How many dogs are there in the US? According to a pet owners survey, there were approximately 89.7 million dogs owned in the United States in 2017. This is an increase of over 20 million since the beginning of the survey period in 2000, when around 68 million dogs were owned in the United States.
Why has this figure increased?
The resident population of the United States has also increased significantly within this time period. It is, therefore, no surprise that the number of dogs owned in U.S. households has also increased, especially when considering that the household penetration rate for dog-ownership reached almost 50 percent in recent years.
The dog food market in the United States
The large number of dogs owned by Americans creates a lucrative market for pet food brands and retailers. Pedigree, the leading dry dog food name brand in the U.S., had sales amounting to around 550 million U.S. dollars in 2017. Pedigree also led the pack in the wet dog food category , with sales of around 240 million U.S. dollars in the same year.
An estimated ** million households in the United States owned at least one dog according to a 2024/25 pet owners survey, making them the most widely owned type of pet across the U.S. at this time. Cats and freshwater fish ranked in second and third places, with around ** million and ** million households owning such pets, respectively. Freshwater vs. salt water fish Freshwater fish spend most or all their lives in fresh water. Fresh water’s main difference to salt water is the level of salinity. Freshwater fish have a range of physiological adaptations to enable them to live in such conditions. As the statistic makes clear, Americans keep a large number of freshwater aquatic species at home as pets. American pet owners In 2023, around ** percent of all households in the United States owned a pet. This is a decrease from 2020, but still around a ** percent increase from 1988. It is no surprise that as more and more households own pets, pet industry expenditure has also witnessed steady growth. Expenditure reached over *** billion U.S. dollars in 2022, almost a sixfold increase from 1998. The majority of pet product sales are still made in brick-and-mortar stores, despite the rise and evolution of e-commerce in the United States.
Idaho had the highest dog ownership rate in the United States (U.S.), with ** percent of households owning a dog in 2025. In Tennessee, around ** percent of households were dog owners in that year. Dog food industry in the U.S. The sales value of dog food in the U.S. amounts to a total of approximately **** billion U.S. dollars annually, excluding treats. Among the various dog food categories, dry dog food makes up the largest share of sales, with just under ***** billion U.S. dollars. The leading dog biscuit, treat, and beverage vendor in the U.S. in terms of sales is Big Heart Pet Brands, which generates sales of over * billion U.S. dollars annually. The sales of Big Heart Pet Brands are more than twice as much as those of its biggest competitor, Nestlé Purina PetCare. The leading frozen and refrigerated dog food vendors in the U.S. is Freshpet. The company dominates the market by a considerable margin. Dog ownership in the U.S. Nationwide, approximately ** million U.S. households own at least one dog. Dogs are the most widely owned type of pet among American households. Within the last 12 years, the number of dog-owning households grew by more than ** percent. In general, there has been an increase in the household penetration rate of pet ownership in the U.S. during the last 35 years. In 2023, about ********** of households owned at least one pet. Since the state of Idaho has the highest percentage share of dog owners among U.S. states, it is unsurprising that its state capital, the city of Boise, has the largest number of dog parks per 100,000 residents in the country. There are *** off-leash dog parks per 100,000 residents in Boise, Idaho.
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This driver analyzes the number of domesticated pets and companion animals owned in the US. Pets, defined in this driver as either cats or dogs, provide personal company or protection but are not considered working animals or livestock. The American Pet Products Association (APPA) conducts a biennial National Pet Owners Survey, and the data used in the survey regarding cat and dog ownership is collected and discussed here.
Active Dog Licenses.
All dog owners residing in NYC are required by law to license their dogs. The data is sourced from the DOHMH Dog Licensing System (https://a816-healthpsi.nyc.gov/DogLicense), where owners can apply for and renew dog licenses. Each record represents a unique dog license that was active during the year, but not necessarily a unique record per dog, since a license that is renewed during the year results in a separate record of an active license period. Each record stands as a unique license period for the dog over the course of the yearlong time frame.
In the United States, more than half of the population reported owning a pet in 2011. This number has been quite steady since then. Today there are more than 90 million cats in the United States, while the number of dogs is just below the 90 million-mark. Freshwater fish are the most common pet with almost 140 million nationwide in 2018, followed by the aforementioned cats and dogs.
