A sourced reference
U.S. pet ownership statistics.
Current figures on pet ownership, spending and the human-animal bond, gathered in one place for writers, researchers and pet lovers.
Last updated September 21, 2026
At a glance
Pets are part of how Americans make a home.
This page brings together the most useful public figures from the American Pet Products Association and Pew Research Center. Each number is linked to its original source and dated so it can be checked, quoted and revisited as new research is released.
Figures refer to U.S. households or U.S. adults as stated beside each statistic. Pet ownership categories can overlap, since one household may have more than one kind of pet.
95M
U.S. households own a pet
APPA reports that 95 million U.S. households owned a pet in its 2025 National Pet Owners Survey.
Source: American Pet Products Association, 2025 National Pet Owners Survey, cited in the 2026 State of the Industry Report71M
U.S. households own a dog
APPA's 2026 Dog Report, based on its 2025 survey, puts dog ownership at 53% of U.S. households.
Source: American Pet Products Association, 2026 Dog Report53M
U.S. households own a cat
APPA reports 53 million U.S. households own a cat, a rise from 49 million in its 2025 Dog & Cat Report.
Source: American Pet Products Association, 2025 Dog & Cat Report$158B
spent in the U.S. pet market
APPA lists $158 billion in actual U.S. pet industry sales for 2025.
Source: American Pet Products Association, 2026 State of the Industry Report97%
of pet owners say pets are family
Nearly all U.S. pet owners surveyed by Pew said their pet is part of their family.
Source: Pew Research Center survey of 2,963 U.S. pet owners, April 202351%
say pets are as much family as people
About half of pet owners told Pew their pet is as much a member of the family as a human family member.
Source: Pew Research Center survey of 2,963 U.S. pet owners, April 2023What the figures show
A personal relationship, at meaningful scale.
Pet ownership is widespread, and the language people use around their animals reflects that closeness. Pew found that 97% of owners view their pets as family, while 51% place them on equal footing with human family members. Those numbers help explain why a favourite pet photograph can carry more than a passing memory.
For shoppers choosing a custom portrait, the important part is still personal: the expression, markings and small familiar details that make a companion unmistakably theirs. Explore custom dog portraits or browse the wider pet portrait collection when you are ready to turn a favourite photo into art.
Method and sources
How to use this page.
This is a curated public reference, not an original survey. APPA figures come from the organization's industry reporting and National Pet Owners Survey. The family-bond figures come from Pew Research Center's April 2023 survey of 5,073 U.S. adults, including 2,963 pet owners.
Statistics are updated when a key source releases a newer relevant figure. Because ownership and spending measures use different populations and methods, they should not be compared as though they describe the same survey.
Suggested citation
Life in Blossom. “U.S. Pet Ownership Statistics.” Updated September 21, 2026. Accessed [date].