Dogs are popular pets all across the United States. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, 38% of households in 2017-2018 owned one or more dogs. (And these are the most popular dog breeds.) Unfortunately, people are not always able or willing to give their dogs the care they deserve, and so there are pet shelters all across the country.
24/7 Tempo calculated the number of shelters for every 100,000 people in each U.S. state. It makes for interesting reading because there aren’t many discernible patterns in the distribution of shelters. The number of dog shelters per capita don’t appear to be correlated with size, geography, climate, or income level. By contrast, places with the most dog parks tend to be concentrated in Sunbelt states, which typically offer more opportunities for outdoor recreation and have relatively strong economies. Here are the most dog-friendly cities in America.
The No. 1 state on our list, Wyoming, has more than 10 times as many shelters as No. 50, Hawaii. Both are among the states with the smallest human populations. Connecticut ranks No. 2, while neighboring Massachusetts ranks a lowly 43, even though they have comparable income levels. Florida, New York, and California have the same number of shelters per capita but are at opposite ends of the country. It is important to note that because the size and capacity of the shelters counted may vary considerably, the number of shelters is not a perfect reflection of how many animals a state is able to shelter.
To identify the states with the most dog shelters, 24/7 Tempo used data derived from the pet shelter database Petfinder to find the total number of shelters in a given state. The number was then adjusted for population per 100,000. Population data comes from the American Community Survey 2018 1-Year Estimates, along with data on educational attainment, poverty rate, and median household income.
Click here to see which state has the most pet shelters.
50. Hawaii
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 0.6
> Total pet shelters: 8 (the fewest)
> Population: 1,420,491 (11th smallest)
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49. South Dakota
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 1.9
> Total pet shelters: 17 (3rd fewest)
> Population: 882,235 (5th smallest)
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48. North Dakota
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 2.0
> Total pet shelters: 15 (2nd fewest)
> Population: 760,077 (4th smallest)
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47. Utah
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 2.3
> Total pet shelters: 72 (15th fewest)
> Population: 3,161,105 (21st smallest)
See all stories featuring: Utah
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46. Mississippi
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 2.4
> Total pet shelters: 73 (16th fewest)
> Population: 2,986,530 (17th smallest)
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45. Nevada
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 2.6
> Total pet shelters: 78 (17th fewest)
> Population: 3,034,392 (19th smallest)
See all stories featuring: Nevada
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44. Louisiana
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 2.7
> Total pet shelters: 126 (22nd fewest)
> Population: 4,659,978 (25th largest)
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43. Massachusetts
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 2.8
> Total pet shelters: 192 (23rd most)
> Population: 6,902,149 (15th largest)
See all stories featuring: Massachusetts
42. Florida
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 3.0
> Total pet shelters: 631 (3rd most)
> Population: 21,299,325 (3rd largest)
See all stories featuring: Florida
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41. New York
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 3.0
> Total pet shelters: 582 (4th most)
> Population: 19,542,209 (4th largest)
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40. California
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 3.0
> Total pet shelters: 1,182 (the most)
> Population: 39,557,045 (the largest)
See all stories featuring: California
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39. Alabama
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 3.0
> Total pet shelters: 149 (24th fewest)
> Population: 4,887,871 (24th largest)
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38. Washington
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 3.1
> Total pet shelters: 236 (17th most)
> Population: 7,535,591 (13th largest)
See all stories featuring: Washington
37. Idaho
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 3.1
> Total pet shelters: 55 (9th fewest)
> Population: 1,754,208 (12th smallest)
See all stories featuring: Idaho
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36. Georgia
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 3.1
> Total pet shelters: 331 (12th most)
> Population: 10,519,475 (8th largest)
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35. Montana
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 3.2
> Total pet shelters: 34 (6th fewest)
> Population: 1,062,305 (8th smallest)
See all stories featuring: Montana
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34. Texas
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 3.2
> Total pet shelters: 928 (2nd most)
> Population: 28,701,845 (2nd largest)
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33. Maryland
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 3.3
> Total pet shelters: 197 (21st most)
> Population: 6,042,718 (19th largest)
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32. Delaware
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 3.3
> Total pet shelters: 32 (5th fewest)
> Population: 967,171 (6th smallest)
See all stories featuring: Delaware
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31. New Mexico
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 3.3
> Total pet shelters: 70 (14th fewest)
> Population: 2,095,428 (15th smallest)
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30. Illinois
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 3.3
