Pets. The AVMA released data on where they all live: image via 123rf.com
Where do pets live? What kinds of pets do Americans prefer? How much are
we now spending on healthcare for our pets? Here is some salient data released in the 2012 U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook published by the American Veterinary Medical Association's (AVMA).
This edition of the Sourcebook, released on January 15, 2013, is based on data collected in 2012 via email responses to an AVMA survey; however, responses were based on what occurred in 2011. This particular demographic data is collected by the AVMA every 5 years.
The Top 10 Pet-Owning States
1. Vermont: 70.8 percent of households owned a pet.
Vermont's human population is the second lowest in the U.S., but it has the highest percentage of pet owners: image via wwp.greenwichmeantime.com
2. New Mexico: 67.6
percent of households owned a pet.
3. South Dakota: 65.6 percent of households owned a pet.
4. Oregon: 63.6 percent of households owned a pet.
5. Maine:
62.9 percent of households owned a pet.
6. Washington: 62.7 percent of households owned a pet.
7. Arkansas: 62.4 percent of households owned a pet.
8. West
Virginia: 62.1 percent of households owned a pet.
9. Idaho: 62 percent of households owned a pet.
10. Wyoming: 61.8
percent of households owned a pet.
The Bottom 10 Pet-Owning States
1. Massachusetts: 50.4
percent of households owned a pet.
2. New York: 50.6 percent of households owned a pet.
3. New Jersey: 50.7 percent of households owned a pet.
4. Utah:
62.9 percent of households owned a pet.
5. Nebraska: 62.7 percent of households owned a pet.
6. Illinois: 62.4 percent of households owned a pet.
7. Maryland: 62.1 percent of households owned a pet.
8. California: 62 percent of households owned a pet.
9. Minnesota: 61.8
percent of households owned a pet.
10. Rhode Island: 53 percent of households owned a pet.
Now For The Absolute Lowest Rate Of Pet Households...
No friends in Washington: image via statemaster.comWashington, DC! Only 21.9 percent of respondents from the District of Columbia reported owning pets. Maybe, a spokesman for the AVMA said, it's because D.C. is totally urban, as opposed to Vermont, let's say, which has many more rural areas.
Dog Ownership States
Dogs are popular pets in Arkansas (47.9 percent) and New Mexico (46 percent) and least popular in Connecticut (28.3 percent) and Massachusetts. But then there's the District of Columbia where dog owners represent only 13.1 percent of residents. No wonder people in Washington don't have friends.
Cat Ownership States
Vermont is not only the top pet-owning state; it's the top cat owning state with 49.5 percent of households owning cats. Maine is second most popular for cats where 46.4 percent of homes have cats. Louisiana and New Jersey, at the bottom of the cat-owning states with less than 25 percent, were beaten out again by... you got it! Washington, DC, with only 11.6 percent cat ownership. And that's why Congress is so unpopular.
Vet Expenditures
Expenditure for veterinary services was down in 2011 from the prior period, much to the disappointment of the AVMA. The mean amount spent per household for all pets was $375. People spend more on dogs than cats, birds, or even horses at the vet. Pet owners who considered their pets 'household members' spent an average of $114 more per pet at the vet than owners who did not consider their pets to be household members.
More information is available from the Sourcebook, which can be ordered here.
