Two New York cities have been ranked among the least pet-friendly cities in the United States, according to a new WalletHub study.
Pets often become part of the family in many households, and while owning them can be an amazing experience, it can also be extremely pricey. According to the American Pet Products Association, pet ownership in 2026 will cost Americans an estimated $165 billion.
Many factors can affect how expensive owning a pet is, like the type of pet, the area you live in and the resources available there for your pet. Pet owners in America, approximately 95 million households, according to WalletHub, want to live in areas where their pets can live an enjoyable but also affordable life.
To determine which areas are the most and least
pet-friendly, WalletHub compared the 100 largest U.S. cities across 23 key metrics, including veterinarian costs, the number of pet businesses per capita and walkability.
Here is how the NY cities ranked.
Are NY cities pet-friendly?
According to WalletHub's study, the answer would be no.
WalletHub included two New York cities in its study: New York City and Buffalo- both of which ranked among the least pet-friendly.
NYC was ranked as the overall least pet-friendly U.S. city, taking the No. 100 spot with a score of 42.08.
The Big Apple placed at No. 98 for the pet budget rank and No. 92 for the pet health & wellness rank. New York City also was ranked as having the third fewest pet businesses per capita and tied with Washington, D.C. for having the highest veterinary costs.
That being said, New York City did have some redeeming pet-owning aspects in the study. It scored the No. 14 spot for outdoor pet-friendliness rank and tied first place for the most dog parks per capita with Portland, Oregon, San Francisco, Boise, Idaho, Albuqurque, New Mexico and Henderson, Nevada.
Buffalo also ranked relatively poorly on WalletHub's list, taking the No. 97 spot, with an overall score of 42.28. The Nickel City placed at No. 67 for the pet budget rank, No. 84 for the pet health & wellness rank and No. 92 for the outdoor pet-friendliness rank.
WalletHub's 10 most pet-friendly cities
- Scottsdale, Arizona
- Tampa, Florida
- Las Vegas
- Orlando
- Cincinnati
- St. Petersburg, Florida
- Birmingham, Alabama
- Tulsa, Oklahoma
- Atlanta
- Irvine, California
WalletHub's 10 least pet-friendly cities
- No. 91: Chula Vista, California
- No. 92: Anchorage, Alaska
- No. 93: Newark, New Jersey
- No. 94: Durham, North Carolina
- No. 95: Boston
- No. 96: Honolulu
- No. 97: Buffalo, New York
- No. 98: Milwaukee
- No. 99: Chicago
- No. 100: New York City
How WalletHub assessed pet-friendliness among U.S. cities
To determine the most and least pet-friendly cities in America, WalletHub compared the 100 most populated cities across three dimensions: pet budget, pet health & wellness and outdoor pet-friendliness, and evaluated those dimensions with 23 metrics.
The pet budget category analyzed these factors:
- Veterninary care costs
- Minimum pet care provider rate per visit
- Dog insurance premium
The pet health & wellness category analyzed these factors:
- Veterinarians per capita
- Pet caretakers per capita
- Animal trainers per capita
- Pet businesses per capita
- Dog-friendly restaurants per capita
- Dog-friendly shops per capita
- Pet meetup groups per capita
- Doggie daycare & boarding establishments per capita
- Pet-friendliness of rental market
- Average home square footage
- Share of single-family detached homes
- Share of homes with one or fewer occupants per room
- Animal shelters per capita
- Strength of animal protection laws
The outdoor pet-friendliness category analyzed these factors:
- Weather
- Dog parks per capita
- Parkland as share of city area
- Walk score
- Dog-friendly trails per capita
- Dog shows per capita
Data used to create the ranking was collected as of July 7, 2026, and was sourced from multiple entities, including the U.S. Census Bureau, Yelp.com, Pets Best Insurance Services, InfoDog, WalkScore.com and WalletHub research.
—Madison Scott is a New York Connect reporter, covering entertainment, breaking and consumer news, and trending topics with a focus on stories that matter to readers across New York state. She also has an interest in how the system helps or doesn't help families with missing loved ones. She can be reached at MDScott@USATodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: NYC, Buffalo rank among least pet-friendly cities in US
