Nearly three-quarters of U.S. households own pets. There are about 218 million pets in the United States, not counting several million fish. Pet ownership crosses many demographic boundaries, with Americans of different ages and levels of wealth reporting spending on pets. Further, Americans spend a substantial amount of money on the care and feeding of their animals. Americans spent approximately $61.4 billion in total on their pets in 2011. On average, each U.S. household spent just over $500 on pets. This amounts to about 1 percent of total spending per year for the average household.
Using information collected in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Consumer Expenditure (CE) Diary and Interview Surveys from 2007 to 2011, this article looks at the trends in spending by household or consumer unit, and examines which groups spent the most and the least on pets

Henderson, Steven

English

Nearly three-quarters of U.S. households own pets. There are about 218 million pets in the United States, not counting several million fish. Pet ownership crosses many demographic boundaries, with Americans of different ages and levels of wealth reporting spending on pets. Further, Americans spend a substantial amount of money on the care and feeding of their animals. Americans spent approximately $61.4 billion in total on their pets in 2011. On average, each U.S. household spent just over $500 on pets. This amounts to about 1 percent of total spending per year for the average household. Using information collected in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Consumer Expenditure (CE) Diary and Interview Surveys from 2007 to 2011, this article looks at the trends in spending by household or consumer unit, and examines which groups spent the most and the least on pets.BLS_BTN_Spending_on_pets.pdf: 308 downloads, before Oct. 1, 2020

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Spending on Pets: "Tails" from the Consumer Expenditure Survey

