The American Veterinary Medical Association has released its latest 5-yearly data on pet ownership in the U.S. Read on to find out how your state ranks in pet ownership figures!

A country of beauty, pride and a love for animals, the U.S. has one of the world’s highest pet ownership rankings (among the top five, according to recent studies).

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) explores this further with its five-yearly survey on pet ownership statistics across the U.S.

The data below shows the key findings of the survey.

U.S. pet ownership data

As at the end of 2016 (latest available figures), almost 57% of all U.S. households owned a pet. And this figure is on the rise!

In terms of individual U.S. states, Wyoming takes the number one spot for pet ownership with a whopping 72% of households owning an animal. This is followed by West Virginia with 71%.

For states with the lowest pet ownership results, there are still a lot of pet-owning households. The state with the fewest pets is Rhode Island, but even so, nearly half of the homes there have pets (45%).

Pet ownership is generally lower in urban states, as can be seen from the results.

Dog loving households

Since the AVMA began measuring pet ownership data in 1982, dog ownership rates are at their highest. In fact, approximately 38% of households nationwide have one or more dogs, the most popular pet.

Idaho tops this list with 58%, Arkansas and Montana come in second at 52%, Mississippi boasts 51%, and half of West Virginian households own a dog.

Cat loving households

Second to dogs, cats can be found in 25% of households across the U.S.

Households in the New England region also appear to prefer cats. The five states with the highest percentage of cat households include Vermont (45%), Maine (44%) and New Hampshire (36%).

Other animal loving households

Let’s not forget households with specialty or exotic pets! More than 13% of U.S. households own an animal other than a cat or a dog. These include amphibians, ferrets, fish, gerbils, guinea pigs, hamsters, livestock, lizards, pigs, poultry, rabbits, snakes and turtles.

Full results of the AVMA's pet ownership survey are available for purchase on the AVMA online store.

What do you think of the results?

2 comments

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    Lituo N Pets are friends of human beings, and it is the duty of every pet owner to make their pets happy and healthy.

    Barbaro I Tennessee doesn't rank in anything just lovely