Pet Ownership Statistics in the United States

Pet ownership in the United states: The quick rundown

  • 90.5 million households own a pet in the United States (70% of total households)
  • 2020-2021 saw the largest increase in pet ownership in eight years (+8 million more pet owners). Likely due to the pandemic.
  • Millennials make up 32% of pet owners and represent the largest demographic (almost 1/3 of all pet owners).
  • Dogs are the most popular pet choice. Over 44% of pet owners own a dog.

American pet ownership

According to the American Pet Products Association’s (APPA) 2021-2022 National Pet Owner’s survey 70% of households in the US (90.5 million) own a pet.

Below is a table outlining the percentages of pet ownership by pet type according to 2021-2022 data.

Pet typeNumber of US households (millions)Percentage of pet ownership
Dog6944.7%
Cat45.329.4%
Fresh Water fish11.87.6%
Bird9.96.4%
Small Animal6.24.0%
Reptile5.73.7%
Horse3.52.3%
Saltwater fish2.91.9%
Source: The American Pet Product Association’s National Pet Owner’s Survey 2020-2021

Pet ownership trends

  • Pet ownership increased over 3% (by over 8 million households) from 2019-2021, probably due in part to the coronavirus pandemic. This is the largest increase in eight years.

Pet family statistics

  • Overall pet ownership is higher in family households (66.6%) than in non-family households (46.6%)1.

Dog family statistics

  • 85% of dog owners consider their pets to be members of the family1

Cat family statistics

  • Contrary to popular belief the highest rate of cat owners is not among divorced, widowed or separated persons. Families have higher rates of cat ownership than non-family households1.
  • More than 3/4 of cat owners consider their cats to be “members of the family”.1

Pet ownership by generation

The APPA data also breakdown the percentage of pet ownership by generation.

The generation with the highest percent of pet ownership are Millennials, who make up almost 1/3 of all pet owners.

Next in line are the Baby Boomers who make up over 1/4 of US pet owners.

GenerationPercent of pet owners
Generation Z14%
Millennials32%
Generation X24%
Baby Boomers27%
Builder Generation3%
Source: The American Pet Product Association’s National Pet Owner’s Survey 2020-2021

Footnotes

1American veterinary medical association’s “Pet Ownership And Demographics Sourcebook” 2019