Groundwork

Pets · County · Wisconsin

Pet stores in Waukesha County, WI

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pet stores in Waukesha County, WI, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 41 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #639 of 974 scored counties
#15 of 31 scored counties in Wisconsin

Listings
60
25 chain locations (42%)
Official establishments
21
−4.5% since 2019
Household spending a year
$177.7M
On pets · $1,054 a household
Spending per listing
$3M
35% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
3.6
80% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
417,210
+2.4% since 2020

See the pet stores around any address in Waukesha 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 Waukesha County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Household spending on pets in Waukesha County comes to about $177.7M a year: $1,054 per household, 16% above the U.S. average. That works out to $3M per store, 35% below the U.S. figure of $4.5M. The spending figure covers all pets, not only pet stores.

Waukesha County has 60 pet stores on map listings as of September 2026. 25 of them (42%) are chain locations, against 38% across the U.S. That is 3.6 per 10,000 households, 80% above the U.S. rate of 2.0.

Official counts show 21 businesses with payroll classed as pet and pet supplies stores in Waukesha County in 2023, down 4.5% from 2019. That is one for every 8,031 households, against one for every 13,024 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $2M have gone to businesses classed as pet and pet supplies stores in Waukesha County.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Waukesha County grew 2.4%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Waukesha County scores 41 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for pet stores, ranking #639 of 974 scored counties and #15 of 31 scored counties in Wisconsin.

How Waukesha County 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.

Pet stores in Waukesha County, WI compared with Wisconsin and the U.S.
MeasureWaukesha CountyWisconsinU.S.
Listings per 10k households3.62.32.0
Spending per listing$3M$3.8M$4.5M
Households per official establishment8,03112,84713,024
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−4.5%+4.9%−1.6%
Population growth, 2020–2025+2.4%+1.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on pets$1,054$861$909
Median household income$106,076$77,485$80,734
Groundwork market score4130

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
22 → 21−4.5% over the period
Employees, 2023
281
Annual payroll, 2023
$6.6M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
6025 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
39The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
3
Amount
$2M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as pet and pet supplies stores in Waukesha 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 Waukesha County

Population, 2025 estimate
417,210+2.4% since 2020
Households
168,658
Median age
44.2
Homes lived in by their owners
76%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
550 sq. mi.
People per square mile
749
Median household income
$106,076+21.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$137,605
Median home value
$398,200
Jobs located here
265,439
Daytime population
468,429Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Waukesha 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 Waukesha County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Pet stores across Wisconsin

Every Wisconsin market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Wisconsin for pet stores, numbered among those based in Wisconsin, with Waukesha County marked.

Top counties in Wisconsin

Counties in Wisconsin ranked for pet stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Marathon County, WI6891.6$5.4M+1.0%#193 of 974
2Outagamie County, WI63172.2$4.2M+2.6%#276 of 974
3St. Croix County, WI63102.7$3.9M+4.7%#277 of 974
4Dane County, WI62532.1$4.6M+4.9%#288 of 974
5Fond du Lac County, WI6071.6$5.1M+0.5%#312 of 974
6Eau Claire County, WI5961.3$6.3M+3.0%#329 of 974
7Sheboygan County, WI5871.4$5.9M0.0%#346 of 974
8Brown County, WI56201.8$4.8M+2.6%#379 of 974
9Washington County, WI55101.8$5.5M+1.8%#395 of 974
10Racine County, WI53172.1$4.1M+0.4%#426 of 974
15Waukesha County, WI41603.6$3M+2.4%#639 of 974

Other business types in Waukesha County

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

Questions

How many pet stores are in Waukesha County, WI?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 60 pet stores in Waukesha County. 25 of them (42%) are chain locations. The listings count pet stores. Official counts show 21 businesses with payroll classed as pet and pet supplies stores in 2023, down 4.5% from 2019.

How much do households in Waukesha County, WI spend on pets?

About $177.7M a year, or $1,054 per household. That is 16% above the U.S. average (an index of 116, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 60 pet stores on map listings, it comes to $3M per store. That spending covers all pets, which pet stores share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 168,658 households in Waukesha County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Waukesha County, WI compare with the U.S. for pet stores?

Waukesha County has 3.6 pet stores per 10,000 households, 80% above the U.S. rate of 2.0. Spending per store is $3M, 35% below the U.S. figure of $4.5M. At the U.S. ratio of pet stores to household spending, Waukesha County would have about 39, against 60 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 8,031 households, against one for every 13,024 across the U.S. The official count fell 4.5% from 2019 to 2023, against −1.6% for the U.S.

How fast is Waukesha County, WI growing?

Population estimates put Waukesha County at 417,210 people in 2025, up 2.4% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 168,658 households. The median household income in Waukesha County is $106,076 a year, 31% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 21.5% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Waukesha County scores 41 for pet stores (lower middle), #639 of 974 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Waukesha 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 Waukesha 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.