According to a Forbes article, 66% of U.S. households own a pet. Among those, 75% own dogs, 54% own cats, and 13% own freshwater fish. 33% of pet owners are millennials, followed by Gen X with 25%. Pet ownership has skyrocketed over the past few years, especially when COVID-19 pandemic shut down the whole world.
Pets provide priceless emotional support. Cuddling and playing with a pet (as long as it’s not a fish) boosts your oxytocin and makes you feel like the happiest person in the world. To preserve this happiness, it also requires pet owners to take extra care of their buddies.
According to C2ER’s Cost of Living Index’s 2023 Annual Average Data, the average price for an annual health check-up for a 4-year-old dog is $66.17. The highest could cost up to $139.66 in Nassau County, NY, and the lowest only costs half the average price, at $31.62 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. If you are wondering what the lowest price on continental U.S. is, that would be at $36.78 in Muskogee, Oklahoma.
It’s not surprising that New York City is at the top. In fact, four out of five of the top five most expensive cities are located on the east coast. Does this imply it is more expensive to take care of pets on the east coast than the west coast? Is it because there are more pet owners on the east coast than on the west coast, which drives up the demand? If people are concerned about the price for an annual check-up, does that mean they would opt out for the annual check-up? If they opt-out, does it mean their pets would live a shorter lifespan? Do pets that go through annual check-ups live a longer life than the ones that don’t? We are uncertain about these answers, but it’s worth noting that getting pet insurance is highly recommended, especially when you own dogs or cats that you hope to accompany you for a long time. Although COLI currently does not collect prices for pet insurance, it might come up in the future to give all pet lovers a clearer picture of the national trend!
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