Learn about the Pet Care Services Business and find information on how to open your own
Pet Care Services Business. Don’t forget you can receive free or low-cost training and free
professional business advice, from your local Small Business Development Center!
View our related business reports here: Pet Supply Store Business
Get a free Pet Care Services Business plan template on our Business Plans page.
Pet Care Services Business COVID-19 Resources
The global COVID-19 pandemic, shelter-in-place orders and physical distancing measures
have affected many businesses. Here is a look at the impact to the Pet Care
Services industry.
Due to the large amount of people who were either laid off or placed under stay at home
orders, demand for pet sitting and boarding has declined as people are able to spend more
time taking care of their pets. Additionally, many people have been forced to decrease their
spending on discretionary services. It’s not all bad news, however, as recent trends analysis
suggests pet ownership will remain stable or even rise during the COVID-19 economic
downturn.
Pet Care Services Industry Overview & Trends
Association and that number is expected to increase to $99.0 billion in 2020. Other Services
such as boarding, grooming, training, pet sitting and all other services except veterinary care
account for $10.3 billion in the industry’s revenue. Spending on pet care services has vastly
increased over the past decade, according to United States Census Bureau.
This Pet Care Services industry summary is from First Research which also sells a full version
of this report.
“Companies in this industry provide grooming, specialized training, and boarding
services for companion animals. Major US companies include PetSmart, PETCO Animal
Supplies, and Best Friends Pet Care. The US and the UK have typically been leading pet-
owning countries. Other major international markets for pet grooming and boarding
include the BRIC nations: Brazil, Russia, India, and China. In particular, China and India
are experiencing an increase in pet ownership rates as economies develop and people’s
attachment to pets drives spending.
The US pet care services industry includes about 17,000 establishments (single-location
companies and units of multi-location companies) with combined annual revenue of
about $5 billion. The industry includes animal shelters. Services provided by
veterinarians and pet supplies retailers, which are not included in the industry, are
covered in the Veterinary Services and Pet & Pet Supplies Stores profiles, respectively.
Competitive Landscape: Demand is driven mainly by the number of cats and dogs kept
as pets, which is affected by demographics and economic conditions. The profitability of
an individual pet care company depends on marketing skills, reputation, and the range
of services offered. Large companies enjoy economies of scale in marketing as well as
better access to capital to invest in boarding and grooming equipment and in training
programs. Small practices can compete effectively by specializing in particular animals
or types of grooming or training, or by serving an exclusive area.”
These Pet Care Services business market insights are derived from is from
Euromonitor, which also sells a full version of this report.
Increasing Humanization: Americans are increasingly willing to spend more on their
companion animals and treat their pets as family members. This rising in social status
has been accompanied with increased spending on pet care services such as grooming,
treats, and lessons
Rising Pet Ownership: The number of Americans owning pets continues its upward
trend, translating into a substantial increase in the industry sector’s revenues. The
number of pets in the USA increased by 2% over the year, with more than 32% of
households owning a cat and nearly 37% owning a dog. Household spending on
industry services was also facilitated by good economic development, rising
employment, and increasing salaries.
The pet population is also projected to continue growing. According to a survey by the
American Pet Products Association (APPA) pet ownership saw most significant growth in
2-person households, and among millennials and generation-Y consumers. With many
young people delaying having children, the number of cats and dogs will continue to
increase, with many people preferring smaller dog breeds rather than large dogs
The AVMA provides a table with data on relevant pet statistics here. Additionally, the AVMA
provides a Pet Market Share Estimator for estimating the number of pets in a community
using the human population of the area and the estimated rate of pet ownership.
Pet Care Customer Demographics
Major customer segments for pet grooming and boarding are reported by IBISWorld. The full
version of the report is available for purchase here.
IBISWorld estimates 2020 Industry revenue to be approximately $9.2 billion, with
market segmentation determined by pet owner age groups.
Pet owners between the ages 18 and 29 are approximately 15.6% of revenue. Although
they own pets at a very high rate, they often lack the money to afford discretionary
purchases such as pet training or grooming and may opt to perform these services on
their own rather than pay someone to do it for them.
Pet owners between the ages 30 and 49 are the largest industry segment at 40%. This
age group tend to find themselves busy with work, traveling, and family obligations, all
which lead to needing industry services. Furthermore, this age segment has the highest
percentage of pet ownership of all age groups.
