When it comes to pet-friendly cities in the country, only one California city made  its way into the top ten. On the flip side, five California communities landed in the bottom ten. How did that happen?

With National Homeless Animals Day approaching and more than 85 million U.S. pet-owning households projected to spend $99 billion this year, the personal finance website WalletHub today released an in-depth report on 2020’s Most Pet-Friendly Cities.

In order to determine where Americans’ animal companions can enjoy the best quality of life without breaking the bank, WalletHub compared the creature-friendliness of the 100 largest cities across 25 key metrics. The data set ranges from minimum pet-care provider rate per visit to pet businesses per capita to walkability.

Most Pet-Friendly Cities

1. Tampa, FL
2. Austin, TX
3. Las Vegas, NV
4. Orlando, FL
5. Seattle, WA
6. St. Louis, MO
7. Atlanta, GA
8. New Orleans, LA
9. Birmingham, AL
10. San Diego, CA

Least Pet-Friendly Cities
91. Newark, NJ
92. Chula Vista, CA
93. Mesa, AZ
94. Buffalo, NY
95. Laredo, TX
96. Bakersfield, CA
97. Honolulu, HI
98. Santa Ana, CA
99. San Bernardino, CA
100. Fresno, CA

Key Stats

  • Corpus Christi, Texas, has the lowest average veterinary care costs (per visit), $38.75, which is 2.1 times lower than in Washington, the city with the highest at $80.09.
  • Miami has the most veterinarians (per square root of the population), 0.3350, which is 88.2 times more than in Newark, New Jersey, the city with the fewest at 0.0038.
  • St. Paul, Minnesota, has the lowest monthly dog-insurance premium, $34.84, which is 2.5 times lower than in San Francisco, the city with the highest at $88.76.
  • San Francisco has the most pet businesses (per square root of the population), 0.8427, which is 24.8 times more than in Newark, New Jersey, the city with the fewest at 0.0340.

To view the full report and your city’s rank, please click here. 

Image Sources

  • People walking dog: Pixaby