It's International Cat Day and you know where it's good to be a cat? Or dog? Or really any kind of pet? Florida is! A new study by Wallethub highlight's 2023’s Most Pet Friendly Cities and two of the top three are right here in Florida. Tampa and St. Petersburg. Side note, this heat isn't very pet-friendly. I didn't even take my little dog out for a walk last night here in Fort Myers because it was still too hot even at 7pm.
To many of us, pets are family — even if they’re covered in fur, feathers or scales. Animal companionship is a great stress reliever, and the nearly 90.5 million households in the U.S. that own pets want to live places where their beloved companions can enjoy long, healthy lives without breaking the bank. In 2022, pet ownership cost Americans $136.8 billion, according to the American Pet Products Association.
Years ago, pet owners had access to only a handful of businesses offering animal services and supplies. Petco and PetSmart were among the biggest names. Now, the market for pet businesses is growing to fill increasing consumer demand, and new ways to buy goods for your animal have appeared, such as monthly subscription boxes. Florida is really leading the way in taking care of your pet. Miami has the most veterinarians (per square root of the population), 0.3585, which is 99.6 times more than in Newark, New Jersey, the city with the fewest at 0.0036.
With animal parents in mind, WalletHub compared the pet-friendliness of the 100 largest U.S. cities across 23 key metrics. Our data set ranges from minimum pet-care provider rate per visit to pet businesses per capita to walkability.
Main Findings
Most Pet-Friendly Cities
| Overall Rank* | City | Total Score | Pet Budget | Pet Health & Wellness | Outdoor Pet-Friendliness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scottsdale, AZ | 63.70 | 77 | 1 | 8 |
| 2 | Tampa, FL | 62.75 | 28 | 3 | 15 |
| 3 | St. Petersburg, FL | 60.12 | 28 | 4 | 37 |
| 4 | Las Vegas, NV | 59.45 | 20 | 40 | 3 |
| 5 | Colorado Springs, CO | 58.48 | 45 | 12 | 17 |
| 6 | Birmingham, AL | 57.95 | 8 | 21 | 91 |
| 7 | Atlanta, GA | 57.35 | 36 | 7 | 45 |
| 8 | Raleigh, NC | 57.06 | 3 | 37 | 61 |
| 9 | St. Louis, MO | 56.87 | 14 | 31 | 40 |
| 10 | Portland, OR | 56.58 | 71 | 10 | 6 |
| 11 | North Las Vegas, NV | 56.13 | 6 | 80 | 14 |
| 12 | Cincinnati, OH | 56.10 | 31 | 24 | 31 |
| 13 | Lexington-Fayette, KY | 56.02 | 10 | 8 | 94 |
| 14 | Sacramento, CA | 55.92 | 48 | 43 | 5 |
| 15 | Orlando, FL | 55.42 | 37 | 14 | 57 |
| 16 | Nashville, TN | 55.08 | 2 | 34 | 87 |
| 17 | Aurora, CO | 54.64 | 18 | 17 | 85 |
| 18 | Boise, ID | 54.24 | 44 | 46 | 18 |
| 19 | Denver, CO | 54.16 | 60 | 11 | 32 |
| 20 | Miami, FL | 53.70 | 47 | 18 | 63 |
Veterinary Care Costs
- 1. Columbus, OH
- 2. Corpus Christi, TX
- 3. Raleigh, NC
- 4. Sacramento, CA
- 5. Kansas City, MO
- 89. Anchorage, AK
- 90. Washington, DC
- 91. Chicago, IL
- T-92. New York, NY
- T-92. Plano, TX
Dog Insurance Premium
- T-1. Indianapolis, IN
- T-1. Fort Wayne, IN
- 3. Aurora, CO
- T-4. Memphis, TN
- T-4. Nashville, TN
- T-91. Scottsdale, AZ
- T-91. San Francisco, CA
- T-91. Irvine, CA
- T-91. Los Angeles, CA
- T-91. New York, NY
Veterinarians per Capita
- T-1. Miami, FL
- T-1. Las Vegas, NV
- T-1. Tampa, FL
- T-1. Cincinnati, OH
- T-1. Orlando, FL
- 96. North Las Vegas, NV
- 97. Detroit, MI
- 98. Jersey City, NJ
- 99. Laredo, TX
- 100. Newark, NJ
Pet Businesses per Capita
- 1. Scottsdale, AZ
- 2. St. Petersburg, FL
- 3. Reno, NV
- 4. Birmingham, AL
- 5. Boise, ID
- 96. Detroit, MI
- 97. Los Angeles, CA
- 98. New York, NY
- 99. Laredo, TX
- 100. Newark, NJ
Dog-Friendly Restaurants per Capita
- T-1. Orlando, FL
- T-1. Austin, TX
- T-1. Seattle, WA
- T-1. Washington, DC
- T-1. Portland, OR
- 96. Stockton, CA
- 97. Newark, NJ
- 98. Laredo, TX
- 99. San Bernardino, CA
