The major US cities with the most animal lovers
An animal companion is a warm body on the couch at the end of the day that's never too upset you couldn't prepare dinner until late. They keep us active in our routines and serve as company when we're alone.
For many of us, they've graduated from rodents, reptiles, felines, and dogs to full-fledged family members, especially after spending so much time together through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Stacker calculated which major metropolitan areas have the highest share of pet owners using data from the Census Bureau's 2021 American Housing Survey. The 15 largest metros, including the main city and surrounding towns and suburbs, are ranked on the share of households that own pets, not including service animals or livestock. When available, pet types were included. Because many families own more than one type of pet, percentages do not add up to 100.
The pandemic resulted in an uptick in animal adoptions, adding furry friends to homes nationwide. Some of those adoptions may have been unsustainable in hindsight, as one owner of an animal rescue in Oregon told the local Fox affiliate station that pandemic surrenders began flooding into shelters in 2022, overcrowding facilities and forcing rescues to consider euthanization.
While 2021 may represent a relative peak in pet ownership, the data sheds light on the preferences of pet lovers across the nation. Dogs were the most commonly owned type of pet in every major metro analyzed, and in several metros, close to 1 in 10 residents own fish.
