Dog walking and pet sitting businesses by state
Census industry: Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services (NAICS 812910). Nationwide: 25,551 employer establishments (0.8 per 10,000 residents) and 162,773 businesses without employees.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023 [source], Nonemployer Statistics 2024 [source], Population Estimates Vintage 2024 [source]. Downloaded and processed November 5, 2026. Public domain.
| California | 2,591 | 0.7 | 17,773 | 4.5 |
| Texas | 2,001 | 0.7 | 12,591 | 4 |
| Florida | 1,923 | 0.8 | 13,315 | 5.7 |
| New York | 1,308 | 0.7 | 7,735 | 3.9 |
| Illinois | 1,021 | 0.8 | 6,366 | 5 |
| Pennsylvania | 986 | 0.8 | 5,966 | 4.6 |
| North Carolina | 931 | 0.9 | 7,092 | 6.4 |
| Ohio | 844 | 0.7 | 4,809 | 4 |
| Virginia | 764 | 0.9 | 6,509 | 7.4 |
| Massachusetts | 759 | 1.1 | 5,099 | 7.1 |
| Georgia | 745 | 0.7 | 5,121 | 4.6 |
| Washington | 725 | 0.9 | 5,215 | 6.6 |
| New Jersey | 709 | 0.8 | 4,614 | 4.9 |
| Colorado | 697 | 1.2 | 5,185 | 8.7 |
| Michigan | 680 | 0.7 | 4,115 | 4.1 |
| Arizona | 564 | 0.8 | 3,353 | 4.4 |
| Wisconsin | 546 | 0.9 | 2,459 | 4.1 |
| Tennessee | 514 | 0.7 | 3,265 | 4.5 |
| Indiana | 497 | 0.7 | 2,511 | 3.6 |
| Minnesota | 490 | 0.9 | 2,613 | 4.5 |
| Missouri | 486 | 0.8 | 2,372 | 3.8 |
| South Carolina | 437 | 0.8 | 2,826 | 5.2 |
| Maryland | 412 | 0.7 | 4,143 | 6.6 |
| Oregon | 395 | 0.9 | 2,766 | 6.5 |
| Connecticut | 362 | 1 | 1,915 | 5.2 |
| Utah | 315 | 0.9 | 1,697 | 4.8 |
| Alabama | 309 | 0.6 | 1,574 | 3.1 |
| Iowa | 295 | 0.9 | 1,122 | 3.5 |
| Kentucky | 279 | 0.6 | 1,594 | 3.5 |
| Oklahoma | 266 | 0.7 | 1,445 | 3.5 |
| Nevada | 247 | 0.8 | 1,435 | 4.4 |
| Kansas | 221 | 0.7 | 971 | 3.3 |
| New Hampshire | 209 | 1.5 | 954 | 6.8 |
| Louisiana | 203 | 0.4 | 1,448 | 3.1 |
| Idaho | 188 | 1 | 994 | 5 |
| Arkansas | 187 | 0.6 | 1,118 | 3.6 |
| Maine | 178 | 1.3 | 893 | 6.4 |
| Nebraska | 148 | 0.7 | 701 | 3.5 |
| New Mexico | 136 | 0.6 | 764 | 3.6 |
| Rhode Island | 128 | 1.2 | 495 | 4.5 |
| Montana | 122 | 1.1 | 768 | 6.8 |
| Mississippi | 115 | 0.4 | 756 | 2.6 |
| West Virginia | 98 | 0.6 | 539 | 3 |
| South Dakota | 85 | 0.9 | 349 | 3.8 |
| Alaska | 72 | 1 | 327 | 4.4 |
| North Dakota | 71 | 0.9 | 239 | 3 |
| Vermont | 69 | 1.1 | 523 | 8.1 |
| Delaware | 65 | 0.6 | 492 | 4.7 |
| Wyoming | 64 | 1.1 | 307 | 5.2 |
| Hawaii | 52 | 0.4 | 473 | 3.3 |
| District of Columbia | 42 | 0.6 | 1,067 | 15.2 |
Thinking of starting one? Read how to start a dog walking and pet sitting business, then price it with the startup cost calculator.
What these counts mean — and what they don't
- Counts are not market saturation. They don't measure demand, prices, quality, how busy businesses are, or how far customers travel. A high count can mean a crowded market — or a strong one that supports many businesses.
- Employer establishments (County Business Patterns 2023) are physical locations with paid employees, counted as of mid-March. One company can have several. Self-employed people without employees, private households, railroads, agricultural production and most government are excluded. [source]
- Nonemployer businesses (Nonemployer Statistics 2024) have no paid employees, at least $1,000 in annual receipts ($1 in construction), and are subject to federal income tax. Many are part-time or side businesses. [source]
- Different years and industry definitions. Employer counts use 2017 industry codes; nonemployer counts use 2022 codes. County nonemployer figures are only published for broader industry groups, so we label which group is shown. Don't add the two counts together for a precise total.
- Per 10,000 residents uses Census population estimates for the same year as each count. It helps compare places of different sizes, nothing more.
- Employment is shown only when Census marks the figure as low or moderate noise. Census adds statistical noise to protect businesses' confidentiality. Establishment counts themselves are published without noise.
- Your business may be classified differently from these industry codes — check several related industries.
Sources
- County Business Patterns 2023 — county, state and U.S. files — U.S. Census Bureau, verified 2026-11-03
- Nonemployer Statistics 2024 — county, state and U.S. files — U.S. Census Bureau, verified 2026-11-03
- County population estimates, Vintage 2024 — U.S. Census Bureau, verified 2026-11-03
- County Business Patterns methodology (coverage, establishments, noise flags) — U.S. Census Bureau, verified 2026-11-03
- Nonemployer Statistics glossary (definition of a nonemployer business) — U.S. Census Bureau, verified 2026-11-03