Key Findings
- Overall, America is a very pet-friendly country with 73.2% of total rental listings allowing small dogs, large dogs, or cats.
- Colorado is the most pet-friendly state with 86.3% of listings allowing animals while Hawaii is the least pet-friendly at just 33.2% of listings.
- Austin, TX is the most pet-friendly city in the U.S. with 93.3% of listings allowing furry fellows, contrasted with Honolulu, HI with just 19.8%.
- Montana has the highest preference for dogs while Massachusetts prefers cats the most.
- Virginia Beach, VA is the city that prefers dogs the most while Boston, MA distinctly prefers cats.
- Americans generally prefer dogs over cats with 38 states preferring dogs and just 12 states preferring cats.
If there’s any truth in this life, those living in the USA absolutely adore their four-legged family members. According to the American Pet Products (APPA) National Pet Owners Survey of 2023 and 2024, an incredible 66% of households in the U.S. own a pet. That’s a whopping 86.9 million people, making up a lot of furry friends that need a suitable home.
Couple this with the fact that 34% of U.S. households are also renters and you have a strong and passionate demographic of pet parents who need pet-friendly accommodation to house everyone in the family, four-legged or otherwise.
“…[W]hen exploring the top 15 least pet-friendly cities in all of the U.S., we see a trend of these cities appearing close to the coasts. Eleven out of fifteen cities are by bodies of water, while five out of the fifteen appear in the state of California.”
However, not all landlords allow pets, making it hard for owners to move to their desired locations. In fact, the issue has become so widespread that there are talks of a bill in California that would bar property owners from asking about pets on applications, prohibit additional monthly fees for pet owners, and limit pet deposits.
HireAHelper loves pets, so we had our data experts analyze real estate listings to uncover the most pet-friendly cities and states around the country.
Read on to find out which states and cities are the most welcoming for pets.
Colorado Crowned the Top Pet-Friendly State in the U.S.
Not all states have landlords who love inviting pets into their rental units. While 73.2% of total rental listings that were analyzed in the U.S. allowed pets, this meant that 26.8% allowed no pets whatsoever. Explore the map below to find out which states are most pet-friendly.
In our study, Colorado stood out as the most pet-friendly state in America. The state, known for its outdoorsy lifestyle and varied landscape of mountains, rivers, forests, canyons, and deserts has an incredible 86.3% of its rentals listed as pet-friendly. So those looking to live with their furry friends will find it incredibly easy to locate an accepting home in The Centennial State.
In second place is Minnesota with 84.8% of pet-friendly listings. As another outdoorsy state, Minnesota has plenty of space for dog and cat lovers alike, which adds another reason why it’s an ideal home for people moving with their pets.
North Carolina comes in at third with 83.2% of its rental listings currently open for pets. According to the World Population Review, 58.6% of homes in North Carolina have a pet in general, with 41.3% of homes owning a dog and 26.5% owning a cat.
Law-Strict Hawaii Is the Least Pet-Friendly State
While some states are welcoming to critters, some are less open. A state with a low number of pet-friendly listings means those looking to move there will have a hard time finding a home that they can live in. Here are some of the states that make it all that much harder to be a pet parent.
The paradise state of Hawaii ranked as the least pet-friendly state with just 33.2% of rental listings welcoming to pets. This is no surprise, as a previous study done by HireAHelper found Hawaii ranked as the state with the most restrictive rules, earning a Stringency Score of 69.7 out of 100.
Rhode Island ranks as the second least-friendly state for pets, with just below half (49.3%) of rental listings allowing animals. One reason for so few pet-friendly homes could be that the state has an older housing stock, with many historic buildings, so landlords may be concerned that pets could cause damage to properties that are already expensive to maintain and restore.
Rounding out the top three least pet-friendly states is Alaska, with just over half (50.2%) of its total rental listings allowing pets.
Colorado Is the Most Dog-Friendly State While Minnesota Is the Most Cat-Friendly
Now that we know the states that are the most pet-friendly overall, we wanted to delve deeper into which states are the most dog-friendly and which are the most cat-friendly. To do this, we analyzed the total listings that allowed dogs of any size and the total listings that allowed cats. Using this data, we then calculated which states have the highest percentage of listings for each.
