Pets · Small-town market · South Carolina
Pet stores in the Murrells Inlet, SC area
The pet stores in the Murrells Inlet, SC area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 80 out of 100: High
Ranked #13 of 220 scored small-town markets
#2 of 6 scored small-town markets based in South Carolina
- Listings
- 5
- 2 chain locations (40%)
- Official establishments
- 3
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $23.8M
- On pets · $876 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.8M
- 5% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 1.8
- 10% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 65,912
- +3.8% since 2020
See the pet stores around any address in the Murrells Inlet 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 Murrells Inlet area. 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
For pet stores, the Murrells Inlet area has a Groundwork market score of 80 (high): #13 of 220 scored small-town markets and #2 of 6 scored small-town markets based in South Carolina. That puts it in the top 10% of small-town markets for pet stores.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 5 pet stores in the Murrells Inlet area. Of those, 2 are chain locations, or 40%, against 38% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 1.8, 10% below the U.S. rate of 2.0.
At $876 per household (4% below the U.S. average), households in the Murrells Inlet area spend about $23.8M a year on pets. That works out to $4.8M per store, 5% above the U.S. figure of $4.5M. That spending covers all pets, which pet stores share with other businesses in the trade.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as pet and pet supplies stores in the Murrells Inlet area was 3 in 2023. That is one for every 9,043 households, against one for every 13,024 across the U.S. Population estimates show the Murrells Inlet area grew 3.8% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Murrells Inlet area compares
The same measures for South 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 | Murrells Inlet area | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 1.8 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Spending per listing | $4.8M | $4.4M | $4.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 9,043 | 13,405 | 13,024 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +4.0% | −1.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.8% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $876 | $869 | $909 |
| Median household income | $68,713 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 80 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 3
- Employees, 2023
- 43
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 52 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 5The 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 Murrells Inlet 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 Murrells Inlet area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 65,912+3.8% since 2020
- Households
- 27,129
- Median age
- 50.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 84%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 814 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 80
- Median household income
- $68,713
- Average household income
- $100,202
- Median home value
- $289,500
- Jobs located here
- 25,133
- Daytime population
- 61,754Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Murrells Inlet 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 Murrells Inlet area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardPet stores across South Carolina
Every South Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in South Carolina for pet stores, numbered among those based in South Carolina, with the Murrells Inlet area marked.
Top small-town markets in South Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Seneca, SC | 85 | 6 | 1.7 | $4.8M | +6.3% | #9 of 220 |
| 2Murrells Inlet, SC | 80 | 5 | 1.8 | $4.8M | +3.8% | #13 of 220 |
| 3Greenwood, SC | 75 | 5 | 1.3 | $5.6M | +1.7% | #21 of 220 |
| 4Gaffney, SC | 56 | 5 | 2.3 | $3.1M | +3.7% | #81 of 220 |
| 5Orangeburg, SC | 51 | 7 | 2.1 | $3.3M | −0.9% | #104 of 220 |
| 6Newberry, SC | 44 | 6 | 3.9 | $2M | +4.8% | #141 of 220 |
Other business types in the Murrells Inlet area
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 businesses50
- Veterinarians71
- Pet grooming and boarding56
- Pet stores80
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet stores are in the Murrells Inlet, SC area?
There are 5 pet stores on map listings in the Murrells Inlet area as of September 2026. 2 of them (40%) are chain locations. The listings count pet stores. Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as pet and pet supplies stores in 2023.
How much do households in the Murrells Inlet, SC area spend on pets?
About $23.8M a year, or $876 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 5 pet stores on map listings, it comes to $4.8M per store. The spending figure covers all pets, not only pet stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 27,129 households in the Murrells Inlet area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Murrells Inlet, SC area compare with the U.S. for pet stores?
The Murrells Inlet area has 1.8 pet stores per 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 2.0. Spending per store is $4.8M, 5% above 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 9,043 households, against one for every 13,024 across the U.S.
How fast is the Murrells Inlet, SC area growing?
Population estimates put the Murrells Inlet area at 65,912 people in 2025, up 3.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 27,129 households. Median household income in the Murrells Inlet area is $68,713, 15% 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 Murrells Inlet area scores 80 for pet stores (high), #13 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 Murrells Inlet 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 Murrells Inlet area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Murrells Inlet 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 Murrells Inlet 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.