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
Total score: 50.91
Pet Budget rank: 32
Pet Health & Wellness rank: 33
Outdoor Pet-Friendliness rank: 41
19. Long Beach, CA
Total score: 50.98
Pet Budget rank: 77
Pet Health & Wellness rank: 24
Outdoor Pet-Friendliness rank: 12
18. Oakland, CA
Total score: 51.55
Pet Budget rank: 85
Pet Health & Wellness rank: 18
Outdoor Pet-Friendliness rank: 9
17. Los Angeles, CA
Total score: 51.77
Pet Budget rank: 97
Pet Health & Wellness rank: 12
Outdoor Pet-Friendliness rank: 3
16. Columbus, OH
Total score: 52.05
Pet Budget rank: 1
Pet Health & Wellness rank: 63
Outdoor Pet-Friendliness rank: 56
15. Plano, TX (North Dallas)
Total score: 52.28
Pet Budget rank: 70
Pet Health & Wellness rank: 9
Outdoor Pet-Friendliness rank: 35
14. Sacramento, CA
Total score: 52.58
Pet Budget rank: 48
Pet Health & Wellness rank: 26
Outdoor Pet-Friendliness rank: 21
13. Albuquerque, NM
Total score: 52.85
Pet Budget rank: 6
Pet Health & Wellness rank: 79
Outdoor Pet-Friendliness rank: 20
12. Atlanta, GA
Total score: 53.13
Pet Budget rank: 21
Pet Health & Wellness rank: 10
Outdoor Pet-Friendliness rank: 80
11. Portland, OR
Total score: 54.29
Pet Budget rank: 83
Pet Health & Wellness rank: 11
Outdoor Pet-Friendliness rank: 7
10. Irvine, CA
Total score: 54.34
Pet Budget rank: 96
Pet Health & Wellness rank: 5
Outdoor Pet-Friendliness rank: 5
9. Las Vegas, NV
Total score: 54.44
Pet Budget rank: 63
Pet Health & Wellness rank: 16
Outdoor Pet-Friendliness rank: 10
8. Seattle, WA
Total score: 54.49
Pet Budget rank: 86
Pet Health & Wellness rank: 6
Outdoor Pet-Friendliness rank: 11
7. Cincinnati, OH
Total score: 55.31
Pet Budget rank: 4
Pet Health & Wellness rank: 32
Outdoor Pet-Friendliness rank: 29
6. Tampa, FL
Total score: 55.41
Pet Budget rank: 30
Pet Health & Wellness rank: 20
Outdoor Pet-Friendliness rank: 19
5. Phoenix, AZ
Total score: 56.00
Pet Budget rank: 49
Pet Health & Wellness rank: 13
Outdoor Pet-Friendliness rank: 16
4. Austin, TX
Total score: 56.20
Pet Budget rank: 33
Pet Health & Wellness rank: 2
Outdoor Pet-Friendliness rank: 58
3. San Diego, CA
Total score: 58.10
Pet Budget rank: 78
Pet Health & Wellness rank: 3
Outdoor Pet-Friendliness rank: 6
2. Orlando, FL
Total score: 58.35
Pet Budget rank: 14
Pet Health & Wellness rank: 4
Outdoor Pet-Friendliness rank: 46
1. Scottsdale, AZ
Total score: 60.48
Pet Budget rank: 80
Pet Health & Wellness rank: 1
Outdoor Pet-Friendliness rank: 4