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Pet ownership in the U.S. has actually leapt considerably over the previous 3 years. As of 2022, 70% of U.S. homes (90.5 million houses) own a family pet.[1] That’s up from 56% in 1988, pet ownership stats reveal. From friendship to psychological assistance, family pets are an important part of their owners’ lives. In truth, 85% of dog owners and 76% of cat owners consider their family pets to be a family member.[2]
Forbes Advisor performed a deep dive into the latest available animal owner stats to figure out which family pets are most popular, how pet ownership and spending routines vary by generation, the cost of animal ownership and the most typical way of life sacrifices made by animal owners.
Pet Ownership in the U.S. at a Glance
- 70% of U.S. homes (90.5 million houses) own a family pet.[1]
- Dogs are the most popular animal in the U.S. (69 million U.S. homes own a dog), followed by cats (45.3 million homes) and freshwater fish (11.8 million homes).[1]
- Millennials comprise the biggest portion of present animal owners (32%), followed by infant boomers (27%) and Gen X (24%). [1]
- In 2021, Americans invested $123.6 billion on their family pets, up 19.31% from 2020 ($103.6 billion).[1]
- Dog owners spend approximately $730 a year on their dogs.[4]
- 42% of dog owners and 43% of cat owners got their family pets from a store, while 38% of dog owners and 40% of cat owners got their family pets from an animal shelter or rescue.[2]
Pet Owner Statistics
The portion of animal owners in the U.S. surged over the previous 34 years, according to animal owner stats examined by Forbes Advisor.
The constant increase in animal ownership in the U.S. comes at a time when pet insurance coverage is likewise quickly acquiring in appeal. What was as soon as an unknown insurance coverage item has actually more than doubled in development from 2018 to 2021. [8]
Pet insurance coverage avoids you from needing to pay the complete cost of unforeseen veterinarian costs if your animal is hurt or gets ill. It’s a wise method to include a layer of monetary security to your budget plan. Here are more fascinating truths associated with pet ownership:
- As of 2022, 70% of U.S. homes (90.5 million houses) own a family pet.[1]
- Pet ownership has actually increased considerably over the previous 3 years. In 1988, just 56% of U.S. homes owned a family pet.[1]
- 78% of animal owners surveyed by Forbes Advisor obtained family pets throughout the pandemic.[3]
- Households with yearly earnings of $100,000 and over are probably to own family pets: 63% of homes in this earnings bracket own dogs and 40% own cats. [2]
- Homeowners are most likely to own family pets than occupants: 58% of house owners have a dog and 36% have a cat.[2]
- 42% of dog owners and 43% of cat owners got their family pets from a store, while 38% of dog owners and 40% of cat owners got their animal from an animal shelter or rescue.[2]
- 23% of dog owners report getting their dog from a breeder compared to 7% of cat owners. [2]
- While the variety of animal owning homes increased in between 2016 and 2020, animal owners were most likely to own a smaller sized variety of family pets.[2]
- 65% of dog-owning homes owned simply one dog in 2020, compared to 60% in 2016 and 56% of cat-owning homes owned simply one cat in 2020, compared to 53% in 2016.[2]
Pet ownership by generation
Pet ownership stats reveal that millennials make up the greatest portion of animal owners in the U.S, amongst the generations:
- Millennials comprise the biggest portion of present animal owners (32%), followed by infant boomers (27%) and Gen X (24%). [1]
- Gen Z animal owners (ages 18 to 25) are much more most likely than other age to have a range of family pets.[3]
- Gen X animal owners (ages 42 to 57) are the least most likely to own family pets that aren’t cats and dogs, such as hamsters, birds and fish. [3]
Most Popular Pets in the U.S.
The most typical family pets in the U.S. are dogs and cats, however there’s still a great deal of love for other animals and types. Millions of homes consist of fish, birds and little animals like hamsters and bunnies.
