An estimated 65.1 million households in the United States owned at least one dog according to a 2023/24 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 46.5 million and 11.1 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 66 percent of all households in the United States owned a pet. This is a decrease from 2020, but still around a 10 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 136 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 58 percent of households owning a dog in 2024. In Tennessee, around 47 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 10.5 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 seven 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 a 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 65 million U.S. households own at least one dog. Dogs are the most widely owned type of pets among American households. Within the last 12 years, the number of dog-owning households grew by more than 40 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 two-thirds 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 capitol, the city of Boise, has the largest number of dog parks per 100,000 residents in the country. There are 7.5 off-leash dog parks per 100,000 residents in Boise, Idaho.

Wyoming had the highest pet ownership rate in the United States, with 72 percent of households owning a pet in 2024. West Virginia came in second place with a 71 percent pet ownership rate. In comparison, Colorado's pet ownership rate that year was 65 percent.

Vermont was the leading state in terms of cat ownership, with some 45 percent of households owning a pet cat in 2024. In comparison, around 32 percent of households in Wisconsin were cat owners that year. Cat ownership in the U.S. There are almost 47 million households in the U.S. that own a cat. Cats are the second most popular type of pets, only surpassed by dogs, which are owned by about 65 million households. The average accident and illness insurance premium for a cat in the U.S. amounts to approximately 387 U.S. dollars annually. The costs of insurance largely depend on the type of cat. The largest cat insurance claims paid in Canada and in the U.S. are made for a sphynx. A total claim amount of approximately 40,000 U.S. dollars is paid annually to treat various conditions for this breed. In comparison, a total claim amount of slightly under 15,000 U.S. dollars is paid for domestic short hairs at the age of four. American pet food companies The global pet food market has shown a growing trajectory for over a decade. The market reached sales of approximately 124 billion U.S. dollars in 2022. The U.S. company Freshpet is the fourth fastest-growing pet food company worldwide, with an annual growth rate of about 40 percent. The U.S. companies General Mills and Tuffy’s Pet Foods are also among the top ten fastest-growing pet food companies worldwide, with annual growth rates of approximately 33 and 25 percent, respectively. The German company Bewital petfood GmbH & Co. KG ranks in first place, with an annual growth rate of almost 100 percent. The leading pet food company in the U.S. is Mars Petcare Inc., with 19.5 billion U.S. dollars in revenue. Nestlé Purina PetCare follows closely in second place with just under 19.4 billion U.S. dollars in revenue.

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.

According to a 2017 survey, Millennial males in the United States were more likely to be cat and/or dog owners than their female counterparts. Some 48 percent of male Millennial survey respondents stated that they owned a cat and 71 percent owned a dog. In comparison, 35 and 62 percent of female respondents were cat and/or dog owners, respectively.

Pet ownership rates in the United States

In 2019, 67 percent of all households in the United States owned a pet . This is over a ten percent increase from 1988. Almost 50 percent of surveyed American pet-owning households had a dog in 2017 , making it the most popular type of pet to own in the United States. Cats and freshwater fish were the second and third most popular type of pet, with a 38 and 10 percent share of the vote respectively.

Number of pets owned

Freshwater fish were the most kept pet in the United States in 2017/18 in terms of volume. In total, Americans were estimated to own approximately 139.3 million of the aquatic animals in that year. This large volume is no surprise when considering their small size and minor cost increases when owning more than one fish as a pet. Cats and dogs were the second and third most owned pets, with around 94.2 and 89.7 million living in U.S. households respectively.

Surveyed dog owners in the United States stated that they spent, on average, 442 U.S. dollars on pet food per year in 2020. In comparison, cat-owning respondents claimed to spend an average of 329 U.S. dollars on pet food on an annual basis.

Pet ownership in the United States In 2019/20, dogs and cats were the most popular American household pets. There were approximately 63.4 million dog-owning households and 42.7 million cat-owning households in the United States. Other pets living in U.S. households included freshwater fish, saltwater fish, birds, reptiles, and horses. Due to the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and the increased time spent at home, many Americans reported acquiring new pets. In a recent survey carried out in December 2020, 10 percent of respondents in the United States reported acquiring a new pet as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Pet expenditures in the United States As Americans increasingly acquired more and more pets over the years, pet industry expenditure in the United States increased at an impressive rate, growing by over 500 percent between 1994 and 2020. Pet food and treats captured the biggest share of pet industry sales, followed by veterinary services and related products. In terms of pet food, the dry dog food segment generated the highest amount of sales, with around 5.3 billion U.S. dollars generated in 2020.

