Least Pet-friendly Cities In California

One California community among top 10 most pet-friendly cities

With International Homeless Animals Day approaching on Aug. 21 and more than 85 million U.S. pet-owning households projected to spend $109.6 billion this year, the personal finance website WalletHub has released an in-depth report on 2021’s Most Pet-Friendly Cities.

One California city, San Diego, found itself among the top 10 most pet-friendly cities. Fremont once again finds itself at the bottom of the ladder. Fremont, a city in California’s San Francisco Bay Area with roughly 236,000 people, in June was listed among the worst cities for staycations. In July, the city found itself among the worst cities for recreation. Now, it’s listed among the least 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 23 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. Scottsdale, AZ
2. Tampa, FL
3. Orlando, FL
4. Las Vegas, NV
5. Birmingham, AL
6. St. Louis, MO
7. St. Petersburg, FL
8. Cincinnati, OH
9. San Diego, CA
10. New Orleans, LA

Least Pet-Friendly Cities

91. Fremont, CA
92. Norfolk, VA
93. Anaheim, CA
94. Charlotte, NC
95. Laredo, TX
96. Detroit, MI
97. Fresno, CA
98. Newark, NJ
99. Honolulu, HI
100. Santa Ana, CA

Key Stats on pet-friendly cities

• Lincoln, Nebraska, has the lowest average veterinary care costs (annual exam), $39.36, which is 2.1 times lower than in Plano, Texas, the city with the highest at $83.72.
• Miami has the most veterinarians (per square root of the population), 0.3427, which is 90.2 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 2.8 times lower than in Los Angeles and Irvine, California, the cities with the highest at $97.46.
• Reno, Nevada, has the most pet businesses (per square root of the population), 0.4834, which is 10.2 times more than in Newark, New Jersey, the city with the fewest at 0.0472.

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