The personal finance website WalletHub has issued its latest housing report with the release of 2025’s Most Pet-Friendly Cities.
For this report, the WalletHub number crunchers compared the creature-friendliness of the 100 largest cities across 23 key metrics including expenses related to pet budgets and health and wellness plus outdoor pet friendliness.
The report determined Scottsdale, Arizona, was the most pet-friendly city thanks to its high number of pet businesses and dog-friendly shops per capita. Nearly 98% of the city’s rental listings allow pets, one of the highest percentages in the country, and nearly 27% of the city is parkland, thus making it an ideal place for dog walking.
Tampa, Cincinnati, Las Vegas, and Portland rounded out the top five pet-friendly city, while Honolulu ranked last among the top 100 cities that were analyzed.
The report also found Corpus Christi, Texas, has the lowest veterinary costs while Washington, DC had the highest. Four cities tied for the most dog-friendly restaurants per capita – San Diego, Orlando, Portland, and Austin – while North Las Vegas has the fewest. And Phoenix has the most animal shelters per capita while Santa Ana, California, has the fewest.
Photo: Mila Jane Hall, courtesy of the article’s author
I take exception to this entire article. Pet friendly, to me, would mean cities that have no kill shelters and provide assistance to pet owners. Austin Pets Alive! would win that criteria hands down. And, while Corpus Christi may have the lowest vet bills, their shelter is not no kill, underfunded, and lacking in a pro-rescue/pro adoption/pro foster mindset. Come up with a better set of criteria and a focus on animal welfare next time.