In 2021, over $100 billion was spent on the pet industry in the U.S. alone. While that figure includes pets of all kinds, dogs make up the majority of pet ownership in the U.S. with 48 million households caring for a four-legged friend. While spending on dogs continues to climb with each passing year, more and more cities have also grown in their dog-friendliness, even allowing patrons to enjoy the company of their dogs while they dine or shop.
To uncover the cities that are more accommodating to dogs and their owners, we analyzed data for 97 of the largest U.S. cities across topics reflective of dog-friendliness and livability. For details on our data sources and how we put all the information together to create our final rankings, read the Data and Methodology section below.