Pet owners between the ages 50 and 64 comprise 33.5% of industry revenue. People in
this age group often have pets for companionship and are financially stable, allowing
them to spend high dollar amounts on pet services
Pet Owners 65 and older are the smallest industry segment at 10.9%. Due to the large
amount of effort required in having a pet, people in this age group own pets at the
lowest rate. However, those senior citizens that do own pets often spend high amounts
on services for them.
Find further information on pet care services customers in a variety of topical and trade
publications, including:
Trends in Pet Care Mirror Those of Pet Owners | Nielsen Insights
Pet Care Industry Analysis 2020 – Cost & Trends
2019-2020 APPA Pet Owners Survey (available for purchase)
Pet Services Business Startup Costs
Startup costs for pet care services vary greatly depending on the multiple different types of
services offered. Links to various pet care services startup costs are below:
Dog Grooming Business Startup Costs from Entrepreneur Magazine: “Total Startup
costs: Under $2,000″
Dog Day Care Business Startup Costs from Entrepreneur Magazine: “Total Startup costs:
$2,000 – $10,000″
Mobile Pet Grooming Business Startup Costs from Entrepreneur Magazine: “Total
Startup costs: $10,000 – $50,000″
Dog Day Care Business Startup Costs breakdown from Paws Dog Day Care: Total
startup costs range from $24,350 to $143,300, with average total startup costs around
$81,700
Find additional pet care services startup costs information through the following links:
What Is the Cost to Start a Dog Daycare Business? – Chron
Pet Sitting Business Startup Costs
List of Dog Walking Startup Costs – Chron
Animal Businesses With Low Start-up Costs
Pet Care Business Associations
Trade associations often are excellent sources of information on an industry. Here are some
relevant industry associations:
National Cat Groomers Institute
National Dog Groomers Association of America, INC.
American Pet Products Association
American Veterinary Medical Association
International Boarding & Pet Services Association
National Association of Professional Pet Sitters
American Humane
Pet-Related Business Regulations
The section is created to provide a general awareness of regulations and agencies to
consider when starting a Pet Care Services Business. Check with your state and municipality
for rules and regulations that may impact the business in your area. Most regulations are set
at the local level and likely address information such as a maximum number of animals
allowed, pet waste cleanup, and zoning concerns.
Pet Care Regulatory Outlook
USDA Animal Welfare Act and Animal Welfare Regulations
Animal Care Business Employment Trends
The US Census Bureau reports on the size of the pet care services workforce:
“With over 100,000 pet care service businesses, this industry increased its number of
establishments by more than 60% since 2007
The number of people employed in pet care services rose sharply from 2007 to 2017.
Excluding the self-employed, the number of workers grew from 52,855 paid employees
to 111,384, a 111% increase”
Here is the Animal Care and Service Workers labor market summary from the Bureau of
Labor Statistics.
“Pay: The median annual wage for animal caretakers was $24,780 in May 2019. The
median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than
that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $18,630, and
the highest 10 percent earned more than $38,630. The median annual wage for animal
trainers was $30,430 in May 2019. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $20,810,
and the highest 10 percent earned more than $59,110.”
“Work Environment: Animal caretakers held about 300,700 jobs in 2019… Animal
trainers held about 50,200 jobs in 2019… Animal care and service workers are
employed in a variety of settings. Many work at kennels; others work at zoos, stables,
animal shelters, pet stores, veterinary clinics, and aquariums. Their work may involve
travel. Although animal care and service workers may consider their work enjoyable and
rewarding, they face unpleasant and emotionally distressing situations at times. For
example, those who work in shelters may observe abused, injured, or sick animals.
Some caretakers may have to help veterinarians euthanize injured or unwanted
animals. In addition, a lot the work involves physical tasks, such as moving and cleaning
cages, lifting bags of food, and exercising animals.”
“Job Outlook: Overall employment of animal care and service workers is projected to
grow 22 percent from 2019 to 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations.
Many people consider their pets to be a part of their family and are willing to pay more
for pet care than pet owners have in the past. As more households include companion
pets, employment of animal care and service workers in the pet services industry will
continue to grow. Employment of animal care and service workers in kennels, grooming
shops, and pet stores is projected to increase in order to keep up with the growing
demand for animal care.”
A more specific breakdown of wages for other animal care businesses in the US can be found
here (see 39-2000, 392011, and 392021).
Additional Resources
Already in business or thinking about starting your own small business? Check out our
various small business resources:
View more business reports here: Small Business Snapshots
View small business help topics here: Small Business Information Center
View industry-specific research here: Market Research Links
View business plans samples here: Sample Business Plans
Remember, you can also receive free professional business advice and free or low-cost
business training from your local Small Business Development Center!