Our study found that, as well as being the top most pet-friendly state in the U.S., Colorado is also the most dog-friendly state. 85.4% of rental listings welcome dogs making it the perfect spot to settle down with your pooch..
North Carolina comes in as the second most dog-friendly state with 82.9% of listings allowing dogs, closely followed by the southern state of Texas which has 81.5% of dog-friendly listings.
It’s all well and good knowing which states dogs will absolutely love, but where’s the best state for cat owners to settle in?
Minnesota ranks as the most cat-friendly state with 82.7% of rental listings allowing felines. In its capital, Minneapolis, cats are so loved that a Minnesota man set up an annual cat tour with hundreds of attendants.
Colorado (which seems to be becoming the most mentioned state ever for pet-friendliness) also ranks highly as cat-friendly, coming in second place with 79.3% of listings allowing cats. If you have a mix of dogs and cats, you now know where to move! Washington state squeezes into third place with 78.7% of listings allowing cats.
Montana Prefers Dogs the Most While Massachusetts Prefers Cats
After we discovered which states are the most dog and cat-friendly overall, we wanted to find which sates prefer dogs over cats the most, and vice-versa. To do this, we took the number of dog-friendly and cat-friendly listings and found the difference in percentage between the two. If one leaned towards a particular pet, we labeled that state as preferring cats or dogs the most.
Leading the pack, Montana is the state that prefers dogs the most over cats. 57% of rental listings allow small dogs while just 45% allow cats, giving it the biggest difference in preference at 12%. This is followed by Alaska with an 8.9% preference for dogs and Wyoming with an 8.8% preference.
When looking at the states that prefer felines the most, Massachusetts comes out on top with 58% of rental listings allowing cats, compared with 47% of listings allowing dogs, resulting in an 11.1% difference. Some other states also preferred cats, but minimally, including Illinois and Connecticut, which both have a 4.6% preference towards cats.
To explore all our pet data of which states are the most pet-friendly as well as which ones have the most dog or cat-friendly rental listings, use the table below.
Austin, Texas Is the Friendliest U.S. City for Pets
Knowing which states are friendly towards pets is nice enough, but you’ll have to live somewhere in one. So let’s dig into some of the U.S’ most populated cities and see where they stand when it comes to accepting furry friends.
Austin, TX is the most pet-friendly city in the U.S., with a whopping 93.3% of rental listings allowing pets. Scraping in at an incredibly close second place is another Texas city, Plano, which has 93.2% pet-friendly rental listings, and to round things off, Dallas, TX comes in third place with 92.7% of listings allowing pets.
The interesting thing about this Texan trio is that their pet-friendliness doesn’t just extend to apartments and homes for rent, it’s baked into the cities themselves.
“While 73.2% of total rental listings that were analyzed in the U.S. allowed pets, this meant that 26.8% allowed no pets whatsoever.”
Austin is incredibly dog-friendly, with many establishments allowing dogs, whether you pop out for a bite to eat or fancy a beer in the sun. Plano is even a certified Better City For Pets meaning that it has local organizations working to end pet homelessness, ample pet-friendly housing, pet amenities like free poop bags, and dog-friendly shops and restaurants.
Honolulu, Hawaii Is the Least Pet-Friendly City
Interestingly, when exploring the top 15 least pet-friendly cities in all of the U.S., we see a trend of these cities appearing close to the coasts. Eleven out of fifteen cities are by bodies of water, while five out of the fifteen appear in the state of California.
We already know that Hawaii is the least pet-friendly state in the U.S., so it makes complete sense that its capital and largest city, Honolulu, would be the least pet-friendly city of all. In fact, Honolulu has just 19.8% of rental listings that allow animals, making it difficult for anyone with animals to find a place to live.
Bakersfield, California comes in second, with 39.5% of rental listings allowing pets. In third place is Fresno, California, with just under half (44.7%) of its rental listings allowing animals.
As for why these cities are not so pet-friendly, it’s likely a combination of factors, some of which include environmental concerns, fewer homes with yards, and a lack of pet-friendly infrastructure (such as dog parks) leading to fewer pet owners moving in, thus creating a feedback loop of less demand for those amenities.
Austin, Texas Is the Most Dog and Cat-Friendly City in the U.S.
