US pet ownership among singles rises, AVMA reports

Although the majority of US pet owners are families, the gap in pet ownership between families and single adults has significantly narrowed over the last five years, the American Veterinary Medical Association says. The number of single adults who own pets grew by 16.6 percent from 46.9 percent in 2006 to 54.7 percent in 2011, according to data from the AVMA 2012 US Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook.

Although the majority of US pet owners are families, the gap in pet ownership between families and single adults has significantly narrowed over the last five years, the American Veterinary Medical Association says.

The number of single adults who own pets grew by 16.6 percent from 46.9 percent in 2006 to 54.7 percent in 2011, according to data from the AVMA 2012 US Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook. Over the same period, families with pets grew by 1.37 percent, from 65.5 percent of families owning pets in 2006 to 66.4 percent in 2011.

Likewise, pet ownership among single men living alone rose by 27.7 percent over the same 2006-11 period to 42.8 percent in 2011, while the number of single women living alone with pets rose by 22 percent to 57.1 percent in 2011. Pet ownership among divorced, widowed or separated adults also increased 17.7 percent over the period to 60.4 percent in 2011.

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