The most popular family pets in the U.S. are [1]:
1. Dogs (69 million homes)
2. Cats (45.3 million homes)
3. Freshwater fish (11.8 million homes)
4. Birds (9.9 million homes)
5. Small animals such as hamsters, gerbils, bunnies, guinea pigs, chinchillas, mice and ferrets (6.2 million homes)
Are cats or dogs more popular?
Whether cats or dogs make much better buddies has actually long been a bone of contention amongst lots of pet moms and dads. Popularity definitely has absolutely nothing to do with just how much a family pet is enjoyed by its human family. But in regards to ownership, more homes consist of dogs than cats.
- Dogs are more popular than cats in the U.S. As of 2022, 44.5% of U.S. homes own dogs and 29% of homes own cats.[2]
- Between 2016 and 2022, the portion of U.S. homes who own dogs increased by 6.1 portion points, from 38.4% to 44.5%, while the portion of homes that own cats increased by 4 portion points, from 25% to 29%.[2]
- The population of animal dogs was approximated to be in between 83.7 million and 88.9 million in 2020 while the population of animal cats was approximated to be in between 60.2 million and 61.9 million.[2]
Cost of Pet Ownership
While the love of a family pet is invaluable, the cost of owning one is not. Veterinary care, grooming, food, deals with and other investments can accumulate rapidly. For example, a Forbes Advisor study of more than 5,000 U.S. dog owners discovered that 41% of dog owners spend in between $500 and $1,999 a year on their dogs and 8% spend more than $2,000. [4] And if an unanticipated veterinarian expense appears for a significant event, you can be on the hook for countless dollars simply for that—42% of animal owners state they can’t cover a surprise veterinarian expense of $999 or less.[6]
Pet insurance coverage can partly repay you when you foot the bill for your animal’s unforeseen mishaps and diseases. While you might not wish to include another expense to your animal care expenses, you may be amazed at how cost effective animal insurance coverage can be.
The typical animal insurance coverage cost for dogs is $44 a month, and the typical animal insurance coverage cost for cats is $30 a month, based upon Forbes Advisor’s analysis. Having animal insurance coverage resembles putting a leash on your possible veterinarian expenses so they don’t lack control. That can leave you with more money to invest in ruining your furry buddy.
Here’s a more detailed take a look at the cost of animal ownership:
- Households invested approximately $326 on veterinary care in 2020 (veterinary services and medication), which represented 33% of overall spending on household family pets.[2]
- A Forbes Advisor study of more than 5,000 U.S. dog owners discovered that dog owners spend approximately $730 a year on their dogs.[4]
- 36% of dog owners spend in between $200 and $499 on their dogs each year. [4]
- 41% of dog owners spend in between $500 and $1,999 a year on their dogs, and 8% spend more than $2,000. [4]
- Dog owners spend the most on veterinary care ($367 annually), food ($339 annually) and grooming ($99 annually).[2]
- Cat owners spend the most on food ($310 annually), veterinary care ($253 annually) and toys ($50 annually).[2]
- Gen Z animal owners (ages 18 to 25) are the most likely to ruin their family pets with birthday cakes (34%), birthday presents (39%) and clothes or outfits (32%).[3]
- Gen Z animal owners are likewise the most likely to spend money on behavioral training (41%), doggy day care (35%), specialized animal food (44%) and dog walking services (31%).[3]
Find The Best Pet Insurance Companies Of 2023
Total Pet Industry Expenditures
Spending on family pets is up, matching boosts in animal ownership and pet insurance coverage sales:
- Americans invested $123.6 billion on their family pets in 2021, up 19.31% from 2020 ($103.6 billion).[1]
- This consists of $50 billion invested in animal food and deals with, $29.8 billion invested in materials, live animals and over the counter medications, $34.3 billion invested in veterinarian care and $9.5 billion invested in other services (all services beyond veterinary care such as boarding, grooming, animal insurance coverage, and training).[1]
- Between 2018 and 2021, the quantity invested in family pets in the U.S. increased by 36.57% from $90.5 billion to 123.6 billion.[1]
Dog Owner Regrets
There’s no rejecting the advantages of dog ownership, however being accountable for a dog features obstacles. These responsibilities can trigger some to have remorses about owning a dog, a Forbes Advisor study of 2,000 dog owners discovered. Messes, obstacles in discovering look after the dog and dog training are amongst the leading factors they are sorry for getting a dog. The cost of veterinarian costs is likewise a problem for some dog owners, and can impact how frequently dogs go to the veterinarian.
