Pet ownership reaches most areas of American life, from household routines and veterinary visits to food purchases, travel, and animal shelter decisions. The following pet statistics describe U.S. ownership and spending, using figures from APPA, AVMA, CDC, and ASPCA reports and pages. Dates and definitions vary by source, so each section identifies the relevant measurement period.
Table of contents
- Pet ownership in the United States
- Pet populations and household types
- Pet industry spending and economic impact
- Health, food, and everyday care
- Travel, training, and family life
- Rabies and animal-bite statistics
- Shelter adoption and outcomes
Pet ownership in the United States
The APPA 2025 State of the Industry Report counted 94 million U.S. households with at least one pet. Its household figures put dog ownership at 51% and cat ownership at 37%. In the same report, 68 million U.S. households owned a dog, while 49 million owned a cat. These are household measures, not counts of individual animals, and a household can own more than one type of pet.
The AVMA 2024 U.S. pet ownership statistics use a different survey and report lower household shares: 45.5% of U.S. households owned a dog and 32.1% owned a cat. AVMA counted 59.8 million dog-owning households and 42.2 million cat-owning households. The difference from APPA does not establish that one source is correct or incorrect; the reports use different research programs and definitions.
The APPA United States Economic Impact of the Pet Industry report lists 131.43 million U.S. households and an average of 1.7 pets per household. That average applies to the report’s household base and should not be treated as a calculation of the dog or cat population.
Pet populations and household types
AVMA’s 2024 estimates put the U.S. dog population at 89.7 million animals and the cat population at 73.8 million. Dog-owning households averaged 1.5 dogs, while cat-owning households averaged 1.8 cats. Those averages help explain why household ownership percentages and animal populations are different measures.
Other AVMA 2024 household estimates show the breadth of pet care beyond dogs and cats:
| Pet type | U.S. households owning them |
|---|---|
| Fish | 3.9 million |
| Reptiles | 2.3 million |
| Birds | 2.1 million |
| Small mammals, such as gerbils and hamsters | 1.3 million |
| Rabbits | 0.9 million |
| Horses | 0.7 million |
| Poultry | 0.7 million |
The APPA 2025 National Pet Owners Survey reports different counts for several companion and hobby animals: 6 million households owned birds, 2 million owned horses, 10 million owned freshwater fish, 2 million owned saltwater fish, 6 million owned reptiles, and 6 million owned small animals. These APPA figures are household estimates from that survey, so they should be compared with AVMA figures cautiously rather than combined.
APPA’s 2025 National Pet Owners Survey also describes the age composition of pet owners. Millennials represented 30% of pet owners, Gen X represented 25%, Baby Boomers represented 25%, and Gen Z represented 20%. Together, these figures describe the distribution reported by APPA; they do not measure the share of each generation that owns a pet.
Cat ownership changed within APPA’s 2025 Dog & Cat Report. The report says 49 million U.S. households owned cats in 2024, compared with 40 million in 2023, and describes 23% of cat ownership growth as occurring in 2024. Within cat-owning households, single-cat households fell from 64% in 2018 to 58% in 2024. Households with two cats increased by 8% from 2018 to 2024, while households with three or more cats increased by 36% over the same period.
Pet industry spending and economic impact
Total U.S. pet industry expenditures reached $152 billion in 2024, according to the APPA 2025 State of the Industry Report. APPA’s Industry Trends and Stats break that total into major categories:
| 2024 category | Spending |
|---|---|
| Pet food and treats | $65.8 billion |
| Vet care and product sales | $39.8 billion |
| Supplies, live animals, and OTC medicine | $33.3 billion |
| Other services | $13.0 billion |
APPA projected total U.S. pet industry expenditures of $157 billion for 2025. Its projections for 2026 included $69.7 billion in pet food and treats sales and $35.6 billion in supplies, live animals, and over-the-counter medicine sales. These are projections, not completed spending totals, and the 2026 figures should not be presented as historical results.
The APPA United States Economic Impact of the Pet Industry report describes a broader economic footprint. It attributes $260.5 billion in direct and indirect economic contributions to the U.S. pet sector and reports $174 billion in annual GDP contribution. Pet-related purchases generated $36,616 million in 2024 spending by U.S. pet owners, while pet-related transactions totaled $302,641 million when multiplier effects were included.
Employment figures in the same report include 1,273,464 workers directly employed by pet-related goods and service industries and 2,747,159 jobs linked directly or indirectly to the pet support sector. Earnings from pet-industry jobs totaled $140,117 million, and Americans generated $21,680 million in pet-related tax revenue. The report also identifies 2.78 million jobs supported nationwide by the U.S. pet sector. Because some figures use direct measures and others include indirect or multiplier effects, they should be read as separate indicators rather than added together.
