Pet Industry Market Size & Ownership Statistics
U.S. Pet Industry Spending Figures & Future Outlook
The following spending statistics are gathered by APPA from various market reseach sources and are not included in the organization's biennial National Pet Owners Survey.
Total U.S. Pet Industry Expenditures
Year Billions of dollars
2017 $69.36 Estimated
2016 $66.75 Actual
2015 $60.28
2014 $58.04
2013 $55.72
2012 $53.33
2011 $50.96
2010 $48.35
2009 $45.53
2008 $43.2
2007 $41.2
2006 $38.5
2005 $36.3
2004 $34.4
2003 $32.4
2002 $29.6
2001 $28.5
1998 $23
1996 $21
1994 $17
Actual Sales within the U.S. Market in 2016
In 2016, $66.75 billion was spent on our pets in the U.S.
Breakdown:
Food $28.23 billion
Supplies/OTC Medicine $14.71 billion
Vet Care $15.95 billion
Live animal purchases $2.1 billion
Pet Services: grooming & boarding $5.76 billion
Estimated 2017 Sales within the U.S. Market
For 2017, it estimated that $69.36 billion will be spent on our pets in the U.S.
Estimated Breakdown:
Food $29.69 billion
Supplies/OTC Medicine $14.93 billion
Vet Care $16.62 billion
Live animal purchases $2.01 billion
Other Services $6.11 billion
Data sources and notes
Food total is based on PFI research consultant Davenport Co, Packaged Facts Pet Food in the U.S. 2015-2020, and petfoodindustry.com 2015 Industry Report, and Euromonitor International Pet Care in the US plus new information generated by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (US BLS).
2. Supplies based on APPA historical, BCC Research-The Pet Industry, Fountain Agricounsel 2015-2016 Situation Analysis, Pet Product News, Packaged Facts Pet Supplies in the US 2016-2017, IBISWorld Industry Report Pet Stores in the US and Cleveland Research 2015 Forecast.
3. Veterinary care includes routine vet care and is based on AVMA, Newsweek, Brakke Consulting, Bain & Co, Fountain Agricounsel 2015 Situation Analysis Report and Packaged Facts Pet Supplies in the US 2016-2017.
Live Animal purchases based on APPA, AVMA, Fountain Agricounsel, Packaged Facts Pet Population and Ownership Trends and Euromonitor estimates
5. Other Services based on Packaged Facts, Euromonitor, APPA State of the Industry Report, Newsweek, Dillon Media Trends Report, and IBISWorld
Other Services include grooming, boarding, training, pet sitting, pet exercise, pet walking, miscellaneous
7. Pet insurance figures are included in Veterinary Care
8. Some items previously included in Supplies/OTC Med have been reformulated and are now included in Food.
2017-2018 APPA National Pet Owners Survey Statistics: Pet Ownership & Annual Expenses
According to the 20157-2018 APPA National Pet Owners Survey, 68% of U.S. households own a pet, which equates to 84.6 millions homes
In 1988, the first year the survey was conducted, 56% of U.S. households owned a pet.
Breakdown of pet ownership in the U.S. according to the 2017-2018 APPA National Pet Owners Survey
Number of U.S. Households that Own a Pet (millions)
Bird 7.9
Cat 47.1
Dog 60.2
Horse 2.6
Freshwater Fish 12.5
Saltwater Fish 2.5
Reptile 4.7
Small Animal 6.7
Total Number of Pets Owned in the U.S. (millions)
Bird 20.3
Cat 94.2
Dog 89.7
Horse 7.6
Freshwater Fish 139.3
Saltwater Fish 18.8
Reptile 9.4
Small Animal 14.0
Basic Annual Expenses
The section serves as a benchmark and the dollar amounts for the categories listed should not be added to report total spending in the prior 12 months. It reports an approximate dollar amount based on consumer recollection of their spending in the prior 12 months. The list is not inclusive of all items possibly purchased, as some items fall into “other” expenses and are not reported here. As such, the dollar amounts should not be added to report total spending in the prior 12 months.
According to the 2017-2018 APPA National Pet Owners Survey, some of the basic annual expenses for dog and cat owners in dollars include:
Dogs Cats
Surgical Vet Visits $474 $245
Routine Vet $257 $182
Food $235 $235
Food Treats $72 $56
Kennel Boarding $322 $164
Vitamins $58 $46
Groomer/Grooming Aids $84 $30
Toys $47 $30
**Note: APPA does not ask Survey Participants how much in total they spend on their dog or cats annually. The expenses listed above are not all inclusive and each category was asked separately of the survey participant.
