Pets · County · North Carolina
Pet stores in Rutherford County, NC
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet stores in Rutherford County, NC, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 26 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #841 of 974 scored counties
#50 of 52 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 7
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $19.3M
- On pets · $724 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.8M
- 39% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 2.6
- 30% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 65,745
- +2.1% since 2020
See the pet stores around any address in Rutherford 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 Rutherford 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
The Groundwork market score for pet stores in Rutherford County is 26 (lower middle), #841 of 974 scored counties and #50 of 52 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 7 pet stores in Rutherford County. None of them are chain locations, against 38% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 2.6, 30% above the U.S. rate of 2.0.
Household spending on pets in Rutherford County comes to about $19.3M a year: $724 per household, 20% below the U.S. average. That is about $2.8M of household spending for each store on map listings, 39% below the U.S. figure of $4.5M. That spending covers all pets, which pet stores share with other businesses in the trade.
There is no official count of businesses with payroll classed as pet and pet supplies stores in Rutherford County: counts under 3 aren’t published. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Rutherford County grew 2.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Rutherford 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 | Rutherford County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 2.6 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Spending per listing | $2.8M | $4.6M | $4.5M |
| Households per official establishment | n/a | 12,707 | 13,024 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +9.8% | −1.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.1% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $724 | $899 | $909 |
| Median household income | $51,410 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 26 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- n/a
- Employees, 2023
- n/a
- Annual payroll, 2023
- n/a
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 70 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 4The 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 Rutherford 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 Rutherford County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 65,745+2.1% since 2020
- Households
- 26,642
- Median age
- 44.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 565 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 115
- Median household income
- $51,410+20.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $72,230
- Median home value
- $201,800
- Jobs located here
- 19,241
- Daytime population
- 55,091Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Rutherford 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 Rutherford 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 Rutherford 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 |
| 50Rutherford County, NC | 26 | 7 | 2.6 | $2.8M | +2.1% | #841 of 974 |
Other business types in Rutherford 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 businesses42
- Veterinarians43
- Pet grooming and boarding62
- Pet stores26
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet stores are in Rutherford County, NC?
There are 7 pet stores on map listings in Rutherford County as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations. The listings count pet stores. No official count is published for pet and pet supplies stores in Rutherford County: counts under 3 are left out.
How much do households in Rutherford County, NC spend on pets?
About $19.3M a year, or $724 per household. That is 20% below the U.S. average (an index of 80, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 7 pet stores on map listings, it comes to $2.8M per store. The spending figure covers all pets, not only pet stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 26,642 households in Rutherford County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Rutherford County, NC compare with the U.S. for pet stores?
Rutherford County has 2.6 pet stores per 10,000 households, 30% above the U.S. rate of 2.0. Spending per store is $2.8M, 39% below the U.S. figure of $4.5M. At the national ratio of pet stores to household spending, Rutherford County would have about 4, against 7 on map listings.
How fast is Rutherford County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Rutherford County at 65,745 people in 2025, up 2.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 26,642 households. Median household income in Rutherford County is $51,410, 36% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 20.7%, 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. Rutherford County scores 26 for pet stores (lower middle), #841 of 974 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Rutherford 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 Rutherford County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Rutherford 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 Rutherford 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.