CHARLOTTE, NC — A new study has identified the most “pet-obsessed” city in the U.S. — at least by one measure.
The ranking comes from LendingTree, an online loan marketplace, which examined pet ownership across the U.S.
Cincinnati tops the list, which is based on pet stores per capita for the 50 largest metros. The Queen City has 1.93 pet stores per 1,000 businesses — the most in the nation.
Birmingham, AL, is the least pet-obsessed U.S. metro, with just 0.77 pet stores per 1,000 businesses.
The most pet-obsessed metro areas:
- Cincinnati, OH
- Bridgeport, CT
- Buffalo, NY
- Columbus, OH
- Seattle, WA
- Philadelphia, PA
- Portland, OR
- Tampa, FL
- Hartford, CT
- Providence, RI
Among other findings:
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- Pet spending has risen 50 percent and households spend an average of $690 on pets, up from $460 in 2013. From 2013 to 2020, overall spending rose 20 percent, meaning pet spending grew 2.5 times as fast.
- Women spend more than men on pets. Single women spend an average of $504 a year on pets while men spend an average of $381.
- Baby boomers spend the most on pets. People born between 1946 and 1964 spend an average of $834 on pets. Gen Xers spend $700, millennials spend $695, and Gen Zers spend $42 on their pets.
View the full report here.
Methodology
LendingTree researchers analyzed U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Surveys from 2013 through 2020 to find out how much Americans have spent on their pets over time and by various demographics.
Note that the gender data looks at 2019-2020 two-year averages from the BLS Consumer Expenditure Surveys, while the generation data looks at 2020 — both based on the latest available information.
LendingTree researchers also analyzed U.S. Census Bureau 2019 County Business Patterns Survey data — the latest available — to rank the most pet-obsessed metros.
