2014's Best & Worst Cities for Pet Lovers

With International Homeless Animals Day just around the corner and pet ownership in the U.S. at an all-time high, the leading personal finance social network WalletHub conducted an analysis of 2014’s Best and Worst Cities for Pet Lovers.

To help animal lovers enjoy the company of their pets without breaking the bank (which can rack up to about $2,000 in annual expenses), WalletHub compared the creature-friendliness of the 100 largest cities in the United States. We did so by using 14 key metrics such as veterinary care costs, the number of pet-friendly restaurants per capita and the number of dog parks per capita in each city.

Best Cities for Pet Lovers
1 — Cincinnati, OH

2 — Las Vegas, NV
3 — Scottsdale, AZ

4 — Irvine, CA
5 — Sacramento, CA

6 — Atlanta, GA
7 — Tampa, FL
8 — St. Louis, MO

9 — Orlando, FL
10 — Glendale, AZ

Worst Cities for Pet Lovers
91 — Wichita, KS

92 — Lubbock, TX
93 — Chicago, IL

94 — Philadelphia, PA
95 — Jacksonville, FL

96 — Anchorage, AK
97 — Detroit, MI

98 — Corpus Christi, TX
99 — New York, NY

100 — Memphis, TN
Key Stats
Veterinary care costs are 2 times higher in Boston than in Milwaukee.

Dog insurance premiums are 2 times higher in Mesa, Ariz. or Chandler, Ariz., than in St. Paul, Minn.

The number of veterinarians per capita is 70 times higher in Cincinnati than in Newark, N.J.

The number of pet businesses per capita is 45 times higher in Anaheim than in Laredo, Texas.

San Francisco has 81 times more pet-friendly restaurants per capita than Detroit.

Plano, Texas, has 36 times more pet-friendly trails per capita than Detroit.

For the full report and to see where your city ranks, visit: wallethub.com/edu/best-and-worst-cities-for-pet-lovers/5562.