Pets · Metro area · West Virginia
Pet stores in the Charleston, WV metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet stores in the Charleston, WV metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 54 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #159 of 382 scored metro areas
#2 of 7 scored metro areas based in West Virginia
- Listings
- 13
- 6 chain locations (46%)
- Official establishments
- 4
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $68.6M
- On pets · $785 a household
- Spending per listing
- $5.3M
- 17% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 1.5
- 25% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 200,170
- −4.7% since 2020
See the pet stores around any address in the Charleston metro 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 Charleston metro 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 13 pet stores in the Charleston metro area. 6 of them (46%) are chain locations, against 38% across the U.S. That comes to 1.5 for every 10,000 households, 25% below the U.S. rate of 2.0.
Household spending on pets in the Charleston metro area comes to about $68.6M a year: $785 per household, 14% below the U.S. average. That is about $5.3M of household spending for each store on map listings, 17% above 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 Charleston metro area in 2023. That is one for every 21,840 households, against one for every 13,024 across the U.S.
Population estimates show the Charleston metro area declined 4.7% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Charleston metro area scores 54 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for pet stores, ranking #159 of 382 scored metro areas and #2 of 7 scored metro areas based in West Virginia.
How the Charleston metro area compares
The same measures for West Virginia 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 | Charleston metro area | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 1.5 | 1.5 | 2.0 |
| Spending per listing | $5.3M | $5.4M | $4.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 21,840 | 29,146 | 13,024 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | 0.0% | −1.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −4.7% | −1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $785 | $788 | $909 |
| Median household income | $60,117 | $59,608 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 54 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 4
- Employees, 2023
- 62
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 136 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 15The 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 Charleston metro 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 Charleston metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 200,170−4.7% since 2020
- Households
- 87,358
- Median age
- 43.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 1,746 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 118
- Median household income
- $60,117
- Average household income
- $81,990
- Median home value
- $141,100
- Jobs located here
- 110,278
- Daytime population
- 231,110Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Charleston metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 Charleston metro 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 West Virginia
Every West Virginia market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in West Virginia for pet stores, numbered among those based in West Virginia (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Charleston metro area marked.
Top metro areas in West Virginia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 86 | 337 | 1.4 | $8.9M | +3.3% | #6 of 382 |
| Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV | 81 | 19 | 1.6 | $5.7M | +7.1% | #11 of 382 |
| 1Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH | 56 | 23 | 1.5 | $5.2M | −2.6% | #140 of 382 |
| 2Charleston, WV | 54 | 13 | 1.5 | $5.3M | −4.7% | #159 of 382 |
| 3Morgantown, WV | 49 | 12 | 2.1 | $4.1M | +1.3% | #199 of 382 |
| 4Parkersburg-Vienna, WV | 47 | 5 | 1.3 | $5.8M | −2.3% | #208 of 382 |
| 5Beckley, WV | 45 | 5 | 1.1 | $6.5M | −4.3% | #226 of 382 |
| Winchester, VA-WV | 45 | 15 | 2.7 | $3.6M | +6.5% | #232 of 382 |
| 6Wheeling, WV-OH | 29 | 10 | 1.7 | $4.4M | −3.6% | #332 of 382 |
| 7Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH | 17 | 10 | 2.0 | $3.7M | −3.6% | #373 of 382 |
Other business types in the Charleston metro 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 businesses55
- Veterinarians51
- Pet grooming and boarding52
- Pet stores54
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet stores are in the Charleston, WV metro area?
The Charleston metro area has 13 pet stores on map listings as of September 2026. 6 of them (46%) 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 Charleston, WV metro area spend on pets?
About $68.6M a year, or $785 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 13 pet stores on map listings, it comes to $5.3M per store. The spending figure covers all pets, not only pet stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 87,358 households in the Charleston metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Charleston, WV metro area compare with the U.S. for pet stores?
The Charleston metro area has 1.5 pet stores per 10,000 households, 25% below the U.S. rate of 2.0. Spending per store is $5.3M, 17% above the U.S. figure of $4.5M. At the national ratio of pet stores to household spending, the Charleston metro area would have about 15, against 13 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 21,840 households, against one for every 13,024 across the U.S.
How fast is the Charleston, WV metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Charleston metro area at 200,170 people in 2025, down 4.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 87,358 households. Median household income in the Charleston metro area is $60,117, 26% 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. 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 Charleston metro area scores 54 for pet stores (upper middle), #159 of 382 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Charleston metro 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 Charleston metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Charleston metro 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 Charleston metro 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.