Health, food, and everyday care
APPA’s 2024 Dog and Cat Owner Insight Report found that 59% of dog owners and 52% of cat owners used some type of calming product. It also reported that veterinarians considered 12% of dogs and 17% of cats obese, according to their owners. A prescribed weight-loss diet was reported for 11% of dogs and 13% of cats.
Supplements were common in the same report: 50% of dog owners gave their pets a vitamin or supplement, compared with 32% of cat owners. Prebiotic or probiotic supplements were given by 21% of dog owners and 28% of cat owners.
APPA’s 2025 Dog & Cat Report measured food purchases in 2024. Premium food was purchased by 41% of dog owners and 38% of cat owners. Basic food was purchased by 26% of dog owners and 38% of cat owners. Mixers or toppers were purchased by 16% of dog owners and 19% of cat owners, while prebiotic or probiotic diets were purchased by 13% of dog owners and 12% of cat owners.
The 2025 Dog & Cat Report also found that 53% of dog owners gave their dogs vitamins or supplements, compared with 34% of cat owners. Among cat owners, 48% used some type of training method, 32% had a leash, 22% owned a harness, and 27% owned a non-flea collar. These product and behavior measures describe reported owner activity; they are not veterinary recommendations for an individual animal.
AVMA’s 2024 figures put average annual veterinary spending at $580 per dog-owning household and $433 per cat-owning household. These are household averages, not the cost of every visit or the total lifetime cost of care.
Travel, training, and family life
Daily routines often include pets. APPA’s 2024 Dog and Cat Owner Insight Report found that 58% of dog owners took their dogs to parks. Fifty percent took their dogs on foot at least once a week for errands or routines, and 53% took them in the car at least once a week. Fifteen percent took their dogs along daily on errands in a car.
The same report found that 46% of cat owners used training aids, 31% owned leashes, and 23% owned harnesses. Pet celebrations were also reported: 44% of dog owners and 32% of cat owners bought birthday gifts, while 27% of dog owners and 20% of cat owners hosted holiday or birthday parties.
Travel figures vary by the question asked. APPA reported that 55% of dog owners and 36% of cat owners tailored travel plans to accommodate their pets. In the past year, 88% of dog owners and 90% of cat owners traveled with their pets in the car; 68% of dog owners and 80% of cat owners traveled with their pets by plane. Three or more car trips were reported by 34% of dog owners and 30% of cat owners, while three or more plane trips were reported by 22% of both groups.
APPA’s 2025 Dog & Cat Report separately found that 53% of dog owners took their dogs on foot for daily errands at least once a week. Forty-nine percent of dog owners were very or somewhat likely to take their pet to the office if permitted. Among dog owners who traveled with their dogs, 74% traveled by plane and 87% traveled by car in the last year. These conditional percentages describe traveling dog owners, not all dog owners.
Rabies and animal-bite statistics
CDC figures show why routine animal-safety practices matter. Around 100,000 Americans are vaccinated against rabies after a potential exposure each year, and around 100,000 receive post-exposure prophylaxis each year. More than 6 million Americans report animal bites annually, and 1.6 million seek medical attention for animal bites. Fewer than 10 human rabies deaths occur in the United States each year.
More than 90% of reported rabies cases in animals occur in U.S. wildlife, according to CDC About Rabies. Nearly three out of four Americans live in a community where animals carry rabies, and 75% live in a community where raccoons, skunks, or foxes carry rabies. At least seven out of ten people who die from rabies in the United States were infected by bats.
Globally, CDC Global Rabies reports around 70,000 rabies deaths each year. More than 99% of human rabies deaths outside the United States are related to dog bites or scratches. These geographic differences are important: U.S. animal and human statistics should not be used to describe global rabies risk.
Shelter adoption and outcomes
The ASPCA U.S. Animal Shelter Statistics reports that 4.2 million shelter animals were adopted in 2024. Approximately 607,000 shelter animals were euthanized. The report puts dog adoptions at about 2 million, with 554,000 dogs returned to their owners, 334,000 dogs euthanized, and 524,000 dogs transferred to other organizations.
For cats, the ASPCA reports about 2.2 million adoptions in 2024, 362,000 cats returned to their owner or the field, 273,000 cats euthanized, and 369,000 cats transferred to other organizations. These categories describe different shelter outcomes and are not intended to be added into a single total without accounting for the report’s definitions.
Across shelter animals, euthanasia rates fell from 13% in 2019 to 8% in 2024, according to the ASPCA. California’s first Adopt-a-Pet Day recorded 3,609 pet placements in one day and nearly doubled its goal, as reported by the ASPCA California Adopt-a-Pet Day update. That event figure is a single-day result, not a national annual adoption estimate.