Pets · Metro area · Wisconsin
Pet stores in the Appleton, WI metro area
How the Appleton, WI metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for pet stores: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 63 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #103 of 382 scored metro areas
#2 of 13 scored metro areas based in Wisconsin
- Listings
- 20
- 7 chain locations (35%)
- Official establishments
- 6
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $90.4M
- On pets · $906 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.5M
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 2.0
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 249,876
- +2.7% since 2020
See the pet stores around any address in the Appleton 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 Appleton 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 20 pet stores in the Appleton metro area. Of those, 7 are chain locations, or 35%, against 38% across the U.S. That comes to 2.0 for every 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 2.0.
Household spending on pets in the Appleton metro area comes to about $90.4M a year: $906 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That is about $4.5M of household spending for each store on map listings, in line with 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 Appleton metro area was 6 in 2023. That is one for every 16,626 households, against one for every 13,024 across the U.S.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Appleton metro area grew 2.7%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for pet stores in the Appleton metro area is 63 (upper middle), #103 of 382 scored metro areas and #2 of 13 scored metro areas based in Wisconsin.
How the Appleton metro area compares
The same measures for Wisconsin 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 | Appleton metro area | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 2.0 | 2.3 | 2.0 |
| Spending per listing | $4.5M | $3.8M | $4.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 16,626 | 12,847 | 13,024 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +4.9% | −1.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.7% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $906 | $861 | $909 |
| Median household income | $85,825 | $77,485 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 63 | 30 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 6
- Employees, 2023
- 83
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 207 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 20The 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 Appleton 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 Appleton metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 249,876+2.7% since 2020
- Households
- 99,754
- Median age
- 40.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 956 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 257
- Median household income
- $85,825+26.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $112,747
- Median home value
- $268,900
- Jobs located here
- 130,221
- Daytime population
- 246,801Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Appleton 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 Appleton 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 Wisconsin
Every Wisconsin market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Wisconsin for pet stores, numbered among those based in Wisconsin (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Appleton metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Wisconsin
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Wausau, WI | 66 | 9 | 1.6 | $5.4M | +1.0% | #76 of 382 |
| Duluth, MN-WI | 64 | 18 | 1.5 | $5.5M | +0.2% | #93 of 382 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 64 | 288 | 1.9 | $5.2M | +2.6% | #95 of 382 |
| 2Appleton, WI | 63 | 20 | 2.0 | $4.5M | +2.7% | #103 of 382 |
| 3Eau Claire, WI | 61 | 9 | 1.3 | $6.6M | +2.6% | #111 of 382 |
| 4Sheboygan, WI | 57 | 7 | 1.4 | $5.9M | 0.0% | #133 of 382 |
| 5Fond du Lac, WI | 55 | 7 | 1.6 | $5.1M | +0.5% | #153 of 382 |
| 6Green Bay, WI | 53 | 25 | 1.8 | $4.7M | +2.5% | #167 of 382 |
| 7Madison, WI | 49 | 70 | 2.3 | $4.1M | +4.1% | #200 of 382 |
| 8Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI | 44 | 17 | 2.1 | $4.1M | +0.4% | #242 of 382 |
Other business types in the Appleton 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 businesses52
- Veterinarians66
- Pet grooming and boarding44
- Pet stores63
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pet stores are in the Appleton, WI metro area?
The Appleton metro area has 20 pet stores on map listings as of September 2026. 7 of them (35%) are chain locations. The listings count pet stores. Official counts show 6 businesses with payroll classed as pet and pet supplies stores in 2023.
How much do households in the Appleton, WI metro area spend on pets?
About $90.4M a year, or $906 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 100, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 20 pet stores on map listings, it comes to $4.5M per store. The spending figure covers all pets, not only pet stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 99,754 households in the Appleton metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Appleton, WI metro area compare with the U.S. for pet stores?
The Appleton metro area has 2.0 pet stores per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 2.0. Spending per store is $4.5M, in line with 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 16,626 households, against one for every 13,024 across the U.S.
How fast is the Appleton, WI metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Appleton metro area at 249,876 people in 2025, up 2.7% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 99,754 households. Median household income in the Appleton metro area is $85,825, 6% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.9%, 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. The Appleton metro area scores 63 for pet stores (upper middle), #103 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 Appleton 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 Appleton metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Appleton 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 Appleton 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.