The 10 Best States For Dog Owners, Ranked

For many families, the pets in their lives are just as important as any other family member. Dogs, for example, bring a lot of joy to our lives, and in return, we want to ensure their lives are full of happy memories. And a lot of our ability to give our dogs their best possible life means we have to live somewhere dog-friendly — no matter if they’re a smart enough dog breed to figure out how much we’re sacrificing for them. Thankfully, there’s a new list that’s ranked which states across the country are best for dog owners, and it looks like one region ranks well above the rest.

OurFitPets.com was interested in finding out which states were the friendliest for dog owners and their dogs. They analyzed data points from Zillow, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the FBI, and the Federal Highway Administration to find this out.

After compiling the numbers, OurFitPets.com broke the data into five key metrics: the level of access to parks and nature, the number of dog-friendly rentals, the state’s crime rates, the number of dog sitters, and access to veterinarians. Those metrics were then weighted, and each state received a score, with the highest score representing the most dog-owner-friendly state.

The results largely showed that the more dog-friendly states are on the west coast, with a few outliers on the east coast. The state that landed the top spot ranked highest in veterinarians, dog sitters, and dog walking safety, for example, was on the east coast.

“This study revealed that the state has 62 veterinarians per 100,000 residents (56.5% above the state average),” OurFitPets.com writes, “meaning Vermont residents will not have to search far and wide to find their perfect veterinarian.”

Here are the 10 best states for dog owners, ranked:

1. Vermont, with a total score of 39.04
2. Colorado, with a total score of 37.98
3. Wyoming, with a total score of 37.59
4. Oregon, with a total score of 35.47
5. Washington, with a total score of 34.27
6. Montana, with a total score of 31.47
7. Utah, with a total score of 30.22
8. Idaho, with a total score of 29.74
9. Maine, with a total score of 29.38
10. Arizona, with a total score of 29.22

Of course, some states landed at the bottom of the list, too.

Here are the 5 worst states for dog owners, ranked:

1. Louisiana, with a total score of 15.60
2. Delaware, with a total score of 16.85
3. New Jersey, with a total score of 16.98
4. Illinois, with a total score of 17.19
5. Maryland, with a total score of 17.22

To see the full list and find out how your state ranked, visit OurFitPets.com.