The Fastest Growing Dog-Friendly Cities in the US

Many things can prompt someone to move—getting a new job, needing more space, etc.—but what about giving your dog a better home? A whopping 72% of dog parents say they would move to better accommodate their dog’s needs. This may be in part because many Americans feel that their dogs are members of their families and as a result they are increasingly willing to prioritize their dog’s wellbeing, including in moving decisions.

While many people moved during the pandemic, dog parents in particular needed to find dog-friendly homes that suit their family’s unique needs. So which places attracted dog parents the most? Read on for Rover and Zillow’s report on the fastest growing dog-friendly cities across the country.

Dog-Friendly Cities Across the Country

The pandemic changed a lot about our lives, from where we live and what we prioritize. One thing is for certain: pet parents place a lot of importance of the comfort and wellbeing of their pets. According to our recent survey, 61% of pet parents indicated their dog’s happiness and wellbeing is what actually inspired them to move.

And while cities like Los Angeles, Austin and Denver are often known for their dog-friendliness, they may not be the fastest growing. We dove into the data to find the fastest growing dog-friendly city, as defined by where new pet parents are popping up and putting their roots (and paws) down.

To find the fastest growing dog-friendly cities, we looked at Rover’s database of millions of pet profiles to find out where pet parents are popping up and compared it to Zillow’s report on where people are searching for pet-friendly, single-family homes.

These are the top 20 in the country:

Dog-Friendly Cities 2021

Rank	City	State
1	Antioch	Tennessee
2	Baltimore	Maryland
3	Alexandria	Virginia
4	Fuquay Varina	North Carolina
5	Kansas City	Kansas
6	Cumming	Georgia
7	Bellevue	Washington
8	Fort Lauderdale	Florida
9	Palo Alto	California
10	Charleston	South Carolina
11	Lees Summit	Missouri
12	Bentonville	Arkansas
13	Denver	Colorado
14	Tuscaloosa	Alabama
15	Philadelphia	Pennsylvania
16	Lewisville	Texas
17	Chicago	Illinois
18	Rochester	Minnesota
19	Norman	Oklahoma
20	Grand Rapids	Michigan

How Much More Are Pet Parents Willing to Pay?

Not only will the majority of pet parents move to better accommodate their dogs, 87% are willing to actually spend more to buy or rent a home with pet-friendly features. Pet-friendly amenities and features include:

a fenced yard
dog door
close proximity to a dog park
self-service grooming station
dog-friendly neighbors
walkability for dog-related exercise

Of these pet parents, 30% are willing to spend 5% more, 24% will spend 10% more, 21% will spend between 10-20% more, and a small group, 12%, would spend any amount to make sure their new home has the pet-friendly features they’re looking for.

The Challenges of Moving for Your Pet

For renters, finding that perfect home can get complicated. Even if they find a rental listed as dog-friendly, 67% of pet parents find that these homes are challenging to rent due to breed and/or size restrictions or a limit on the number of pets allowed.

Other challenges include expensive pet deposits or fees, which 61% of renters flagged as an obstacle to pet-friendly housing. Another 36% of renters said that one of the biggest reasons it’s difficult to find a dog-friendly rental is that their dog’s breed simply isn’t allowed.

Methodology: The Top 20 Fastest Growing Dog-Friendly Cities ranking is according to both new dog accounts between June 2021 and March 2022 from Rover’s database of millions of pet profiles, and Zillow rentals page view data from March 2021 to March 2022. For each city, Rover data on trends in new dog accounts was combined with Zillow data representing cities with the highest increases in annual average daily page views per pet-friendly single family home rental listing. Only the cities with the highest annual increase in share of new dog accounts on Rover and positive increases in annual average daily page views were considered in the final ranking, ordered by the increase in share of new dog accounts. Cities that didn’t have a large enough data sample size from either company were excluded. Survey results were based on a Rover and Zillow survey of 1,000 US-based dog owners conducted in March 2022, via Pollfish.

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Survey results were based on a Rover and Zillow survey of 1,000 US-based dog owners conducted in March 2022, via Pollfish. Methodology: The Top 20 Fastest Growing Dog-Friendly Cities ranking is according to both new dog accounts between June 2021 and March 2022 from Rover’s database of millions of pet profiles, and Zillow rentals page view data from March 2021 to March 2022. For each city, Rover data on trends in new dog accounts was combined with Zillow data representing cities with the highest increases in annual average daily page views per pet-friendly single family home rental listing. Only the cities with the highest annual increase in share of new dog accounts on Rover and positive increases in annual average daily page views were considered in the final ranking, ordered by the increase in share of new dog accounts. Cities that didn’t have a large enough data sample size from either company were excluded.