Pets · County · North Carolina
Veterinarians in Rutherford County, NC
How Rutherford County, NC compares with other counties and the U.S. for veterinarians: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 43 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #912 of 1,485 scored counties
#52 of 63 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 9
- 1 chain location (11%)
- Official establishments
- 8
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $19.3M
- On pets · $724 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.1M
- 21% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 3.4
- 3% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 65,745
- +2.1% since 2020
See the veterinarians around any address in Rutherford 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 Rutherford County. 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
Households in Rutherford County spend about $19.3M a year on pets, or $724 per household, 20% below the U.S. average. That is about $2.1M of household spending for each clinic on map listings, 21% below the U.S. figure of $2.7M. The spending figure covers all pets, not only veterinarians.
There are 9 veterinarians on map listings in Rutherford County as of September 2026. One of them (11%) is a chain location, against 19% across the U.S. That is 3.4 per 10,000 households, 3% above the U.S. rate of 3.3.
Official counts show 8 businesses with payroll classed as veterinary services in Rutherford County in 2023. That is one for every 3,330 households, against one for every 3,767 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $1.4M has gone to businesses classed as veterinary services in Rutherford County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Rutherford County grew 2.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For veterinarians, Rutherford County has a Groundwork market score of 43 (lower middle): #912 of 1,485 scored counties and #52 of 63 scored counties in North Carolina.
How Rutherford County compares
The same measures for North Carolina 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 | Rutherford County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2.1M | $2.6M | $2.7M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,330 | 3,502 | 3,767 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +10.3% | +6.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.1% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on pets | $724 | $899 | $909 |
| Median household income | $51,410 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 43 | 56 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 6 → 8
- Employees, 2023
- 83
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 91 chain location
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 7The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $1.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as veterinary services in Rutherford 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 Rutherford County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 65,745+2.1% since 2020
- Households
- 26,642
- Median age
- 44.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 565 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 115
- Median household income
- $51,410+20.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $72,230
- Median home value
- $201,800
- Jobs located here
- 19,241
- Daytime population
- 55,091Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Rutherford 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 Rutherford County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardVeterinarians across North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in North Carolina for veterinarians, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with Rutherford County marked.
Top counties in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Brunswick County, NC | 89 | 15 | 2.2 | $4.2M | +26.5% | #17 of 1,485 |
| 2Harnett County, NC | 88 | 7 | 1.4 | $6.1M | +12.3% | #18 of 1,485 |
| 3Lincoln County, NC | 87 | 9 | 2.4 | $3.9M | +13.2% | #28 of 1,485 |
| 4Johnston County, NC | 81 | 23 | 2.7 | $3.5M | +17.9% | #74 of 1,485 |
| 5Davidson County, NC | 80 | 17 | 2.4 | $3.3M | +6.6% | #92 of 1,485 |
| 6Union County, NC | 80 | 30 | 3.6 | $3.1M | +11.7% | #96 of 1,485 |
| 7Nash County, NC | 76 | 8 | 2.1 | $3.9M | +3.9% | #142 of 1,485 |
| 8Franklin County, NC | 76 | 9 | 3.2 | $2.7M | +18.8% | #156 of 1,485 |
| 9Mecklenburg County, NC | 76 | 179 | 3.8 | $2.7M | +10.5% | #161 of 1,485 |
| 10Rowan County, NC | 75 | 17 | 2.9 | $2.8M | +5.6% | #185 of 1,485 |
| 52Rutherford County, NC | 43 | 9 | 3.4 | $2.1M | +2.1% | #912 of 1,485 |
Other business types in Rutherford County
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 businesses42
- Veterinarians43
- Pet grooming and boarding62
- Pet stores26
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many veterinarians are in Rutherford County, NC?
As of September 2026, map listings count 9 veterinarians in Rutherford County. One of them (11%) is a chain location. The listings count veterinary clinics and animal hospitals. Official counts show 8 businesses with payroll classed as veterinary services in 2023.
How much do households in Rutherford County, NC spend on pets?
About $19.3M a year, or $724 per household. That is 20% below the U.S. average (an index of 80, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 9 veterinarians on map listings, it comes to $2.1M per clinic. That spending covers all pets, which veterinarians share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 26,642 households in Rutherford County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Rutherford County, NC compare with the U.S. for veterinarians?
Rutherford County has 3.4 veterinarians per 10,000 households, 3% above the U.S. rate of 3.3. Spending per clinic is $2.1M, 21% below the U.S. figure of $2.7M. At the U.S. ratio of veterinarians to household spending, Rutherford County would have about 7, against 9 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,330 households, against one for every 3,767 across the U.S.
How fast is Rutherford County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Rutherford County at 65,745 people in 2025, up 2.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 26,642 households. Median household income in Rutherford County is $51,410, 36% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 20.7%, 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. Rutherford County scores 43 for veterinarians (lower middle), #912 of 1,485 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Rutherford 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 Rutherford County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Rutherford 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 Rutherford 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.