Groundwork

Pets · Small-town market · North Carolina

Pet stores in the Elizabeth City, NC area

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet stores in the Elizabeth City, NC area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 43 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #144 of 220 scored small-town markets
#14 of 15 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina

Listings
5
3 chain locations (60%)
Official establishments
4
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$12.8M
On pets · $813 a household
Spending per listing
$2.6M
43% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
3.2
60% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
42,201
+4.5% since 2020

See the pet stores around any address in the Elizabeth City area

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 the Elizabeth City area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey 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 5 pet stores in the Elizabeth City area. Of those, 3 are chain locations, or 60%, against 38% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 3.2, 60% above the U.S. rate of 2.0.

Households in the Elizabeth City area spend about $12.8M a year on pets, or $813 per household, 11% below the U.S. average. That is about $2.6M of household spending for each store on map listings, 43% 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 4 businesses with payroll classed as pet and pet supplies stores in the Elizabeth City area in 2023. That is one for every 3,946 households, against one for every 13,024 across the U.S.

Population estimates show the Elizabeth City area grew 4.5% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Elizabeth City area scores 43 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for pet stores, ranking #144 of 220 scored small-town markets and #14 of 15 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina.

How the Elizabeth City area compares

The same measures for North Carolina 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.

Pet stores in Elizabeth City, NC area compared with North Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureElizabeth City areaNorth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households3.22.02.0
Spending per listing$2.6M$4.6M$4.5M
Households per official establishment3,94612,70713,024
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+9.8%−1.6%
Population growth, 2020–2025+4.5%+7.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on pets$813$899$909
Median household income$66,589$72,388$80,734
Groundwork market score4358

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
4
Employees, 2023
32
Annual payroll, 2023
$898K
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
53 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
3The 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 the Elizabeth City area, 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 the Elizabeth City area

Population, 2025 estimate
42,201+4.5% since 2020
Households
15,785
Median age
41.0
Homes lived in by their owners
67%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
227 sq. mi.
People per square mile
180
Median household income
$66,589
Average household income
$85,046
Median home value
$234,600
Jobs located here
15,323
Daytime population
38,788Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Elizabeth City area?

These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Elizabeth City area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Pet stores across North Carolina

Every North Carolina market ranked →

The highest-scoring small-town markets in North Carolina for pet stores, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with the Elizabeth City area marked.

Top small-town markets in North Carolina

Small-town markets in North Carolina ranked for pet stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Anderson Creek, NC90102.0$4.3M+12.3%#5 of 220
2Shelby-Kings Mountain, NC8051.3$6M+3.4%#12 of 220
3Albemarle, NC8052.0$4M+9.8%#15 of 220
4New Bern, NC77101.9$4.2M+3.6%#18 of 220
5Kill Devil Hills, NC6963.6$2.8M+3.3%#37 of 220
6Sanford, NC6762.4$3.4M+10.8%#44 of 220
7Waynesville, NC5862.2$3.6M+1.9%#67 of 220
8Morehead City, NC58103.1$2.9M+4.1%#73 of 220
9Mount Airy, NC5572.3$3.2M+1.3%#86 of 220
10Lumberton, NC5392.1$3.1M+3.4%#97 of 220
14Elizabeth City, NC4353.2$2.6M+4.5%#144 of 220

Other business types in the Elizabeth City area

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many pet stores are in the Elizabeth City, NC area?

The Elizabeth City area has 5 pet stores on map listings as of September 2026. 3 of them (60%) are chain locations. The listings count pet stores. Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as pet and pet supplies stores in 2023.

How much do households in the Elizabeth City, NC area spend on pets?

About $12.8M a year, or $813 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 5 pet stores on map listings, it comes to $2.6M per store. The spending figure covers all pets, not only pet stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 15,785 households in the Elizabeth City area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Elizabeth City, NC area compare with the U.S. for pet stores?

The Elizabeth City area has 3.2 pet stores per 10,000 households, 60% above the U.S. rate of 2.0. Spending per store is $2.6M, 43% below the U.S. figure of $4.5M. At the national ratio of pet stores to household spending, the Elizabeth City area would have about 3, against 5 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,946 households, against one for every 13,024 across the U.S.

How fast is the Elizabeth City, NC area growing?

Population estimates put the Elizabeth City area at 42,201 people in 2025, up 4.5% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 15,785 households. Median household income in the Elizabeth City area is $66,589, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734.

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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Elizabeth City area scores 43 for pet stores (lower middle), #144 of 220 scored small-town markets.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Elizabeth City area. 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 the Elizabeth City area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Elizabeth City area?

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 the Elizabeth City area. 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.