Border Collie running in city fountain

The Top 20 Pet Friendly U.S. Cities of 2018

There are almost 85 million households in the U.S. that have a pet. And because our pets are family, we want them to enjoy their lives as much as we do. But owning a pet can get expensive between medical care, food, toys, grooming, pet rent, and more. The American Pet Products Association projects pet ownership to cost Americans over $72 billion in 2018. Naturally, these costs can really affect you and your dog. But one of the best ways to give your furbaby a great life is to live in a pet-friendly city.

Fortunately, WalletHub ranked the most pet friendly cities in the U.S. They compared the 100 most populated cities across three key factors: pet budget, pet health & wellness and outdoor pet-friendliness. Using relevant metrics each weighted differently and graded on a 100-point scale (pet budget made up 25 points, pet health & wellness 50 points and outdoor pet-friendliness 25 points), Wallethub determined each cities' rank within those three factors in addition to the overall score (determined by each city's weighted average across all metrics).

Here are the top 20 according to their findings:

20. St. Louis, MO

Saint Louis

Total score: 50.91
Pet Budget rank: 32
Pet Health & Wellness rank: 33
Outdoor Pet-Friendliness rank: 41

19. Long Beach, CA

Long Beach
Total score: 50.98
Pet Budget rank: 77
Pet Health & Wellness rank: 24
Outdoor Pet-Friendliness rank: 12

18. Oakland, CA

Oakland

Total score: 51.55
Pet Budget rank: 85
Pet Health & Wellness rank: 18
Outdoor Pet-Friendliness rank: 9

17. Los Angeles, CA

Los Angeles

Total score: 51.77
Pet Budget rank: 97
Pet Health & Wellness rank: 12
Outdoor Pet-Friendliness rank: 3

16. Columbus, OH

Columbus

Total score: 52.05
Pet Budget rank: 1
Pet Health & Wellness rank: 63
Outdoor Pet-Friendliness rank: 56

15. Plano, TX (North Dallas)

Dallas

Total score: 52.28
Pet Budget rank: 70
Pet Health & Wellness rank: 9
Outdoor Pet-Friendliness rank: 35

14. Sacramento, CA

Sacramento

Total score: 52.58
Pet Budget rank: 48
Pet Health & Wellness rank: 26
Outdoor Pet-Friendliness rank: 21

13. Albuquerque, NM

Albuquerque
Total score: 52.85
Pet Budget rank: 6
Pet Health & Wellness rank: 79
Outdoor Pet-Friendliness rank: 20

12. Atlanta, GA

Atlanta
Total score: 53.13
Pet Budget rank: 21
Pet Health & Wellness rank: 10
Outdoor Pet-Friendliness rank: 80

11. Portland, OR

Portland
Total score: 54.29
Pet Budget rank: 83
Pet Health & Wellness rank: 11
Outdoor Pet-Friendliness rank: 7

10. Irvine, CA

Irvine
Total score: 54.34
Pet Budget rank: 96
Pet Health & Wellness rank: 5
Outdoor Pet-Friendliness rank: 5

9. Las Vegas, NV

Las Vegas

Total score: 54.44
Pet Budget rank: 63
Pet Health & Wellness rank: 16
Outdoor Pet-Friendliness rank: 10

8. Seattle, WA

Seattle
Total score: 54.49
Pet Budget rank: 86
Pet Health & Wellness rank: 6
Outdoor Pet-Friendliness rank: 11

7. Cincinnati, OH

Cincinnati
Total score: 55.31
Pet Budget rank: 4
Pet Health & Wellness rank: 32
Outdoor Pet-Friendliness rank: 29

6. Tampa, FL

Tampa
Total score: 55.41
Pet Budget rank: 30
Pet Health & Wellness rank: 20
Outdoor Pet-Friendliness rank: 19

5. Phoenix, AZ

Phoenix
Total score: 56.00
Pet Budget rank: 49
Pet Health & Wellness rank: 13
Outdoor Pet-Friendliness rank: 16

4. Austin, TX

Austin
Total score: 56.20
Pet Budget rank: 33
Pet Health & Wellness rank: 2
Outdoor Pet-Friendliness rank: 58

3. San Diego, CA

San Diego
Total score: 58.10
Pet Budget rank: 78
Pet Health & Wellness rank: 3
Outdoor Pet-Friendliness rank: 6

2. Orlando, FL

Orlando
Total score: 58.35
Pet Budget rank: 14
Pet Health & Wellness rank: 4
Outdoor Pet-Friendliness rank: 46

1. Scottsdale, AZ

Scottsdale
Total score: 60.48
Pet Budget rank: 80
Pet Health & Wellness rank: 1
Outdoor Pet-Friendliness rank: 4

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