Pet expenses
When it comes to expenses, fish are generally considered low maintenance compared to other pets. Dogs especially require high expense, particularly for kennel boarding while their owners are away. However, the highest costs for dog owners are due to surgical vet visits, reported at almost double the expense for cats in 2019. Lower life expectancy could be a factor - around 11 years for a medium-sized dog, compared with 12 to 15 years for cats.
Pet food
Food is currently the largest expense for cat owners, and the second highest for dogs, not even including treats. Despite the convenience of buying pet food online, or while already grocery shopping in a supermarket, food store, or wholesale club, the highest share of pet food sales comes from pet specialty chains. With many owners are willing to make the extra trip for their pets, chain shops Pet Smart and PetCo make up almost half the market for pet companies in the United States.
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Over the five years to 2024, increases in both competition and public disapproval have threatened the Dog and Pet Breeders industry. This industry includes various operations, from small independent home breeders to large USDA-certified breeding facilities. However, the industry also comprises unlicensed puppy mills, often using inhumane practices to reduce costs and maximize profit. Recent attention to these operations has hurt the overall industry's reputation. In 2017, the "Adopt, Don't Shop" campaign emphasized the ethical benefits of getting pets from shelters and adoption groups rather than pet stores. This campaign has led many pet stores to no longer work with breeders and instead host adoption events with local shelters. Through the end of 2024, industry revenue is expected to grow at an annualized rate of 2.6% to $3.1 billion, including an estimated 0.9% decline in 2024. The breeding industry's trajectory has been mixed with challenges. Stringent regulations like those mandated by the Animal Welfare Act have kept most breeders operating on a small scale, with only a tiny fraction exceeding the threshold for requiring USDA licensing. The public's growing scrutiny of puppy mills and other inhumane conditions has pressured breeders to maintain higher quality standards. Some medium-sized breeders will likely seek USDA certification to improve their reputation and gain legitimacy. Higher standards and requirements will enable these breeders to increase their profits. Heightening veterinary services and pet essentials costs will likely strain household budgets, leading to more careful spending on pet purchases. Demographic trends suggest older populations might shy away from new pets, while younger generations lean towards pet adoption, driven by ethical considerations. Legislative pressures and higher public awareness are expected to push the industry towards more stringent welfare standards. While adoption campaigns and regulatory constraints present formidable challenges, purebred breeders may still find sustained demand from consumers looking for specific traits and appearance. Through the end of 2029, industry revenue is projected to fall at an annualized rate of 0.4% to $3.0 billion.
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Number of Businesses statistics on the Dog & Pet Breeders industry in United States
Data on annual population change for prairie dogs in Montana and Utah, USA, 2000-2005. Prairie dog species included black-tailed prairie dogs (PDs) (BTPD, Cynomys ludovicianus) in north-central Montana, white-tailed PDs (WTPD, Cynomys leucurus) in eastern Utah, and Utah PDs (UPD, Cynomys parvidens) in southwestern Utah. Field research was completed by the U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, and colleagues. Data were collected on paired plots. Each pair included a plot treated annually with deltamethrin dust for flea control and plague mitigation and a plot left untreated as baselines. Paired plots had similar ecological features on the same (split) or nearby (separate) colonies. One plot within each pair was randomly selected for deltamethrin dust treatment. We used summertime visual counts as an index to PD population size.We conducted visual counts annually during June-August, after young PDs were aboveground. We used binoculars and spotting scopes to systematically and repeatedly scan the plots (each plot was 3-9 hectares in area), beginning just after sunrise and continuing until warming temperatures caused a decline in counts. We repeated the procedure for three days, using for analysis the highest count obtained. We counted from the same locations each year, simultaneously counting treated and non-treated plots of each pair. Visual counts were transformed into values of finite population change by dividing the PD count at the end of an annual interval by the count at the beginning of the interval. For example, if year is 2001, then population change was for the interval 2000 to 2001. Primary funding was provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, and Bureau of Land Management, supplemented by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and the Utah Department of Natural Resources Endangered Species Mitigation Fund. In-kind support was provided by the Bryce Canyon National Park, Dixie National Forest and BLM offices in Utah (Vernal, Cedar City, Richfield, and Torrey), Colorado (Meeker), and Montana (Malta). R. Reading and B. Miller of the Denver Zoological Foundation provided logistical support for parts of the study.