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5-2013 
Spending on Pets: "Tails" from the Consumer Expenditure Survey 
Steven Henderson 
Bureau of Labor Statistics 
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Spending on Pets: "Tails" from the Consumer Expenditure Survey 
Abstract 
Nearly three-quarters of U.S. households own pets. There are about 218 million pets in the United States, 
not counting several million fish. Pet ownership crosses many demographic boundaries, with Americans 
of different ages and levels of wealth reporting spending on pets. Further, Americans spend a substantial 
amount of money on the care and feeding of their animals. Americans spent approximately $61.4 billion 
in total on their pets in 2011. On average, each U.S. household spent just over $500 on pets. This amounts 
to about 1 percent of total spending per year for the average household. 
Using information collected in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Consumer Expenditure (CE) Diary 
and Interview Surveys from 2007 to 2011, this article looks at the trends in spending by household or 
consumer unit, and examines which groups spent the most and the least on pets. 
Keywords 
household pets, spending, Consumer Expenditure Survey 
Comments 
Suggested Citation 
Henderson, S. (2013). Spending on pets: “Tails” from the Consumer Expenditure Survey. Beyond the 
Numbers, 2(16). Washington, DC: Bureau of Labor Statistics. 
This article is available at DigitalCommons@ILR: https://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/key_workplace/1366 
p r i c e s  a n d  s p e n d i n g
U.S. BUreaU of LaBor StatiSticS
may 2013 • Volume 2 / Number 16
u.s. Bureau of LaBor statistics | may 2013 1 www.bls.gov 
Spending on pets: “Tails” from the Consumer 
Expenditure Survey
Author: steven Henderson
Nearly three-quarters of u.s. households own pets.1 there are about 218 million pets in the united states, not counting several million fish.2 Pet ownership crosses 
many demographic boundaries, with americans of different 
ages and levels of wealth reporting spending on pets. further, 
americans spend a substantial amount of money on the care 
and feeding of their animals. americans spent approximately 
$61.4 billion in total on their pets in 2011. on average, each u.s. 
household spent just over $500 on pets. this amounts to about 1 
percent of total spending per year for the average household.
using information collected in the u.s. Bureau of Labor statistics 
(BLs) consumer expenditure (ce) Diary and interview surveys 
from 2007 to 2011, this article looks at the trends in spending by 
household or consumer unit, and examines which groups spent 
the most and the least on pets.3
Related articles
more articles and information related to consumer 
expenditures are available online at the following 
links:
 y “expenditures of urban and rural 
households in 2011,” Beyond the Numbers, 
http://www.bls.gov/opub/btn/ 
volume-2/expenditures-of-urban- 
and-rural-households-in-2011.htm.
 y “consumer expenditure survey 
(ce) New midyear Data tables,” 
http://www.bls.gov/cex/tables. 
htm#midyear.
u.s. Bureau of LaBor statistics | may 2013 2 www.bls.gov 
beyond the numbers p r i c e s  a n d  s p e n d i n g
expenditures on pets include pet food, pet purchases, 
supplies and medicine, pet services, and veterinarian 
services.4 BLs data show the following:
 y in 2011, households spent more on their pets annually 
than they spent on alcohol ($456), residential landline 
phone bills ($381), or men and boys clothing ($404).
 y average household spending on pet food alone was 
$183 in 2011. this was more than the amount spent on 
candy ($87), bread ($107), chicken ($124), cereal ($175), 
or reading materials ($115). 
 y even when spending at restaurants dropped during 
the recent recession (December 2007–June 2009), 
spending on pet food stayed constant. (see chart 1.)
 y in 2011, one-sixth of u.s. households purchased pet 
food each week, based on entries in the ce Diary.5
 y married couples without children living at home spent 
the most on their pets. 
 y Homeowners spent almost three times as much on 
pets as renters did.
Spending on pets 2007–2011
Despite the difficult economic conditions brought on by 
the recession, families continued to spend consistently on 
their pets between 2007 and 2011. although the amount 
that households spent on pets varied from year to year, 
the share of household spending on pets stayed relatively 
constant, within a narrow range of 0.9 to 1.1 percent 
of total spending. table 1 shows the average annual 
expenditures per household on total spending and the 
subcomponents of pet costs, as well as the variances and 
the percent of the sample reporting types of expenditures.6
Average annual expenditures, variances, and percent reporting for pets, 2007–2011
Item 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Total spending
  Mean $49,638 $50,486 $49,067 $48,109 $49,705 
Total spending on pets
  Mean
  Relative share of total spending
$430.80 
0.9%
$570.88 
1.1%
$542.85 
1.1%
$480.09 
1.0%
$502.05 
1.0%
  Pet Food
    Mean
    Variance
    Percent reporting1
$146.88 
5.3%
17.0%
$163.13 
6.3%
17.7%
$168.92 
4.5%
17.7%
$165.20 
5.5%
16.6%
$182.75 
5.3%
16.8%
  Pet purchase, supplies, medicine
    Mean
    Variance
    Percent reporting2