According to a national pet owners survey, there was a total of approximately 95.6 million cats living in households in the United States in 2017. In the same year, some 68 percent of all U.S. households owned at least one pet.

Increasing pet expenditure

Whilst the number of households owning cats, and pets in general, has remained relatively consistent over the last few years, pet industry expenditure has steadily grown. Consumers are expected to spend a record breaking 75.38 billion U.S. dollars on their pets in 2019. The majority of pet market revenue comes from food sales, followed by veterinary care costs.

Shopping location preferences

When it comes to shopping locations, most consumers still purchase their pet products in physical retail stores. However, the number of consumers buying pet products online is on the rise. Dry cat food was the number one pet product bought online by cat owners in the United States in 2018.

According to a 2024 survey, dogs were the most commonly owned pet in UK households. The share of households reporting dog ownership stood at 36 percent. The second most common house pet among UK households were cats, with around 26 percent of respondents stating their ownership. Pet ownership in the UK In the past year, pet ownership levels in the UK decreased by five percent when compared to 2022. This decrease could be explained by the change in owner's routines since pandemic restrictions have lifted. The share of UK households owning a dog or cat also decreased in comparison to previous years. Happiness, companionship, and man’s best friend A 2020 survey asked dog owners to state their reasons for owning a dog and all linked their ownership to either improving their happiness and/or providing companionship. Happiness was the most common response, with 51 percent stating ‘because they make me happy’. Whereas 47 percent stated their dogs provided ‘love/affection’ and 35 percent stated their dogs provided ‘companionship’. It seems the old saying “man’s best friend” still holds true to this day.

The share of households owning a pet in the United Kingdom remained relatively stable between 2012 and 2018, hovering around an estimated percentage of 47 to 45 percent. However, pet ownership levels peaked to an unprecedented high of 62 percent in 2022, likely as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and increased time spent at home. In 2023, this figure shrank to 57 percent.

Pet ownership in the UK With more than half of UK households owning at least one pet in 2021/22, dogs and cats were the most common household pets in that year, with an estimated 13 million dogs and 12 million cats living in homes. As of 2020, the United Kingdom was the second highest-ranking European country in terms of its dog population, preceded only by Germany.

Consumer spending on pets in the UK As the pet population in the United Kingdom increased in size, so did consumer spending on pet food and pet-related products and services. Spending on pets and related products reached almost eight billion British pounds in 2020, a notable increase from a mere 2.9 billion British pounds in 2005. Among the most expensive pet-related expenditures are veterinary and pet services, which constituted almost four billion British pounds in 2020.

In 2023, roughly 25 percent of German households owned a cat, compared with 21 percent of households owning a dog. Germans owned a wide variety of pets, but cats and dogs were by far the most popular.

In 2023, Germany had the highest pet dog population in the European Union, with more than 10 million dogs. Spain ranked second with a dog population of 9.3 million. Other countries, like Greece and Denmark, had comparatively smaller dog populations of approximately 655,000 and 643,000, respectively. Pet dogs in Europe The number of pet dogs in Europe has witnessed a notable increase since 2010, increasing from around 73 million in 2010 to more than 92 million in 2021. This positive trend was accompanied by a similar growth in the number of pet-owning households in Europe, which has increased by an estimated 20 million in the period between 2010 and 2021. Pet food industry in Europe Despite a marked increase in the dog population along with the number of pet-owning households in Europe, this has not been translated in a similarly significant increase in pet food sales in the continent. The annual sales volume of pet food products remained relatively stable in the last decade, until increasing in 2021 to about 10.2 million tons of pet food products. The largest pet food manufacturer in Europe was the Belgian company United Petfood Producers, with an annual revenue stream of approximately 800 million U.S. dollars in 2021.

The overall population of pet dogs in India was over 33 million in 2023. The population is likely to reach more than 51 million by 2028. The growth in the number of pet dogs has led to an increase in pet food sales across the country.

Since 2010, the population of pet dogs in Germany has doubled, reaching about 10.6 million dogs in 2023. The population of pet dogs as increased almost every year during this time period, except for in 2021.