Pets · County · New Jersey
Pet stores in Union County, NJ
How Union County, NJ 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 63 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #272 of 974 scored counties
#4 of 20 scored counties in New Jersey
- Listings
- 35
- 8 chain locations (23%)
- Official establishments
- 13
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $159.3M
- On pets · $783 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.6M
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 1.7
- 15% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 601,863
- +5.0% since 2020
See the pet stores around any address in Union 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 Union 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 Union County comes to about $159.3M a year: $783 per household, 14% below the U.S. average. Spread across 35 pet stores, that is $4.6M per store, in line with the U.S. figure of $4.5M. The spending figure covers all pets, not only pet stores.
There are 35 pet stores on map listings in Union County as of September 2026. 8 of them (23%) are chain locations, against 38% across the U.S. That is 1.7 per 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 2.0.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as pet and pet supplies stores in Union County was 13 in 2023. That is one for every 15,637 households, against one for every 13,024 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $100K has gone to businesses classed as pet and pet supplies stores in Union County.
Population estimates put the population change in Union County from 2020 to 2025 at +5.0%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for pet stores in Union County is 63 (upper middle), #272 of 974 scored counties and #4 of 20 scored counties in New Jersey.
How Union 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 | Union County | New Jersey | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 1.7 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Spending per listing | $4.6M | $3.9M | $4.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 15,637 | 13,810 | 13,024 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −21.8% | −1.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.0% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $783 | $774 | $909 |
| Median household income | $103,202 | $103,556 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 63 | 36 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 16 → 13
- Employees, 2023
- 211
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 358 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 35The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $100K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet and pet supplies stores in Union 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 Union County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 601,863+5.0% since 2020
- Households
- 203,277
- Median age
- 39.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 57%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 103 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 5,637
- Median household income
- $103,202+28.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $149,596
- Median home value
- $529,200
- Jobs located here
- 247,379
- Daytime population
- 551,422Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Union 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 Union 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 Union 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 Union 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
- Veterinarians80
- Pet grooming and boarding63
- Pet stores63
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet stores are in Union County, NJ?
As of September 2026, map listings count 35 pet stores in Union County. 8 of them (23%) are chain locations. The listings count pet stores. Official counts show 13 businesses with payroll classed as pet and pet supplies stores in 2023.
How much do households in Union County, NJ spend on pets?
About $159.3M a year, or $783 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 35 pet stores on map listings, it comes to $4.6M 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 203,277 households in Union County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Union County, NJ compare with the U.S. for pet stores?
Union County has 1.7 pet stores per 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 2.0. Spending per store is $4.6M, in line with the U.S. figure of $4.5M. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of pet stores to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 15,637 households, against one for every 13,024 across the U.S.
How fast is Union County, NJ growing?
Population estimates put Union County at 601,863 people in 2025, up 5.0% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 203,277 households. The median household income in Union County is $103,202 a year, 28% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 28.7% 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. Union County scores 63 for pet stores (upper middle), #272 of 974 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Union 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 Union County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Union 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 Union 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.