$139.06 
3.9%
25.8%
$164.01 
4.7%
28.4%
$165.83 
4.5%
28.3%
$162.51 
3.4%
27.9%
$140.90 
4.5%
25.2%
  Pet services
    Mean
    Variance
    Percent reporting2
$31.68 
9.6%
5.2%
$36.77 
7.4%
6.0%
$43.36 
2.6%
6.1%
$38.87 
7.5%
6.2%
$35.72 
7.7%
6.1%
  Veterinarian services
    Mean
    Variance 
    Percent reporting1
$113.18 
13.7%
1.6%
$206.96 
27.1%
1.9%
$164.74 
13.2%
1.8%
$113.52 
9.4%
1.4%
$142.60 
12.2%
1.8%
1. Weekly percent reporting values derived from Diary survey.
2. Quarterly percent reporting values derived from interview survey.
source: u.s. Bureau of Labor statistics.
Note:  expenditures at the veterinarian are based on results from the ce Diary. table 1 shows that the percent reporting an expenditure is very 
low, and the amount varies considerably year by year. the variance for spending on veterinarians was over 25 percent in 2008, indicating that the 
mean dollar amount for that year has a high degree of uncertainty.  
Table 1
u.s. Bureau of LaBor statistics | may 2013 3 www.bls.gov 
beyond the numbers p r i c e s  a n d  s p e n d i n g
Household spending on pet food increased very slowly or 
remained relatively unchanged between 2007 and 2011. 
in 2007, annual pet food spending was $147, increasing 
to $163 in 2008, and then leveling off at $169 in 2009 
and $165 in 2010. the amount climbed again by less 
than $20 to $183 in 2011. in contrast, people spent less 
at restaurants during and after the recession. spending 
on meals away from home went from $2,668 in 2007 to 
its peak at $2,698 in 2008, before dropping to $2,619 in 
2009. spending in this category further fell to $2,505 in 
2010, before rising to $2,620 in 2011—still below the 2007 
average. (see chart 1.)
Spending differences by demographic characteristics
charts 2 through 4 highlight the pet expenditures made in 
2011 by the different demographic categories. 
Household income by quintile. Predictably, the amount 
households spent on pets rose with income. the middle 
income quintile (with income between $35,600 and 
$58,200) spent $485 on pets annually, more than double 
the $216 spent annually by the lowest quintile (income less 
than $18,558). the highest quintile (income from $93,800 
and up) spent $870 on pets in 2011, more than four times 
as much as the lowest quintile did. However, the relative 
share of spending on pets to total expenditures stayed 
close to 1 percent for each quintile.
Household size. of the different household sizes, a single 
person living alone spent the least on pets, averaging 
$349 in 2011. (see chart 2.) in contrast, a two-person 
household spent the most, with an average of $656. the 
amount spent on pets then declined as the number of 
people in the household increased. in other words, more 
human mouths to feed equated to fewer dollars spent on 
pets. three-person households spent $120 less than two-
person households. Households with four people spent 
even less, and households with five or more people spent 
just $402.
Household composition. comparing expenditures of 
households by household type and by age of children, 
married couples without children living at home spent the 
most on their pets in 2011, spending $698 on average. (see 
chart 3.) the single parent households with at least one 
$2,400
$2,450
$2,500
$2,550
$2,600
$2,650
$2,700
$0
$50
$100
$150
$200
$250
$300
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Pet Food Food away from home
Pet food Food away from home
Average annual expenditures on pet food and food away from home, 2007–2011
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Chart 1
source: u.s. Bureau of Labor statistics.
u.s. Bureau of LaBor statistics | may 2013 4 www.bls.gov 
beyoNd tHe numbers P r i c e s  a N D  s P e N D i N g
child under age 18 spent the least on pets, with an average 
of $267. other interesting differences occur for married 
couples who have children. Parents with younger children 
spent much less on pets than those with older children. 
married couples with children spent the least on pets 
when their oldest child was under 6; this expenditure rose 
by more than $100 if the oldest child was between the 
ages of 6 and 17, and increased another $100 when the 
oldest child at home was over age 18. 
Owner/renter status. Not surprisingly, homeowners spent 
nearly three times as much on pets as renters in 2011: 
$653 compared with $221. generally, homeowners live 
in residences that have more space for pets than renters 
have, and homeowners are less often subject to restrictive 
contracts that prohibit pets. 
Urban and rural. Households in rural areas spent ($716) 
considerably more than those in central city areas ($393). in 
addition, the percent reporting was higher in rural areas (30 
percent) for total spending on pets in 2011, compared with 
percent reporting in urban areas (19 percent). 
Age. spending on pets rose as the age of the reference 
person increased.7 (see chart 4.) those households with a 
reference person under 25 had the lowest expenditures 
per year, with an average of $279 in 2011. this amount 
steadily increased as the age of the reference person 
increased, peaking at $636 for ages 55 to 64. it dropped 
to $547 for reference persons ages 65 to 74 and then to 
$286 for those 75 and older. even so, spending on pets 
