Groundwork

Pets · County · Minnesota

Veterinarians in Dakota County, MN

The veterinarians in Dakota County, MN, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 75 out of 100: High

Ranked #186 of 1,485 scored counties
#4 of 36 scored counties in Minnesota

Listings
65
21 chain locations (32%)
Official establishments
43
+16.2% since 2019
Household spending a year
$182.7M
On pets · $1,048 a household
Spending per listing
$2.8M
3% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
3.7
12% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
457,710
+3.9% since 2020

See the veterinarians around any address in Dakota County

The site report maps the veterinarians 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 Dakota 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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 65 veterinarians in Dakota County. 21 of them (32%) are chain locations, against 19% across the U.S. That is 3.7 per 10,000 households, 12% above the U.S. rate of 3.3.

Households in Dakota County spend about $182.7M a year on pets, or $1,048 per household, 15% above the U.S. average. That is about $2.8M of household spending for each clinic on map listings, 3% above the U.S. figure of $2.7M. That spending covers all pets, which veterinarians share with other businesses in the trade.

Official counts show 43 businesses with payroll classed as veterinary services in Dakota County in 2023, up 16.2% from 2019. That is one for every 4,055 households, against one for every 3,767 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $7.5M have gone to businesses classed as veterinary services in Dakota County.

Population estimates show Dakota County grew 3.9% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for veterinarians in Dakota County is 75 (high), #186 of 1,485 scored counties and #4 of 36 scored counties in Minnesota. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Dakota County compares

The same measures for Minnesota and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all pets by the veterinarians counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.

Veterinarians in Dakota County, MN compared with Minnesota and the U.S.
MeasureDakota CountyMinnesotaU.S.
Listings per 10k households3.73.43.3
Spending per listing$2.8M$2.8M$2.7M
Households per official establishment4,0553,6633,767
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+16.2%+4.3%+6.8%
Population growth, 2020–2025+3.9%+2.1%+3.1%
Spending per household on pets$1,048$951$909
Median household income$106,318$89,062$80,734
Groundwork market score7558

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
37 → 43+16.2% over the period
Employees, 2023
842
Annual payroll, 2023
$37.8M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
6521 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
67The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
4
Amount
$7.5M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as veterinary services in Dakota 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 Dakota County

Population, 2025 estimate
457,710+3.9% since 2020
Households
174,362
Median age
39.8
Homes lived in by their owners
75%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
563 sq. mi.
People per square mile
792
Median household income
$106,318+23.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$131,265
Median home value
$381,000
Jobs located here
180,369
Daytime population
396,728Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Dakota 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 veterinarians on map listings by name and distance.

Or open the report at the center of Dakota County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Veterinarians across Minnesota

Every Minnesota market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Minnesota for veterinarians, numbered among those based in Minnesota, with Dakota County marked.

Top counties in Minnesota

Counties in Minnesota ranked for veterinarians by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Anoka County, MN78443.2$3.1M+4.7%#123 of 1,485
2Blue Earth County, MN7762.2$3.8M+2.1%#129 of 1,485
3Carver County, MN76184.4$2.7M+6.6%#159 of 1,485
4Dakota County, MN75653.7$2.8M+3.9%#186 of 1,485
5Hennepin County, MN731663.1$3.3M+0.2%#212 of 1,485
6Wright County, MN73183.3$3.1M+11.1%#216 of 1,485
7Washington County, MN73393.7$3M+6.9%#220 of 1,485
8Chisago County, MN7373.3$3M+4.3%#221 of 1,485
9Scott County, MN72203.6$3.2M+5.1%#233 of 1,485
10Sherburne County, MN72123.4$3M+6.8%#236 of 1,485

Other business types in Dakota County

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

Questions

How many veterinarians are in Dakota County, MN?

There are 65 veterinarians on map listings in Dakota County as of September 2026. 21 of them (32%) are chain locations. The listings count veterinary clinics and animal hospitals. Official counts show 43 businesses with payroll classed as veterinary services in 2023, up 16.2% from 2019.

How much do households in Dakota County, MN spend on pets?

About $182.7M a year, or $1,048 per household. That is 15% above the U.S. average (an index of 115, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 65 veterinarians on map listings, it comes to $2.8M per clinic. The spending figure covers all pets, not only veterinarians. It is estimated from the incomes of the 174,362 households in Dakota County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Dakota County, MN compare with the U.S. for veterinarians?

Dakota County has 3.7 veterinarians per 10,000 households, 12% above the U.S. rate of 3.3. Spending per clinic is $2.8M, 3% above the U.S. figure of $2.7M. At the national ratio of veterinarians to household spending, Dakota County would have about 67, against 65 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 4,055 households, against one for every 3,767 across the U.S. The official count rose 16.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.8% for the U.S.

How fast is Dakota County, MN growing?

Population estimates put Dakota County at 457,710 people in 2025, up 3.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 174,362 households. The median household income in Dakota County is $106,318 a year, 32% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.6% 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. Dakota County scores 75 for veterinarians (high), #186 of 1,485 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Dakota County. It maps the veterinarians 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 veterinarians · All 56 business types in Dakota County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Dakota 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 Dakota 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.