WalletHub: Chicago Among Least Pet-Friendly Cities in U.S.
Not-so-great news if you were thinking of bringing your pet with you on an excursion to Chicago. However, if you want to go on a holiday with your pet then it might be a better idea to check out a website like Petswelcome.com to give you a better idea of where would be best for a pet friendly holiday.
The City of Broad Shoulders is among the least pet-friendly cities in the U.S., according to the latest report by WalletHub.
With National Homeless Animals Day approaching and nearly 80 million American households owning a pet today — an all-time high — WalletHub took an in-depth look at 2016’s Most Pet-Friendly Cities.
In order to identify the cities where our furry and slimy friends can enjoy the best quality of life without breaking our wallets, WalletHub’s number crunchers compared the creature-friendliness of the 100 largest cities based on 19 key metrics. The data set ranges from the minimum pet-care provider rate per visit to the number of pet businesses per capita.
Here’s a snapshot of the most pet-friendly and least pet-friendly big cities:
| Most Pet-Friendly Cities | Least Pet-Friendly Cities | ||||
| 1 | Orlando, FL | 91 | Jersey City, NJ | ||
| 2 | Birmingham, AL | 92 | Chicago, IL | ||
| 3 | Tampa, FL | 93 | Los Angeles, CA | ||
| 4 | Lexington, KY | 94 | Anaheim, CA | ||
| 5 | Scottsdale, AZ | 95 | Newark, NJ | ||
| 6 | Reno, NV | 96 | Philadelphia, PA | ||
| 7 | Colorado Springs, CO | 97 | Detroit, MI | ||
| 8 | Cincinnati, OH | 98 | Boston, MA | ||
| 9 | Las Vegas, NV | 99 | Santa Ana, CA | ||
| 10 | St. Louis, MO | 100 | New York, NY | ||
Chicago
Chicago placed 92nd out of 100, with a combined point total of 38.07. If it’s any consolation New York (No. 100) and Los Angeles (No. 93) scored worse.
Chicago was 77th in the pet-budget ranking, 85th in the pet-health-and-wellness ranking and 78th in the outdoor-pet-friendliness ranking.
Best vs. Worst
Stockton, CA, has the lowest veterinary care costs, $32.92 per visit, which is 2.6 times lower than in New York, the city with the highest, $86.46 per visit.- Orlando, FL, has the highest number of veterinarians per 100,000 residents, 65.6, which is 93.7 times higher than in Newark, N.J., the city with the lowest, 0.7.
- St. Paul, MN, has the lowest dog insurance premium, $21.63 per month, which is 2.5 times lower than in New York, the city with the highest, $53.34 per month.
- Orlando, FL, has the highest number of pet businesses per 100,000 residents, 172.25, which is 20 times higher than in Newark, NJ, the city with the lowest, 8.61.
- Scottsdale, AZ, has the highest number of animal shelters per 100,000 residents, 6.26, which is 21.6 times higher than in Detroit, the city with the lowest, 0.29.
- New Orleans has the highest number of pet-friendly restaurants per 100,000 residents, 21.44, which is 93.2 times higher than in Omaha, NE, the city with the lowest, 0.23.
For the full report and to see where your city ranks, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/
SOURCE: WalletHub news release
