Pet spending by highest education in the household, 2024
In 2024 the average US household spent $880 on pets. By highest education in the household, average spending ranged from $346 for Less than college graduate: Less than high school graduate to $1,417 for College graduate: Master's, professional, doctoral degree.
What households spent on, 2024
| Group | All pet spending | Vet services | Pet food | Pets, supplies and medicine | Other pet services |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Less than college graduate: Total (all) | $585 | $146 | $267 | $126 | $45 |
| Less than college graduate: Less than high school graduate | $346 | $20 | $168 | $100 | $58 |
| Less than college graduate: High school graduate | $464 | $110 | $218 | $105 | $31 |
| Less than college graduate: High school graduate with some college | $709 | $215 | $323 | $125 | $47 |
| Less than college graduate: Associate's degree | $669 | $143 | $293 | $176 | $57 |
| College graduate: Total (all) | $1,178 | $463 | $323 | $230 | $161 |
| College graduate: Bachelor's degree | $996 | $355 | $306 | $211 | $124 |
| College graduate: Master's, professional, doctoral degree | $1,417 | $607 | $346 | $255 | $209 |
All pet spending, 2019 to 2024
| Group | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Less than college graduate: Total (all) | $528 | $653 | $492 | $564 | $632 | $585 |
| Less than college graduate: Less than high school graduate | $199 | $1,699 | $281 | $690 | $544 | $346 |
| Less than college graduate: High school graduate | $472 | $452 | $375 | $417 | $523 | $464 |
| Less than college graduate: High school graduate with some college | $575 | $495 | $624 | $537 | $735 | $709 |
| Less than college graduate: Associate's degree | $710 | $738 | $581 | $799 | $677 | $669 |
| College graduate: Total (all) | $869 | $732 | $1,071 | $939 | $1,140 | $1,178 |
| College graduate: Bachelor's degree | $786 | $703 | $891 | $889 | $1,142 | $996 |
| College graduate: Master's, professional, doctoral degree | $984 | $771 | $1,309 | $1,002 | $1,136 | $1,417 |
How to read this. Figures are BLS mean annual spending per "consumer unit", which is close to a household. Averages include households with no pets, so a pet owner typically spends more than these numbers. Groups with few survey households can swing from year to year. Rows in italics marked "(all)" combine the groups listed with them and are left out of the chart and the range.
Sources
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Expenditure Surveys, calendar-year tables (mean annual spending per consumer unit)
- BLS Consumer Expenditure database, series files (download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/cx)
Checked 29 October 2026.