- 100. North Las Vegas, NV
Dog Parks per Capita
- T-1. New York, NY
- T-1. San Francisco, CA
- T-1. Portland, OR
- T-1. Las Vegas, NV
- T-1. Sacramento, CA
- 94. Garland, TX
- 95. Newark, NJ
- 96. Cleveland, OH
- T-97. Santa Ana, CA
- T-97. Hialeah, FL
Animal Shelters per Capita
- 1. Phoenix, AZ
- 2. St. Louis, MO
- 3. San Diego, CA
- 4. Atlanta, GA
- 5. Chicago, IL
- 94. Chula Vista, CA
- 95. Newark, NJ
- 96. Henderson, NV
- 97. Anaheim, CA
- 98. Long Beach, CA
Methodology
In order to determine the most pet-friendly places in America, WalletHub compared the 100 most populated cities across three key dimensions: 1) Pet Budget, 2) Pet Health & Wellness and 3) Outdoor Pet-Friendliness.
We evaluated those dimensions using 23 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for pets and their owners. Data for metrics marked with an asterisk (*) were available at the state level only. For metrics marked with an asterisk (**), the square root of the population was used to calculate the population size in order to avoid overcompensating for minor differences across cities.
Finally, we determined each city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample. Our sample considers only the city proper in each case and excludes cities in the surrounding metro area.
Pet Budget – Total Points: 25
- Veterinary Care Costs: Full Weight (~10.00 Points)
- Minimum Pet-Care Provider Rate per Visit: Half Weight (~5.00 Points)
- Dog Insurance Premium: Full Weight (~10.00 Points)
Pet Health & Wellness – Total Points: 50
- Veterinarians per Capita**: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
- Pet Caretakers per Capita**: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
- Animal Trainers per Capita**: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
- Pet Businesses per Capita**: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
- Dog-Friendly Restaurants per Capita**: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
- Dog-Friendly Shops per Capita**: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
- Pet Meetup Groups per Capita**: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
- Doggie Daycare & Boarding Establishments per Capita**: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
- Pet-Friendliness of Rental Market: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
Note: This metric measures the share of pet-friendly rental units. - Average Home Square Footage: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
- Share of Single-Family Detached Homes: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
- Share of Homes with One or Fewer Occupants per Room: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
- Animal Shelters per Capita**: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
- Strength of Animal Protection Laws: Full* Weight (~3.57 Points)
Note: This metric is based on the Animal Legal Defense Fund’s “Best & Worst States for Animal Protection Laws” ranking.
Outdoor Pet-Friendliness – Total Points: 25
- Weather: Full Weight (~4.55 Points)
Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s “Cities with the Best & Worst Weather” ranking. - Dog Parks per Capita**: Full Weight (~4.55 Points)
- Parkland as Share of City Area: Full Weight (~4.55 Points)
- Walk Score: Full Weight (~4.55 Points)
- Dog-Friendly Trails per Capita**: Full Weight (~4.55 Points)
- Dog Shows per Capita**: Half* Weight (~2.27 Points)
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Yelp.com, WalkScore.com, RentPath, Pets Best Insurance Services, Council for Community and Economic Research, Center for Neighborhood Technology, Sittercity, BringFido, InfoDog, Trust for Public Land, Animal Legal Defense Fund, Meetup, Realtor and WalletHub research.
Find the full study here: https://wallethub.com/edu/most-pet-friendly-cities/5562
