Number of pets (cats and dogs)

Cats and dogs have been popular household pets for generations, and gradual economic recovery and subsequent expansion has encouraged greater pet adoption per household. Slow growth in the size of the average household may have provided families with additional space, time and money to dedicate to owning domesticated animals. Moreover, improving disposable income levels have also freed up money to spend on pets. As a result, the number of pets has increased over the past five years, at an annualized rate of 1.6% to 196.9 million in 2024.

Pet adoptions have been inconsistent in recent years. For instance, the pet population grew significantly in 2012 and 2013 before declining 4.3% and 4.5% in 2014 and 2015, respectively. However, this trend reversed in 2016 and 2017, as wages and income levels improved. The moderate increase in pet ownership can partly be attributed to the growing prevalence of aging pets. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, improvements in pet healthcare has increased average pet lifespans, causing the number of pets to exhibit some volatility in line with more pets falling under the geriatric category.

The APPA estimates that more US households than ever before now own pets, and there may only be room for modest growth in adoptions over the next five years. The APPA also reports that 56.0% of households owned a pet in 1988, compared with 67.0% of households in 2019 (latest data available). The overpopulation of unwanted pets has become a major problem for humane societies, animal shelters and rescue groups. The Humane Society of the United States estimates that, due to the surplus of unwanted litters from pets that have not been neutered, between 3.0 and 4.0 million adoptable pets are euthanized every year. This does represent a significant improvement from the 1970s, however, when an estimated 12.0 to 20.0 million dogs and cats were euthanized per year. Although public awareness of the importance of pet neutering has greatly reduced the number of feral animals in the US, there remains a significant oversupply of adoptable animals.

However, as many individuals and families spent more time at home amid the COVID-19 pandemic, pet adoptions increased, particularly as consumers have had more time to tend to new pets. In turn, then number of pets increased 3.9% in 2020 alone. As businesses fully reopened in 2022, the number of pets decreased 1.2%, driven by a decline in available time for caring for pets. In 2023, the number of pets dropped a further 1.2%, primarily due to economic constraints which have limited the disposable income individuals have for pets. As the economy remains resilient however, the number of pets and dogs is anticipated to rise 0.9% during 2024 and 2025.