Headlines

US Pet Spending Sees ‘Biggest Increase in History,’ Nears $100B

It hit $99.98B in 2021, up 19.4% from the year before.

Published

1 year ago

December 5, 2022

PETS+ Staff

Total pet spending in the U.S. hit $99.98 billion in 2021, up 19.4 percent from the year before, according to a new report from John Gibbons, the Pet Business Professor.

Pet food spending fell “because there was no binge buying in 2021,” Gibbons wrote. However, spending in the other segments skyrocketed to producing the industry’s “biggest increase in history.”

Here are the sector numbers:

Food: $2.44 billion (-6.6%) decrease
Supplies: $8.65B (+57.0%) increase
Veterinary: $7.82B (+31.5%) increase
Services $2.21B (+32.0%) increase

“Pet parents began to use pet services again, got all of the vet services that their ‘children’ needed and bought all the supplies that they had been putting off during the pandemic,” according to the post.

NASC Media Spotlight

At first it was just an idea: Animal supplements needed the same quality control that human-grade supplements receive. But that was enough to start a movement and an organization —the National Animal Supplement Council — that would be dedicated to establishing a comprehensive path forward for the animal supplements industry. In this Media Spotlight interview, NASC’s president, Bill Bookout, talks to PETS+ interviewer Chloe DiVita about the industry today: Where it’s headed, what’s the latest focus and why it’s vital to gain the involvement of independent pet product retailers.