What are the top 10 states for being dog owners?

When it comes to being a pet owner, there are some very common pets that we think of. Obviously dogs and cats, but which comes out on top? Is it the dog? Is it the cat? Maybe it is a fish. Or is it some other pet?

According to an extensive study done on pet ownership, it turns out that as of 2023, 66 percent of households in America own at least one pet. And that’s not surprising. In a lot of ways we are a pet loving society. But did you know that an amazing 86 percent of pet owners in the United States own dogs, while cats come in second at 81 percent. It’s an interesting study, and one that also revealed which states owned the most dogs.

In America, it is clear that dogs are our favorite pet. The study, which was published by a Place for Animals, has found that 65 million households have at least one dog in them. It also means that the pet industry is massive, with a current value of over $136 billion. It does make sense, when you consider the fact that we love our pets, and we want to spoil them. But the real question is which states lead the country in dog ownership rate?

The states with the highest dog ownership include:

When it comes to the highest rate of dog ownership in the United States, the following states are definitely leading the pack. So, which states have the highest rates of dog ownership as of 2022? And what is their percentage of dog ownership?

1. Montana at 52%
2. Arkansas at 52%
3. Mississippi at 51%
4. West Virginia at 50%
5. Indiana at 49%
6. Oklahoma at 48%
7. Nebraska at 47%
8. Tennessee at 47%
9. Alabama at 47%
10. Kentucky at 47%

For us, it comes as a bit of a surprise which states come in at the top of the pack. We are not surprised to see so many ties on the list, however, we are surprised that there are so few (basically no) coastal states.

What makes this data so interesting, is the fact that this means that at least four states have more than half of the residents owning a dog. And that’s rather impressive. Basically, if you are looking for dog lovers, these are the 10 states for you. And we wouldn’t have it any other way.

The real question we have is whether or not these the dog loving states are also highly dog friendly. This is some thing we can’t wait to look into. We want to know if they have a lot of dog friendly things to do, places to stay, places to eat, and more. With these 10 states being at the top of the list for having the most dog owners, we are interested to find out if they are also highly dog friendly. It will be interesting to do a deep dive into that and yes, we plan to do some digging.

But we want to know what you think of these findings? Are you surprised by any of this data? Would you have expected any other states to appear in the top 10? Let us know on our social media and let’s chat about what you think of the state of dog ownership in the US.