Pets · Metro area · Missouri
Veterinarians in the Columbia, MO metro area
How the Columbia, MO metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for veterinarians: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 31 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #323 of 384 scored metro areas
#5 of 8 scored metro areas based in Missouri
- Listings
- 42
- 8 chain locations (19%)
- Official establishments
- 28
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $72.2M
- On pets · $836 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.7M
- 37% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.9
- 48% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 219,062
- +3.9% since 2020
See the veterinarians around any address in the Columbia metro area
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 the Columbia 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
The Groundwork market score for veterinarians in the Columbia metro area is 31 (lower middle), #323 of 384 scored metro areas and #5 of 8 scored metro areas based in Missouri. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
As of September 2026, map listings count 42 veterinarians in the Columbia metro area. Chain locations make up 19% of them, against 19% across the U.S. That comes to 4.9 for every 10,000 households, 48% above the U.S. rate of 3.3.
Households in the Columbia metro area spend about $72.2M a year on pets, or $836 per household, 8% below the U.S. average. That is about $1.7M of household spending for each clinic on map listings, 37% below the U.S. figure of $2.7M. That spending covers all pets, which veterinarians share with other businesses in the trade.
In 2023, official counts showed 28 businesses with payroll in the Columbia metro area classed as veterinary services. That is one for every 3,085 households, against one for every 3,767 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $115K has gone to businesses classed as veterinary services in the Columbia metro area. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Columbia metro area grew 3.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Columbia metro area compares
The same measures for Missouri 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.
| Measure | Columbia metro area | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.9 | 3.8 | 3.3 |
| Spending per listing | $1.7M | $2.2M | $2.7M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,085 | 3,604 | 3,767 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +1.0% | +6.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.9% | +1.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $836 | $825 | $909 |
| Median household income | $72,340 | $70,702 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 31 | 32 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 28
- Employees, 2023
- 439
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $25.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 428 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 27The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $115K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as veterinary services in the Columbia 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 Columbia metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 219,062+3.9% since 2020
- Households
- 86,393
- Median age
- 36.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 60%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,714 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 125
- Median household income
- $72,340+32.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $97,624
- Median home value
- $258,700
- Jobs located here
- 114,165
- Daytime population
- 231,692Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Columbia 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 veterinarians on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Columbia metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardVeterinarians across Missouri
Every Missouri market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Missouri for veterinarians, numbered among those based in Missouri, with the Columbia metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Missouri
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1St. Louis, MO-IL | 57 | 365 | 3.1 | $2.9M | −0.2% | #143 of 384 |
| 2Kansas City, MO-KS | 51 | 338 | 3.8 | $2.4M | +3.4% | #191 of 384 |
| 3St. Joseph, MO-KS | 38 | 17 | 3.6 | $2.1M | −2.0% | #277 of 384 |
| 4Joplin, MO-KS | 32 | 30 | 3.8 | $1.9M | +3.9% | #317 of 384 |
| 5Columbia, MO | 31 | 42 | 4.9 | $1.7M | +3.9% | #323 of 384 |
| 6Springfield, MO | 28 | 88 | 4.4 | $1.7M | +5.1% | #339 of 384 |
| 7Cape Girardeau, MO-IL | 24 | 18 | 4.7 | $1.6M | +1.7% | #360 of 384 |
| 8Jefferson City, MO | 23 | 27 | 4.6 | $1.8M | +2.2% | #363 of 384 |
Other business types in the Columbia 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 businesses41
- Veterinarians31
- Pet grooming and boarding60
- Pet stores49
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many veterinarians are in the Columbia, MO metro area?
The Columbia metro area has 42 veterinarians on map listings as of September 2026. 8 of them (19%) are chain locations. The listings count veterinary clinics and animal hospitals. Official counts show 28 businesses with payroll classed as veterinary services in 2023.
How much do households in the Columbia, MO metro area spend on pets?
About $72.2M a year, or $836 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 42 veterinarians on map listings, it comes to $1.7M per clinic. The spending figure covers all pets, not only veterinarians. It is estimated from the incomes of the 86,393 households in the Columbia metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Columbia, MO metro area compare with the U.S. for veterinarians?
The Columbia metro area has 4.9 veterinarians per 10,000 households, 48% above the U.S. rate of 3.3. Spending per clinic is $1.7M, 37% below the U.S. figure of $2.7M. At the national ratio of veterinarians to household spending, the Columbia metro area would have about 27, against 42 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,085 households, against one for every 3,767 across the U.S.
How fast is the Columbia, MO metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Columbia metro area at 219,062 people in 2025, up 3.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 86,393 households. The median household income in the Columbia metro area is $72,340 a year, 10% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 32.0% 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. The Columbia metro area scores 31 for veterinarians (lower middle), #323 of 384 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Columbia metro area. 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 the Columbia metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Columbia 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 Columbia 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.