Pet care service demand increases since 2007
April 7, 2020
Pet owners are spending more than ever before on their pets, according to newly released data from the United States Census Bureau.
Half of U.S. households own pets and doubled the amount of money they spend on their four-legged friends’ pet care services since 2007, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
From 2007 to 2017, sales of pet care services doubled, to a total of $5.8 billion, according to the latest Economic Cencus statistics.
The pet care services industry includes services such as grooming, boarding, training and pet sitting. It does not include veterinary services, boarding horses, transporting pets, pet food or other pet supplies.
With over 100,000 pet care service businesses, this industry increased its number of establishments by more than 60% since 2007.
Among the 211,000 pet care service workers, just under half, 47%, are self-employed and about half, 49%, work for companies with fewer than 50 employees.
“On average, each U.S. household spent just over $500 on pets,” according to a report by the Bureau of Labor Statictics.
Pet grooming makes up 42% of the pet care service and 28% provide pet boarding services, according to the 2012 Economic Census.
Not accounting for operating expenses, on average pet care services make $393,000 a year while animal training is roughly $373,000 a year. Annually, each pet sitting and dog walking business averages about $236,000.
Close to 60% of households with incomes of more than $80,000 a year.
At just over 44%, Detroit is in the top 15 metropolitan areas with pets, according to the 2017 American Housing Survey.
Nearly two-thirds of households in rural areas have pets, compared with under half of urban households.
Despite the difficult economic conditions brought on by the recession, families continued to spend consistently on their pets between 2007 and 2011.
With about 218 million pets in the United States, not counting several million fish, pet care services offer the wonderful opportunity to unify behind a common love of animals.
Most Recent News
Former Victoria man’s diabetic alert dog helps him get back to life
When Luke Hengen’s diabetes worsened in his early twenties, it stripped him of the outdoor activities where the country kid felt at home. Countless wilderness adventures and years of hard-fought football games took a toll on his body, to the point where he could no longer sense when his blood sugar was too high or […]
Students Get Therapy Dog
When middle school students return to class on Jan. 11, they’ll find a new face at the door: Daisy. Daisy is a therapy dog and the personal pet of Rob Kreger, principal of the Rock L. Butler Middle School. The five-year-old golden retriever is not a school pet or mascot, but rather a working dog […]
Therapy Dogtor
Last March, Caroline Benzel, a third-year medical student, began to notice the stress and discomfort her nurse friends were feeling from the pressures of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. “[Personal protective equipment] can be really rough on the skin,” Benzel, 31, tells PEOPLE. Benzel and her 3-year-old Rottweiler, Loki (who’s also a therapy dog) hatched a […]
Therapy Dog Pups
When Stanley the miniature fox terrier’s owner passed away, the little dog started a ‘paw-some’ new role – bringing puppy love to some of the Gold Coast’s oldest residents. After Carinity Cedarbrook Diversional Therapist Julianne Staff adopted Stanley, he began visiting the aged care community at Mudgeeraba as a therapy dog. Therapy dogs help to […]
Puppy Cams
A nonprofit is providing an unusual form of therapy for those on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic – puppy cams! “You spend five minutes with a puppy and try not to smile,” said registered nurse Robin Lingg Lagrone. Lingg Lagrone says watching little furballs wag their tails and prance on their paws helps […]
Pet Committee
When Moore County’s school doors were abruptly closed earlier in 2020, two- and four-legged volunteers from the Moore County Citizens’ Pet Responsibility Committee (PRC) were in their 12th year of presenting a six-session Pet Responsibility Education Program for fourth-graders. The PRC quickly shifted gears and placed its program materials online as part of a home […]