697 a household
- Spending per listing
- $5.7M
- 26% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 1.2
- 40% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 896,379
- +4.2% 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
Household spending on pets in Essex County comes to about $222.8M a year: $697 per household, 23% below the U.S. average. Spread across 39 pet stores, that is $5.7M per store, 26% above the U.S. figure of $4.5M. The spending figure covers all pets, not only pet stores.
There are 39 pet stores on map listings in Essex County as of September 2026. 8 of them (21%) are chain locations, against 38% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 1.2, 40% below the U.S. rate of 2.0.
In 2023, official counts showed 12 businesses with payroll in Essex County classed as pet and pet supplies stores, down 40.0% from 2019. That is one for every 26,649 households, against one for every 13,024 across the U.S.
Population estimates put the population change in Essex County from 2020 to 2025 at +4.2%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Essex County scores 70 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for pet stores, ranking #165 of 974 scored counties and #2 of 20 scored counties in New Jersey. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Essex County compares
The same measures for New Jersey 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 | New Jersey | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 1.2 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Spending per listing | $5.7M | $3.9M | $4.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 26,649 | 13,810 | 13,024 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −40.0% | −21.8% | −1.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.2% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $697 | $774 | $909 |
| Median household income | $80,789 | $103,556 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 70 | 36 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 20 → 12−40.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 122
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 398 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 49The 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 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
- 896,379+4.2% since 2020
- Households
- 319,788
- Median age
- 38.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 45%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.3
- Land area
- 126 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 6,845
- Median household income
- $80,789+31.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $131,554
- Median home value
- $524,100
- Jobs located here
- 362,597
- Daytime population
- 843,719Residents 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 New Jersey
Every New Jersey market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in New Jersey for pet stores, numbered among those based in New Jersey, with Essex County marked.
Top counties in New Jersey
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Middlesex County, NJ | 73 | 38 | 1.2 | $6.5M | +2.6% | #126 of 974 |
| 2Essex County, NJ | 70 | 39 | 1.2 | $5.7M | +4.2% | #165 of 974 |
| 3Hudson County, NJ | 66 | 40 | 1.3 | $5.5M | +1.8% | #225 of 974 |
| 4Union County, NJ | 63 | 35 | 1.7 | $4.6M | +5.0% | #272 of 974 |
| 5Cumberland County, NJ | 56 | 5 | 0.9 | $6.3M | +2.2% | #373 of 974 |
| 6Passaic County, NJ | 56 | 28 | 1.6 | $4.5M | +1.6% | #383 of 974 |
| 7Ocean County, NJ | 56 | 44 | 1.8 | $3.9M | +5.6% | #390 of 974 |
| 8Mercer County, NJ | 54 | 29 | 2.0 | $3.8M | +3.3% | #414 of 974 |
| 9Somerset County, NJ | 47 | 36 | 2.8 | $3.3M | +3.5% | #541 of 974 |
| 10Bergen County, NJ | 46 | 91 | 2.6 | $3.4M | +2.4% | #556 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 businesses74
- Veterinarians75
- Pet grooming and boarding73
- Pet stores70
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet stores are in Essex County, NJ?
As of September 2026, map listings count 39 pet stores in Essex County. 8 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count pet stores. Official counts show 12 businesses with payroll classed as pet and pet supplies stores in 2023, down 40.0% from 2019.
How much do households in Essex County, NJ spend on pets?
About $222.8M a year, or $697 per household. That is 23% below the U.S. average (an index of 77, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 39 pet stores on map listings, it comes to $5.7M 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 319,788 households in Essex County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Essex County, NJ compare with the U.S. for pet stores?
Essex County has 1.2 pet stores per 10,000 households, 40% below the U.S. rate of 2.0. Spending per store is $5.7M, 26% above the U.S. figure of $4.5M. At the U.S. ratio of pet stores to household spending, Essex County would have about 49, against 39 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 26,649 households, against one for every 13,024 across the U.S. The official count fell 40.0% from 2019 to 2023, against −1.6% for the U.S.
How fast is Essex County, NJ growing?
Population estimates put Essex County at 896,379 people in 2025, up 4.2% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 319,788 households. The median household income in Essex County is $80,789 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.3% 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. Essex County scores 70 for pet stores (upper middle), #165 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.