US households by pet type, 2012 to 2026
Dogs live in 71 million US households and cats in 53 million in APPA's 2026 report edition, out of 95 million pet-owning households.
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What the data shows
- In 2026, Dogs ranks #1 with 71.0M, ahead of Cats (53.0M) and Freshwater fish (9.0M).
- Dogs holds #1 for the whole period, 2012 to 2026.
- Biggest climber: Reptiles, from #6 in 2012 to #4 in 2026.
- Dogs grew 1.5× between 2012 and 2026.
About this chart
Dogs are the most common pet in the United States: 71 million households own one in the American Pet Products Association's 2026 report edition, compared with 53 million with a cat. Both are well above the 2011-12 survey, when dogs were in 46.3 million households and cats in 38.9 million. APPA puts total pet-owning households at 95 million in the 2026 edition, up from 94 million in 2025.
Fish moved the other way: freshwater fish households fell from 14.3 million in the 2013-14 survey to 9 million, and saltwater fish from 2.5 million in 2017-18 to 1 million. Birds, small animals and reptiles each sit at 5 to 6 million households. Read jumps between editions with care. APPA changed its method over time and rounds the 2025 and 2026 figures to whole millions, so dogs at 69.0 million in 2022, 65.1 million in 2024 and 71 million in 2026 reflect method as well as real change.
The data
Source: American Pet Products Association (APPA), National Pet Owners Survey: Industry Trends & Stats page, archived editions via the Wayback Machine (2011-12, 2013-14, 2015-16, 2017-18, 2019-20, 2021-22, 2023-24) and the current page (2025 and 2026 report editions). Retrieved November 4, 2026. Column labels are the year the survey edition ended or the report year: 2012 = 2011-2012 survey, 2014 = 2013-14, 2016 = 2015-16, 2018 = 2017-18, 2020 = 2019-20, 2022 = 2021-22, 2024 = 2023-24 survey; 2025 = the 2025 survey as cited in APPA's 2025 State of the Industry Report (94M households with a pet); 2026 = the 2025 National Pet Owners Survey as cited in APPA's 2026 State of the Industry Report (95M). APPA changed its survey methodology over time and rounds the 2025-26 figures to whole millions, so changes between editions (e.g. dogs 69.0M in 2022, 65.1M in 2024, 71M in 2026; birds 9.9M in 2022) partly reflect method differences rather than real swings. Equine is shown as Horses. Freshwater and saltwater fish are listed separately.
| Date | Dogs | Cats | Freshwater fish | Birds | Small animals | Reptiles | Horses | Saltwater fish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 46.3M | 38.9M | 11.9M | 5.7M | 5.0M | 4.6M | 2.4M | 0.7M |
| 2014 | 56.7M | 45.3M | 14.3M | 6.9M | 6.9M | 5.6M | 2.8M | 1.8M |
| 2016 | 54.4M | 42.9M | 12.3M | 6.1M | 5.4M | 4.9M | 2.5M | 1.3M |
| 2018 | 60.2M | 47.1M | 12.5M | 7.9M | 6.7M | 4.7M | 2.6M | 2.5M |
| 2020 | 63.4M | 42.7M | 11.5M | 5.7M | 5.4M | 4.5M | 1.6M | 1.6M |
| 2022 | 69.0M | 45.3M | 11.8M | 9.9M | 6.2M | 5.7M | 3.5M | 2.9M |
| 2024 | 65.1M | 46.5M | 11.1M | 6.1M | 6.7M | 6.0M | 2.2M | 2.2M |
| 2025 | 68.0M | 49.0M | 10.0M | 6.0M | 6.0M | 6.0M | 2.0M | 2.0M |
| 2026 | 71.0M | 53.0M | 9.0M | 5.0M | 5.0M | 6.0M | 2.0M | 1.0M |
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Frequently asked questions
What is the most popular pet in America?
Dogs are the most popular pet in America, owned by 71 million US households in APPA's 2026 report edition. Cats are second with 53 million households. Freshwater fish are third at 9 million.
How many US households own a pet?
APPA reports that 95 million US households own a pet in its 2026 report edition, up from 94 million in 2025. Survey methods have changed over time, so comparisons across older editions are approximate.
How many US households own a cat?
About 53 million US households own a cat in APPA's 2026 report edition, up from 38.9 million in the 2011-12 survey. Cat households were 42.7 million in the 2019-20 survey, so the path between editions has not been steady.
Where does this data come from?
American Pet Products Association (APPA), National Pet Owners Survey: Industry Trends & Stats page, archived editions via the Wayback Machine (2011-12, 2013-14, 2015-16, 2017-18, 2019-20, 2021-22, 2023-24) and the current page (2025 and 2026 report editions). Retrieved November 4, 2026. Column labels are the year the survey edition ended or the report year: 2012 = 2011-2012 survey, 2014 = 2013-14, 2016 = 2015-16, 2018 = 2017-18, 2020 = 2019-20, 2022 = 2021-22, 2024 = 2023-24 survey; 2025 = the 2025 survey as cited in APPA's 2025 State of the Industry Report (94M households with a pet); 2026 = the 2025 National Pet Owners Survey as cited in APPA's 2026 State of the Industry Report (95M). APPA changed its survey methodology over time and rounds the 2025-26 figures to whole millions, so changes between editions (e.g. dogs 69.0M in 2022, 65.1M in 2024, 71M in 2026; birds 9.9M in 2022) partly reflect method differences rather than real swings. Equine is shown as Horses. Freshwater and saltwater fish are listed separately. You can download the full table as a CSV from this page.
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