When looking at which cities have the most dog-friendly and cat-friendly listings, Texan cities appear often throughout our study. It’s clear: if you want the biggest choice of pet-friendly rentals paired with vibrant city living, head southwest.
The up-and-coming city of Austin, Texas has ranked in our study as the top most dog-friendly city in the country. The city has a whopping 93.1% of its listings catering to dogs.
Plano, TX comes in second place with 92.9% of its listings allowing dogs, closely followed by Dallas, TX with 92.5% of rentals open to the doggy community. Other notable mentions include Denver, CO, Nashville, TN, and Charlotte, NC.
Austin seems to be the dream location for both dog and cat owners, as it’s the number one city for both pets. With 90.6% allowing cats, Austin has slightly fewer cat-friendly homes to rent than dogs.
The second most cat-friendly city in the U.S. is Irving, TX, with 90.6% of listings allowing cats. Although the same percentage as Austin, the first city technically has more rental opportunities thanks to its larger population. Plano, TX comes in a close third with 90.5% of listings allowing curious cats.
Virginia Beach, Virginia Prefers Dogs While Boston, Massachusetts Prefers Cats
In the battle between dogs and cats, cities also showed a strong preference between the two.
Virginia Beach City, VA had a big preference for dogs with 68% of total rental listings allowing them while just 55% allowed cats, giving dogs a 13.4% preference. Lubbock, TX followed the dog-friendly train with an 11.3% preference towards man’s best friend shortly followed by Gilbert, AZ, with a 10.9% preference for dogs.
In contrast, city cat lovers seem to be more passionate about their feline friends, as the percentage differences are starker. Boston, MA (which is in a state that we already know to be full of cat lovers) sees 51% of rental listings allowing cats, compared with just 35% allowing dogs making a great 16% difference. St. Paul, MN has the next biggest preference for cats with a 9.3% difference, and Minneapolis, MN comes in third with a cat preference of 7.4%.
To explore all our pet data of which cities are the most pet-friendly as well as which ones have the most dog or cat-friendly rental listings, use the table below.
Do You Live in a Dog State or a Cat State?
Although we know that Americans love pets in general, there are definitely preferences when it comes to dogs and cats, and the divide can actually be seen geographically.
Overall, Americans generally prefer dogs over cats. Thirty-eight states have more dog-friendly rental listings than cat-friendly, including Texas, Florida, and California. However, just 12 states still prefer the aloof cat with more feline-friendly listings including New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, showing that it’s the more northern and northeastern states that prefer cats in contrast to the rest of the country.
Explore the map below to find out if you live in a dog state or a cat state.
The Pet Tax: How to Negotiate Paying Pet Rent
While it’s all well and good knowing where in the U.S. accepts the most pets, there’s still the looming issue of pet rent, the costs associated with living with your furry friend. Not all rentals charge pet rent, but for those that do it can make the cost of renting a home that much harder.
A pet deposit is usually between $250 and $500, depending on the landlord and location of the rental. It’s also relatively common to see monthly pet rent of anywhere between $30 and $75 per pet.
However, some states are pushing back and looking into getting rid of pet fees altogether. California is considering a bill that prohibits landlords from charging fees for common household pets, making it more affordable for animal lovers to keep their companions.
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How to avoid pet rent and fees
To help renters tackle the murky waters of pet rent, dubbed a pet tax, Miranda Marquit, a Consumer Advocate at HireAHelper, has put together some tips on negotiating or completely avoiding pet rent.
The good news is that if you have a disability and your pet performs a specific and certified service for it, like a medical alert dog, the Fair Housing Act prevents landlords from charging you the associated fees. This can also include emotional support animals. “However,” Marquit warns. “you usually need a letter from a licensed mental health professional.” With one of those in hand, you should be able to avoid the fees for your pet.
You can also negotiate with a pet resume. Yes, your furry friends can have one of those! As Marquit describes:
“A resume can be one way to show your landlord that your pet is low-risk. Your pet’s resume should include information on their vaccinations, as well as any information about behavioral training and certificates they’ve received. Showing that your pet isn’t likely to be destructive can potentially allow you to reduce your pet rent or monthly fees.”
You can also offer to pay a larger one-time refundable deposit. You’re ponying up more upfront, but it might pay for itself by avoiding the monthly fee. And if you can your pet from causing any damage, your money is returned to you at the end of your lease.
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