for reference persons in their mid-70s and older was 
still slightly higher than spending by reference persons 
under 25.
Conclusion
from 2007 to 2011, spending on pets stayed close to 1 
percent of total expenditures per household, despite 
the recession that occurred during this time. spending 
on pet food stayed constant or increased during the 
recession, even while spending at restaurants fell. 
married couples without children living at home 
spent the most on their pets out of any household 
configuration in 2011.  
$349
$656
$536
$492
$402
$0
$100
$200
$300
$400
$500
$600
$700
$800
1 2 3 4 5 and more
Average annual expenditures on pets by number of people in the household, 2011
Number of people in household
Chart 2
source: u.s. Bureau of Labor statistics.
Number of people in household
Average annual expenditures on pets by number of people in the household, 2011
u.s. Bureau of LaBor statistics | may 2013 5 www.bls.gov 
beyond the numbers p r i c e s  a n d  s p e n d i n g
$279
$427
$465
$625 $636
$547
$286
$0
$100
$200
$300
$400
$500
$600
$700
under 25 25 to 34 35 to 44 45 to 54 55 to 64 65 to 74 75 and older
Age of reference person
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Average annual expenditures on pets by age of reference person, 2011
Chart 4
source: u.s. Bureau of Labor statistics.
Age of reference person
$698
$412
$536
$644
$619
$267
$405
$0 $100 $200 $300 $400 $500 $600 $700 $800
Husband and wife only
Husband and wife, oldest child under 6
Husband and wife, oldest child 6 to 17
Husband and wife, oldest child over 18
Other husband and wife
One parent, at least one child under 18
Single and other CUs
Average annual expenditures on pets by household composition, 2011
Chart 3
source: u.s. Bureau of Labor statistics.
Single and other co sumer unit
beyond the numbers p r i c e s  a n d  s p e n d i n g
u.s. Bureau of LaBor statistics | may 2013 6 www.bls.gov 
this Beyond the Numbers article was prepared by steve 
Henderson, a supervisory economist in the office of Prices 
and Living conditions. email: henderson.steve@bls.gov. 
telephone: 202-691-5124.
information in this article will be made available to 
sensory-impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 
(202) 691-5200. federal relay service: 1-800-877-8339. 
this article is in the public domain and may be reproduced 
without permission.
Suggested citation:
steve Henderson, “spending on pets: ‘tails’ from the  
consumer expenditure survey,” Beyond the Numbers:  
Prices and Spending, vol. 2, no. 16 (u.s. Bureau of Labor  
statistics, 2013), http//www.bls.gov/opub/btn/ 
volume-2/spending-on-pets-tails-from-the- 
consumer-expenditure-survey.htm.
Visit our online archives to access past publications at
http://www.bls.gov/opub/btn/archive/home.htm.
Changes coming soon to the 
Monthly Labor Review
as part of our continued effort to better serve our 
readership, the Bureau of Labor statistics journal, 
monthly Labor review (mLr), will be making the 
following improvements this summer:
 y Publishing articles on a flow basis.
 y revamping and expanding the mLr archive.
 y Providing content in HtmL format, along with the 
printer friendly versions.
 y incorporating some interactive features into the 
article content.
as we get closer to implementation, watch the BLs 
Beta site for prototypes of the new mLr.
Notes
1. tom mcPheron, american Veterinary medical association staff writer, telephone interview by author, february 30, 2013, in 
reference to figure 1-1 in the 2012 U.S. Pet Ownership and Demographic Sourcebook. figure 1-1 shows that 74.19 percent of u.s. 
households owned a pet in 2011.
2. american Pet Products association, APPA National Pet Owners Survey Statistics 2011–2012, 
http://www.americanpetproducts.org/press_industrytrends.asp.
3. “Household” can be expressed interchangeably with “consumer unit (cu).” a consumer unit consists of any of the following: 
all members of a particular household who are related by blood, marriage, adoption, or other legal arrangements; a person 
living alone or sharing a household with others or living as a roomer in a private home or lodging house or in permanent living 
quarters in a hotel or motel, but who is financially independent; or two or more persons living together who use their incomes 
to make joint expenditure decisions.
4. Detailed u.s. expenditure subcategories are from selected pre-publication tables, available from the ce upon request.
5. Percent reporting is the percentage of consumer units reporting any expenditure in a particular category in one week from the 
ce Diary.
6. he variance provides information on the precision of the expense; variances over 25 percent are considered less accurate. a low 
percent reporting means that just a few purchasers can have a large impact on the dollar estimate.
7. the reference person of the consumer unit is the first member mentioned by the respondent when asked to “start with the 
name of the person or one of the persons who owns or rents the home.” it is with respect to this person that the relationship of 
the other consumer unit members is determined.


Spending on Pets:  Tails  from the Consumer Expenditure Survey

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Spending on Pets: Tails from the Consumer Expenditure Survey

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