- Colorado Springs ranks as the most pet-friendly city in the US, featuring the largest number of vet assistants and technicians per 1,000 jobs and highly for the percentage of hotels allowing pets.
- Madison ranks as the second most pet-friendly city, offering the fifth cheapest cat and dog insurance quotes compared to all US cities.
- Portland ranked as the third most pet-friendly US city, scoring well across several factors, including the second-highest number of dog parks per 100,000 people.
According to new research, Colorado Springs has been named the most pet-friendly city in the US.
PetLab Co. analyzed 19 factors that could contribute to the pet friendliness of a US city, including the number of dog parks per 100k, the cost of a vet visit, and average pet insurance. Each factor was ranked out of ten to create an overall pet-friendly Index Score out of 100 for all US cities.
The Ten Most Pet-Friendly US Cities
| City | State | Score (/100) | Rank |
| Colorado Springs | Colorado | 63.85 | 1 |
| Madison | Wisconsin | 63.58 | 2 |
| Portland | Oregon | 62.47 | 3 |
| Tucson | Arizona | 61.90 | 4 |
| Lexington | Kentucky | 61.22 | 5 |
| Raleigh | North Carolina | 60.97 | 6 |
| Norfolk | Virginia | 60.51 | 7 |
| Boise | Idaho | 60.51 | 8 |
| Albuquerque | New Mexico | 60.35 | 9 |
| Urban Honolulu | Hawaii | 60.13 | 10 |
| San Diego | California | 59.59 | 11 |
Colorado Springs ranked as the most pet-friendly US city, with an index score of 63.85 out of 100. The state ranked highly for several factors that support a pet-friendly environment including 8th for the percentage of hotels allowing pets at 61.6% and 1st for air quality having the lowest number of pollutants. The city also holds the title for the third most veterinarians at 0.949 per 1,000 jobs.
Scoring 63.58 out of 100, Madison, Wisconsin, ranked as the second-most pet-friendly US state. This city has the fifth cheapest average dog insurance quote of $41.18 and average cat insurance of $16.04.
Portland, Oregon, was found to be the third-most pet-friendly city in the US, with a score of 62.47 out of 100. Per 1,000 jobs, Portland has the fourth highest number of vet assistant and technician jobs at 131,200, with many people on hand to support your furry friend.
Tucson, Arizona, is fourth on the list, scoring 61.90 out of 100 across the 19 factors.
Lexington, Kentucky, ranked as the fifth best city for pet lovers and their pets in the US, with a pet-friendly Index Score of 61.22 out of 100. The city has the highest number of veterinarians registered per 1,000 jobs at 1.074. Compared with all other US cities, this bluegrass state city has the highest number of pet caretakers so that your pet can be looked after when you are away.
Raleigh, North Carolina, ranked sixth with a pet-friendly Index Score of 60.97. This south-eastern city has the fifth highest percentage of hotels that allow pets at 64.4% of the total as well as the fifth highest number of veterinarians at 0.908 per 1,000.
Norfolk, Virginia, is the seventh-most pet-friendly city in America, scoring 60.51 out of 100.
Coming in joint seventh place is Boise, Idaho, with a score of 60.51 out of 100. Boise ranked as having the lowest average dog and cat insurance quotes of $37.22 and $14.71. This city also has the highest rate of parks as a % of the city area at 0.081.
In eighth position is Albuquerque, New Mexico, with a score of 60.35 out of 100. In Duke City, it costs $6.21 less than the US average for a vet office visit at $60.95.
Urban Honolulu, Hawaii, is the ninth-most pet-friendly US city which has the second-best air quality for your furry friends and their adventures with a ranking of 90.07.
San Diego, California, scores 59.59 out of 100, making it the tenth most pet-friendly US city.
Christopher Masanto – Co-Founder & CEO of PetLab Co., commented:
“This data provides a fascinating insight into which cities offer pet lovers the best and most affordable experience for their furry friends. Colorado Springs stands out as a top spot for pet lovers, due to its highly combined ratings for several factors that contribute to a strong environment for a pet. ”
“A pet’s well-being is a huge priority to their owners and there are many factors that contribute to their quality of life including green space, veterinary check-ups, and insurance for the pet owners’ piece of mind.”
“A good environment is crucial in deciding whether to bring a pet into your life and this analysis reveals the US cities where there are better amenities available.”
The factors analyzed for the index included:
- Average vet assistant & technician annual income
- Vet assistant & technician jobs per 1,000 jobs
- Average veterinarian annual income
- Veterinarians per 1,000 jobs
- Average pet caretaker’s annual income
- Pet caretakers per 1,000 jobs
- Average dog insurance
- Average cat insurance
- % of hotels allowing pets
- Number of pet-friendly restaurants per 100k
- Pet-friendly restaurant average rating
- Cost of vet office visit
- Full vaccine cost (dog)
- Full vaccine cost (cat)
- Parks as a % of city area
- Number of dog parks per 100k
- Air quality index
- Annual precipitation
- Average daily temperature difference from 72F
Sources
State size, national parks and landmarks, hiking trails, RV parks, paid and free campsites, average fuel prices, average yearly rainfall, diversity of plant and animal species, national park death rates, deaths caused by dangerous animal or plant exposure.
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