HABRI survey puts pet ownership at 74% of U.S. adults

The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) said on October 19th, 2026 that 74% of U.S. adults own at least one pet and another 15% plan to get one, in its 2026 Human-Animal Bond Benchmark Survey of Americans. HABRI president Steven Feldman called the data evidence of "a cultural tipping point."

The survey page says 3,000 U.S. adults took a 20-minute online survey between June 25th and July 7th, 2026, weighted to match the national population. The 74% is a share of adults, so it sits on a different base from household measures such as the 58.6% penetration in the AVMA's 2026 pet sourcebook.

The strongest bonds show up at the vet clinic

Among owners, 98% report at least one health benefit from their pet and 64% live in multi-pet homes. Households average three pets of any kind, or 2.2 counting only dogs and cats.

Owners with the strongest bonds are more likely to have a vet (94% versus 86%), according to HABRI. They are also more likely to go in regularly for check-ups and preventive care (61% versus 37%).

Half of those owners say money is no object when it comes to their pet's care, against 17% of other owners.

Insurers get a number too. Two thirds of owners (67%) say knowing the research on pets and health makes them more likely to buy pet health insurance, up from 58% in HABRI's 2021 survey.

Future owners lean toward dogs, current owners toward cats

Among people planning to get a pet, 79% named dogs and 38% named cats. Owners planning another pet split far closer, with 58% naming dogs and 54% naming cats.

That fits the cat growth showing up elsewhere. The APPA counted cats in 53 million U.S. households in 2025, with existing owners adding cats.

Housing and cost keep would-be owners waiting

The barriers HABRI found are concrete:

• 29% of potential owners worry about finding pet-friendly housing
• 27% of potential owners who rent cite housing restrictions as a reason they have no pet
• 31% of owners who rent report housing challenges, and 14% changed housing to get a pet
• 37% of future owners cite the overall cost of ownership

Across all respondents, 80% want fewer pet restrictions in rental housing. Landlord software is already moving on the application side, as with pet screening inside Yardi software for multifamily landlords.

Another 36% of future owners say they are waiting for the right time. For brands and insurers, cost is the barrier they can work on directly, through pricing, financing and coverage.

Source: HABRI via PR Newswire