In 2018, Brazil was the country with the highest amount of dogs from the presented Latin American countries, with 52.2 million dogs. Mexico followed, with 21.3 million. In 2021, the pet food market in Latin America is expected to reach a value of nearly 12 billion U.S. dollars.
Complete list of all 14 District Dogs POI locations in the the USA with name, geo-coded address, city, email, phone number etc for download in CSV format or via the API.
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Summary data for dogs denied entry to the United States by year, January 1, 2018—December 31,2020.
NYC Reported Dog Bites.
Section 11.03 of NYC Health Code requires all animals bites to be reported within 24 hours of the event.
Information reported assists the Health Department to determine if the biting dog is healthy ten days after the person was bitten in order to avoid having the person bitten receive unnecessary rabies shots. Data is collected from reports received online, mail, fax or by phone to 311 or NYC DOHMH Animal Bite Unit. Each record represents a single dog bite incident. Information on breed, age, gender and Spayed or Neutered status have not been verified by DOHMH and is listed only as reported to DOHMH. A blank space in the dataset means no data was available.
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Number of Businesses statistics on the Pet Stores industry in the US
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IntroductionLarge scale data on the prevalence of diverse medical conditions among dog breeds in the United States are sparse. This cross-sectional study sought to estimate the lifetime prevalence of medical conditions among US dogs and to determine whether purebred dogs have higher lifetime prevalence of specific medical conditions compared to mixed-breed dogs.MethodsUsing owner-reported survey data collected through the Dog Aging Project (DAP) Health and Life Experience Survey for 27,541 companion dogs, we identified the 10 most commonly reported medical conditions in each of the 25 most common dog breeds within the DAP cohort. Lifetime prevalence estimates of these medical conditions were compared between mixed-breed and purebred populations. The frequency of dogs for whom no medical conditions were reported was also assessed within each breed and the overall mixed-breed and purebred populations.ResultsA total of 53 medical conditions comprised the top 10 conditions for the 25 most popular breeds. The number of dogs for whom no medical conditions were reported was significantly different (p = 0.002) between purebred (22.3%) and mixed-breed dogs (20.7%). The medical conditions most frequently reported within the top 10 conditions across breeds were dental calculus (in 24 out of 25 breeds), dog bite (23/25), extracted teeth (21/25), osteoarthritis (15/25), and Giardia (15/25).DiscussionPurebred dogs in the DAP did not show higher lifetime prevalence of medical conditions compared to mixed-breed dogs, and a higher proportion of purebred dogs than mixed-breed dogs had no owner-reported medical conditions. Individual breeds may still show higher lifetime prevalence for specific conditions.
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The US Pet Industry Market Report is Segmented by Pet Type (Dog, Cat, Bird, Fresh Water Fish, and More), by Product Type (Food, Supplies/OTC Medicine, and Services), by Distribution Channel (Supermarkets/Hypermarkets, Pet Specialty Stores, Online Retail Stores, and More). The Market Forecasts are Provided in Terms of Value (USD).
The number of households with pet dogs and cats in India accounted for approximately 23 million and 1.7 million respectively in 2023. The increase in the number of households getting pets had led to an increase in value of pet food sales to about 629 million U.S. dollars in 2023, up from 172 million U.S. dollars in 2016.
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Number of Businesses statistics on the Dog Training Services industry in the US
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Number of Businesses statistics on the Pet Grooming & Boarding industry in United States
The number of pet cats adopted from shelters or rescues in the United States reached over *** million in 2023.
How many dogs are there in the US? According to a pet owners survey, there were approximately 89.7 million dogs owned in the United States in 2017. This is an increase of over 20 million since the beginning of the survey period in 2000, when around 68 million dogs were owned in the United States.
Why has this figure increased?
The resident population of the United States has also increased significantly within this time period. It is, therefore, no surprise that the number of dogs owned in U.S. households has also increased, especially when considering that the household penetration rate for dog-ownership reached almost 50 percent in recent years.
The dog food market in the United States
The large number of dogs owned by Americans creates a lucrative market for pet food brands and retailers. Pedigree, the leading dry dog food name brand in the U.S., had sales amounting to around 550 million U.S. dollars in 2017. Pedigree also led the pack in the wet dog food category , with sales of around 240 million U.S. dollars in the same year.