Here’s more about dog owner is sorry for and worries about veterinarian costs:
- 54% of dog owners have is sorry for about getting a dog.[5]
- Dog owners pointed out tidying up after a dog as the most significant obstacle connected with dog ownership (27%), followed by discovering look after the dog when taking a trip or going to work (26%), training the dog (25%), cost (24%) and barking or whimpering (24%).[5]
- A veterinarian expense of $999 or less would trigger 42% of animal owners to enter into financial obligation, while a veterinarian expense of $499 or less would trigger 28% of animal owners to enter into financial obligation.[6]
- 3% of animal owners offered their animal away in between 2021 and 2022.[6] The leading factors pointed out for offering or providing a family pet away were inflation (12%), the increasing cost of lease (10%), failure to manage a family pet’s medical costs (7%) and the cost of animal deposits for apartment or condos (5%).[6]
Top Sacrifices Made by Dog Owners
The bulk of dog owners (85%) and cat owners (76%) consider their family pets to be family members.[2] And a Forbes Advisor study of 10,000 dog owners discovered that dog owners make expert, monetary and way of life sacrifices for their canine buddies. [7]
The leading way of life sacrifices made by dog owners consist of:
- 39.29% resided on a tighter budget plan to manage their dogs’ costs.
- 13.96% moved from a home to a house so their dog would have a backyard.
- 7.47% remained at a job they did not like since it enabled them to work from another location or had a dog-friendly workplace.
- 6.78% broke up with a better half who didn’t like their dog.
- 5.25% took a pay cut or accepted a position with less advantages to work from another location or have access to a dog-friendly workplace.
- 4.57% left a job they liked since another business let them work from home or had a dog-friendly workplace.
- 36% of dog owners reported that they would spend $4,000 or more out-of-pocket on life-saving treatment for their dogs.
States with the most dedicated dog owners
Colorado tops the list of states with the most dedicated dog owners, followed by Virginia, Georgia, Alaska and Nevada.[7] These aren’t the only states home to dedicated dog owners:
- Five of the leading 10 states with the most dedicated dog owners lie in the Pacific and West, consisting of Colorado, Alaska, Nevada, Washington and Oregon.[7]
- Ohio dog owners were probably to report residing on a tighter budget plan to manage their dogs’ costs (51%), followed by Wisconsin (44.5%) and Montana dog owners (44%).[7]
- Nevada dog owners were probably to report that they moved from a home to a house so their dogs would have a backyard (20%), followed by Colorado (19.5%) and Kansas dog owners (19%).[7]
- Nevada dog owners were probably to leave a job they liked since another business let them work from home or had a dog-friendly workplace (8.5%).[7]
- Dog owners from Rhode Island were probably to remain at a job they did not like since it enabled them to work from another location or had a dog-friendly workplace (15.5%).[7]
Sources
- American Pet Products Association (2021-2022)
- American Veterinary Medical Association, 2018 and 2022 Pet Ownership and Demographics Sourcebook
- Forbes Advisor: Survey: 78% of Pet Owners Acquired Pets During Pandemic
- Forbes Advisor: States With The Most Spoiled Dogs
- Forbes Advisor: 54% of Dog Owners Have Regrets About Getting a Dog
- Forbes Advisor: 42% of Pet Owners Can’t Cover a Surprise Vet Bill Amid Inflation
- Forbes Advisor: States With the Most Devoted Dog Owners, Ranked
- North American Pet Health Insurance Association: 2022 State of the Industry Report
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