TAMPA, Fla — According to a new study, our furry friends have a safe space in the Tampa Bay area as Tampa and St. Petersburg ranked in the top 10 for most pet-friendly cities across the United States.
Out of 100 of the largest cities, Tampa is No. 2 and St. Petersburg follows in sixth for most pet-friendly cities, WalletHub found in a study. The top five cities include Scottsdale, Arizona; Portland, Oregon; St. Louis, Missouri; and Cincinnati, Ohio.
The study looks at three key factors in creating the list: pet budget, pet health and wellness and outdoor pet-friendliness. Based on that, researchers dove into specific metrics like veterinary cost, dog and cat insurance, animal-friendly shops, pet businesses, dog parks, weather and a variety of many many others.
In the U.S., nearly 90.5 million households own pets and among them, Americans spent $123.6 billion on pet ownership costs in 2021, according to the American Pet Products Association.
Some of the cities at the bottom of the list include Chicago, New York City, Honolulu, Baltimore, Maryland; and Santa Ana, California.
