Pets · County · North Carolina
Pet stores in Gaston County, NC
How Gaston County, NC 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 65 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #237 of 974 scored counties
#17 of 52 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 18
- 8 chain locations (44%)
- Official establishments
- 7
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $79.1M
- On pets · $845 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.4M
- 3% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 1.9
- 5% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 246,558
- +7.8% since 2020
See the pet stores around any address in Gaston 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 Gaston 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 18 pet stores in Gaston County. Chain locations make up 44% of them, against 38% across the U.S. That comes to 1.9 for every 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 2.0.
At $845 per household (7% below the U.S. average), households in Gaston County spend about $79.1M a year on pets. Spread across 18 pet stores, that is $4.4M per store, 3% below the U.S. figure of $4.5M. That spending covers all pets, which pet stores share with other businesses in the trade.
In 2023, official counts showed 7 businesses with payroll in Gaston County classed as pet and pet supplies stores. That is one for every 13,368 households, against one for every 13,024 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $1.2M has gone to businesses classed as pet and pet supplies stores in Gaston County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Gaston County grew 7.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Gaston County scores 65 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for pet stores, ranking #237 of 974 scored counties and #17 of 52 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Gaston County 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.
| Measure | Gaston County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 1.9 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Spending per listing | $4.4M | $4.6M | $4.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 13,368 | 12,707 | 13,024 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +9.8% | −1.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +7.8% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $845 | $899 | $909 |
| Median household income | $67,478 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 65 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 6 → 7
- Employees, 2023
- 87
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 188 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 18The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $1.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet and pet supplies stores in Gaston 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 Gaston County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 246,558+7.8% since 2020
- Households
- 93,576
- Median age
- 40.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 356 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 660
- Median household income
- $67,478+27.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $91,074
- Median home value
- $266,000
- Jobs located here
- 82,464
- Daytime population
- 195,265Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Gaston 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 Gaston 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 North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in North Carolina for pet stores, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with Gaston County marked.
Top counties in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Union County, NC | 84 | 17 | 2.0 | $5.5M | +11.7% | #28 of 974 |
| 2Durham County, NC | 83 | 14 | 1.0 | $10M | +7.7% | #31 of 974 |
| 3Johnston County, NC | 82 | 17 | 2.0 | $4.7M | +17.9% | #43 of 974 |
| 4Pitt County, NC | 75 | 9 | 1.2 | $6.5M | +5.4% | #95 of 974 |
| 5Orange County, NC | 75 | 13 | 2.3 | $4.7M | +6.1% | #107 of 974 |
| 6Wake County, NC | 74 | 105 | 2.3 | $5M | +11.2% | #115 of 974 |
| 7Chatham County, NC | 73 | 9 | 2.7 | $4M | +11.0% | #132 of 974 |
| 8Cabarrus County, NC | 72 | 11 | 1.3 | $7.7M | +9.9% | #134 of 974 |
| 9Harnett County, NC | 71 | 10 | 2.0 | $4.3M | +12.3% | #159 of 974 |
| 10Guilford County, NC | 70 | 37 | 1.7 | $5.2M | +4.4% | #169 of 974 |
| 17Gaston County, NC | 65 | 18 | 1.9 | $4.4M | +7.8% | #237 of 974 |
Other business types in Gaston 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 businesses68
- Veterinarians71
- Pet grooming and boarding65
- Pet stores65
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet stores are in Gaston County, NC?
Gaston County has 18 pet stores on map listings as of September 2026. 8 of them (44%) are chain locations. The listings count pet stores. Official counts show 7 businesses with payroll classed as pet and pet supplies stores in 2023.
How much do households in Gaston County, NC spend on pets?
About $79.1M a year, or $845 per household. That is 7% below the U.S. average (an index of 93, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 18 pet stores on map listings, it comes to $4.4M per store. The spending figure covers all pets, not only pet stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 93,576 households in Gaston County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Gaston County, NC compare with the U.S. for pet stores?
Gaston County has 1.9 pet stores per 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 2.0. Spending per store is $4.4M, 3% below 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 13,368 households, against one for every 13,024 across the U.S.
How fast is Gaston County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Gaston County at 246,558 people in 2025, up 7.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 93,576 households. Median household income in Gaston County is $67,478, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 27.7%, 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. Gaston County scores 65 for pet stores (upper middle), #237 of 974 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Gaston 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 Gaston County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Gaston 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 Gaston 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.