US pet ownership statistics

How many Americans own pets

• 71% of US households own a pet, about 94 million homes, per the APPA 2024 to 2025 National Pet Owners Survey. That is up from 56% in 1988.
• Around 51% of households have a dog and around 37% have a cat, making dogs the most common pet.
• An estimated 89.7 million dogs and 73.8 million cats live in US homes (APPA, 2024).
• Gen Z is driving the growth. About 18.8 million Gen Z households now own a pet, a 43.5% jump from 2023, and it is the only generation where ownership is still rising.

What Americans spend on pets

• Total US pet industry spending reached $152 billion in 2024, up from $147 billion in 2023, and passed $158 billion in 2025 (APPA).
• Pet food and treats are the biggest category at $65.8 billion (43.3% of the total).
• Veterinary care and products come second at $39.8 billion (26.2%).
• Estimates of average annual spending per pet vary by source, commonly cited at roughly $1,500 or more for a dog and several hundred dollars for a cat, with veterinary care usually the largest single cost.

Pet insurance in the US

• 6.4 million pets were insured by the end of 2024, up from 5.7 million in 2023 (NAPHIA).
• That is only about 3.9% of US pets, so most remain uninsured, at roughly 5.5% of dogs and 2.0% of cats.
• Dogs make up about 76% of insured pets, cats about 24%.
• The average accident-and-illness premium in 2024 was about $749 a year for dogs and $386 for cats.
• US pet insurance written premium topped $4.7 billion in 2024.

Shelters and adoption

• About 5.8 million animals entered US shelters in 2024 (Shelter Animals Count).
• Roughly 4.2 million dogs and cats were adopted, split about evenly between the two.
• Around 607,000 dogs and cats were euthanized in shelters in 2024 (about 334,000 dogs and 273,000 cats), down from roughly 690,000 in 2023.
• Shelter intakes have fallen about 11% since 2019, a long-term downward trend.

Most popular dog breeds (AKC, 2024)

1. French Bulldog (number one for the third year running)
2. Labrador Retriever
3. Golden Retriever
4. German Shepherd Dog
5. Poodle

The Labrador Retriever held the number one spot for 31 straight years before the French Bulldog overtook it in 2022.

Who owns pets

• Millennials are the largest group of pet owners, at roughly 30 to 33%, ahead of Gen X and baby boomers.
• Gen Z is the fastest-growing, and younger owners are more likely to have more than one pet.
• More than half of US pet owners now come from the two youngest generations.

Common questions