New report reveals 56.4% of US households own pets

By type of pet, 44% of households own dogs, 25% own cats, and 12% own other pets (including fish, small mammals, herptiles, and birds).

Packaged Facts estimates that pet population growth in the wake of COVID-19 brought the number of pet dogs to 96 million in 2020, up by over 10 million from 2019, and the number of pet cats to 32 million, up by nearly 2 million from 2019.

The stay-at-home, work-from-home, and school-kids-at-home dynamics in the COVID-19 era, also edged up ownership rates for fish, small mammals (where guinea pigs now have pride of place) and reptiles/amphibians. Pet birds, however, continue to decline in popularity and have slipped to last place within these four main classifications of “other” pets.

Acquisition of pets other than dogs and cats in the aftermath of COVID-19 reflects the intertwined trends of owning multiple pets and owning multiple types of pets. While 11% of pet-owning households overall added pets other than dogs or cats, 19% of those who already had dogs or cats did so.

Not surprisingly, pet acquisition has been higher among the younger generational cohorts: among Millennials/Gen Zers who were already pet owners going into the COVID-19 era, 25% increased their level of pet ownership, compared with only 9% of their Boomer counterparts.

At the same time, the share of dog- or cat-owning households with senior pets has steadily risen such that over half of dog-owning households now have dogs age 7 or older, as holds true for their cat-owning counterparts.

From a longer-term 10-year perspective, some of the key growth for dog ownership has been in demographics traditionally under-represented as dog owners. This trend is spurred by several dynamics, including the graying of the U.S. population, the shifting composition of American households, and the increasing appeal of dog ownership to demographics traditionally less prone to keep pet dogs.

For the full report, go here