> Total pet shelters: 426 (8th most)
> Population: 12,741,080 (6th largest)
See all stories featuring: Illinois
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29. Arizona
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 3.4
> Total pet shelters: 242 (16th most)
> Population: 7,171,646 (14th largest)
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28. Colorado
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 3.4
> Total pet shelters: 193 (22nd most)
> Population: 5,695,564 (21st largest)
See all stories featuring: Colorado
27. South Carolina
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 3.4
> Total pet shelters: 174 (24th most)
> Population: 5,084,127 (23rd largest)
See all stories featuring: South Carolina
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26. Nebraska
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 3.5
> Total pet shelters: 67 (12th fewest)
> Population: 1,929,268 (14th smallest)
See all stories featuring: Nebraska
25. Arkansas
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 3.5
> Total pet shelters: 106 (19th fewest)
> Population: 3,013,825 (18th smallest)
See all stories featuring: Arkansas
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24. Pennsylvania
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 3.5
> Total pet shelters: 452 (6th most)
> Population: 12,807,060 (5th largest)
See all stories featuring: Pennsylvania
23. Oregon
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 3.6
> Total pet shelters: 149 (24th fewest)
> Population: 4,190,713 (24th smallest)
See all stories featuring: Oregon
22. Wisconsin
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 3.6
> Total pet shelters: 207 (19th most)
> Population: 5,813,568 (20th largest)
See all stories featuring: Wisconsin
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21. Iowa
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 3.6
> Total pet shelters: 115 (21st fewest)
> Population: 3,156,145 (20th smallest)
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20. Minnesota
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 3.7
> Total pet shelters: 206 (20th most)
> Population: 5,611,179 (22nd largest)
See all stories featuring: Minnesota
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19. Kentucky
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 3.8
> Total pet shelters: 168 (25th most)
> Population: 4,468,402 (25th smallest)
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18. North Carolina
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 3.8
> Total pet shelters: 395 (10th most)
> Population: 10,383,620 (9th largest)
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17. Oklahoma
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 3.8
> Total pet shelters: 151 (25th fewest)
> Population: 3,943,079 (23rd smallest)
See all stories featuring: Oklahoma
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16. Kansas
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 3.9
> Total pet shelters: 113 (20th fewest)
> Population: 2,911,510 (16th smallest)
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15. Virginia
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 4.0
> Total pet shelters: 340 (11th most)
> Population: 8,517,685 (12th largest)
See all stories featuring: Virginia
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14. Missouri
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 4.0
> Total pet shelters: 245 (15th most)
> Population: 6,126,452 (18th largest)
See all stories featuring: Missouri
13. Indiana
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 4.1
> Total pet shelters: 274 (14th most)
> Population: 6,691,878 (17th largest)
See all stories featuring: Indiana
12. Michigan
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 4.1
> Total pet shelters: 412 (9th most)
> Population: 9,995,915 (10th largest)
See all stories featuring: Michigan
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11. Alaska
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 4.2
> Total pet shelters: 31 (4th fewest)
> Population: 737,438 (3rd smallest)
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10. Ohio
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 4.3
> Total pet shelters: 499 (5th most)
> Population: 11,689,442 (7th largest)
See all stories featuring: Ohio
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9. New Hampshire
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 4.3
> Total pet shelters: 58 (11th fewest)
> Population: 1,356,458 (10th smallest)
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8. Tennessee
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 4.4
> Total pet shelters: 300 (13th most)
> Population: 6,770,010 (16th largest)
See all stories featuring: Tennessee
7. West Virginia
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 4.6
> Total pet shelters: 83 (18th fewest)
> Population: 1,805,832 (13th smallest)
See all stories featuring: West Virginia
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6. New Jersey
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 4.9
> Total pet shelters: 436 (7th most)
> Population: 8,908,520 (11th largest)
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5. Maine
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 5.1
> Total pet shelters: 68 (13th fewest)
> Population: 1,338,404 (9th smallest)
See all stories featuring: Maine
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4. Rhode Island
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 5.4
> Total pet shelters: 57 (10th fewest)
> Population: 1,057,315 (7th smallest)
See all stories featuring: Rhode Island
3. Vermont
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 5.7
> Total pet shelters: 36 (8th fewest)
> Population: 626,299 (2nd smallest)
See all stories featuring: Vermont
2. Connecticut
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 6.0
> Total pet shelters: 213 (18th most)
> Population: 3,572,665 (22nd smallest)
See all stories featuring: Connecticut
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1. Wyoming
> Pet shelters for every 100,000 people: 6.1
> Total pet shelters: 35 (7th fewest)
> Population: 577,737 (the smallest)
See all stories featuring: Wyoming
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