Groundwork

Pets · County · North Carolina

Pet stores in Sampson County, NC

The pet stores in Sampson County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 30 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #779 of 974 scored counties
#46 of 52 scored counties in North Carolina

Listings
6
1 chain location (17%)
Official establishments
n/a
Fewer than 3, or not published
Household spending a year
$15.5M
On pets · $719 a household
Spending per listing
$2.6M
43% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
2.8
40% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
61,504
+4.1% since 2020

See the pet stores around any address in Sampson 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 Sampson County. 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

Sampson County scores 30 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for pet stores, ranking #779 of 974 scored counties and #46 of 52 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

As of September 2026, map listings count 6 pet stores in Sampson County. One of them (17%) is a chain location, against 38% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 2.8, 40% above the U.S. rate of 2.0.

Households in Sampson County spend about $15.5M a year on pets, or $719 per household, 21% below the U.S. average. Spread across 6 pet stores, that is $2.6M per store, 43% 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 Sampson County: counts under 3 aren’t published. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Sampson County grew 4.1%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Sampson 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.

Pet stores in Sampson County, NC compared with North Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureSampson CountyNorth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households2.82.02.0
Spending per listing$2.6M$4.6M$4.5M
Households per official establishmentn/a12,70713,024
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+9.8%−1.6%
Population growth, 2020–2025+4.1%+7.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on pets$719$899$909
Median household income$52,432$72,388$80,734
Groundwork market score3058

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
61 chain location
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 Sampson 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 Sampson County

Population, 2025 estimate
61,504+4.1% since 2020
Households
21,607
Median age
39.9
Homes lived in by their owners
74%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
946 sq. mi.
People per square mile
63
Median household income
$52,432+24.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$70,124
Median home value
$150,700
Jobs located here
18,057
Daytime population
51,988Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Sampson 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 Sampson County. 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 counties in North Carolina for pet stores, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with Sampson County marked.

Top counties in North Carolina

Counties in North Carolina ranked for pet stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Union County, NC84172.0$5.5M+11.7%#28 of 974
2Durham County, NC83141.0$10M+7.7%#31 of 974
3Johnston County, NC82172.0$4.7M+17.9%#43 of 974
4Pitt County, NC7591.2$6.5M+5.4%#95 of 974
5Orange County, NC75132.3$4.7M+6.1%#107 of 974
6Wake County, NC741052.3$5M+11.2%#115 of 974
7Chatham County, NC7392.7$4M+11.0%#132 of 974
8Cabarrus County, NC72111.3$7.7M+9.9%#134 of 974
9Harnett County, NC71102.0$4.3M+12.3%#159 of 974
10Guilford County, NC70371.7$5.2M+4.4%#169 of 974
46Sampson County, NC3062.8$2.6M+4.1%#779 of 974

Other business types in Sampson County

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

Questions

How many pet stores are in Sampson County, NC?

Sampson County has 6 pet stores on map listings as of September 2026. One of them (17%) is a chain location. The listings count pet stores. No official count is published for pet and pet supplies stores in Sampson County: counts under 3 are left out.

How much do households in Sampson County, NC spend on pets?

About $15.5M a year, or $719 per household. That is 21% below the U.S. average (an index of 79, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 6 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 21,607 households in Sampson County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Sampson County, NC compare with the U.S. for pet stores?

Sampson County has 2.8 pet stores per 10,000 households, 40% 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, Sampson County would have about 3, against 6 on map listings.

How fast is Sampson County, NC growing?

Population estimates put Sampson County at 61,504 people in 2025, up 4.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 21,607 households. Median household income in Sampson County is $52,432, 35% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.4%, 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. Sampson County scores 30 for pet stores (lower middle), #779 of 974 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Sampson 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 Sampson County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Sampson 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 Sampson 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.