Our lifelong companions, the furry friends many of us share our lives, homes and even beds with, are the best part of a thriving industry that’s worth almost $70 billion in the U.S. In 2017, it’s estimated U.S. pet owners will spend about $30 billion on food alone, according to the National Pet Owners Survey.
Though, it’s hard to weigh costs against the unconditional love of a pet, consider this: despite being the one of the cities with the most pet-related business per capita, New Yorkers face the biggest budget for pet care in the U.S., according to a new analysis by WalletHub.
In fact, New York is one of the worst cities to be a pet owner — or a pet for that matter. On WalletHub’s ranking, the Big Apple came in 97 out of 100 cities. The rankings were determined by factors such as home square footage, access to a yard or park within walking distance, and average vet bill prices.
New York filled out the bottom five cities America alongside Baltimore, Boston, Honolulu and Newark. The top city for pets and their owners is Scottsdale, Arizona.
[WalletHub] — E.K. Hudson