Cost of Owning a Dog in Every State (2023 Study)

Kristina Zagame is a multimedia journalist with a background that spans multiple topics, including news, finance, environment and solar technology. Her work has been published on multiple platforms including ABC and NBC affiliate stations, EcoWatch, the World Economic Forum and Ramsey Solutions. Kristina’s reporting has taken her all over the U.S., as well as to Puerto Rico and Chile.

Stephanie Horan is a lead data analyst for the MarketWatch Guides Team, specializing in home buying and personal finance. Beginning her career in asset management and transitioning to data journalism, Stephanie is a Certified Educator of Personal Finance (CEPF®). She is passionate about translating data to provide digestible insights for a broad audience. Her studies have been featured in CNBC, Bloomberg and the New York Times, among many others.

Angela Beal, DVM, loves using her writing to help pet owners provide the best possible care for their furry companions. Angela has worked in private practice and taught veterinary technicians for 15 years. Since 2020, she has worked full-time with Rumpus Writing and Editing, a veterinary-specific writing and editing company. Angela lives in Columbus, Ohio with her husband, two sons, and their spoiled Chihuahua mix, Yogi.

With the cost of dog food, vet visits and grooming getting increasingly expensive, Americans have never spent more money on their pets. According to a recent study by the MarketWatch Guides team, the average U.S. dog owner spends about $28,800 on a dog over the pet’s lifetime. But where you live is a huge factor in how much you spend on your four-legged family member.

In this study, the MarketWatch Guides team analyzed cost data across 11 metrics — things like dog food and supplies, pet insurance and boarding costs — to discover the true cost of owning a dog in every state. Because pet needs may vary based on breed, we collected data on the cost of owning a Labrador retriever (the most popular dog in the U.S.). Check out our findings below and review our Methodology section for more information on the data.

Note: Cost data was unavailable for Alaska, Hawaii, North Dakota and South Dakota; therefore we did not include these states in our analysis.

It may not be much of a surprise that areas with a higher cost of living have higher dog ownership costs. The most expensive states to own a dog are on the West Coast and in the Northeast. In fact, of the top 15 most expensive states to own a dog, only one (Colorado) is not located on a coast.

Californians pay an average of $35,452 over their dog’s lifetime, the highest of any state. The Golden State ranks as the most expensive place for pet insurance premiums, vet care and dog food.

Three Northeastern states rank in the top five most expensive states to own a dog. In all three states (New York, Massachusetts and New Jersey), the average lifetime cost of owning a Labrador retriever exceeds $32,900.

Owning a Labrador retriever is most affordable in Oklahoma, hovering at an average of $24,844. Oklahomans specifically enjoy lower-than-average costs for vet visits, boarding, grooming and pet supplies.

Here are the five states where the average lifetime cost of owning a dog is lowest:

There are a lot of upfront costs and long-term costs associated with becoming a pet parent. Below is a look at how these costs break out per item or service.

Costs for a puppy total roughly $1,038 on average in the U.S. For this study, we assumed a dog was acquired as a puppy, that the owner has pet insurance and that the owner was responsible for covering the following expenses:

All of the dollar amounts above are based on the U.S. average cost. Because purchase and adoption costs vary wildly by breed and location, we did not factor these expenses into our upfront cost calculations.

Of course, your dog will need additional care to both survive and thrive in your home. According to our data, the average U.S. dog owner spends about $2,524 per year on recurring pet costs, including:

All of the dollar amounts above are based on the U.S. average cost, and medical expenses assume the dog owner has pet insurance. For a better look at the state ranking for costs of owning a dog, check out the list below.

We did our best to capture the most accurate cost of owning a dog in every U.S. state. However, we were not able to include every expense, either because data was too varied or the expense is less likely to be needed for the majority of dog owners. Below are some additional potential cost factors that were not included in our study.

The cost of owning a dog may increase or decrease depending on the individual needs of the dog and its owner.

To learn more about the true cost of dog ownership, the MarketWatch Guides team consulted in the expert advice of Dr. Angela Beal, DVM, an Ohio-based doctor of veterinary medicine who has worked in private practice and taught vet technicians for 15 years.

Similar to our human trips to the doctor, veterinary care can add up quickly.

“People tend to underestimate the cost of veterinary care,” Beal said. “Although some pet owners budget for routine care such as vaccines and parasite prevention, they often forget to plan for unexpected illnesses or injuries. An emergency visit can quickly add up to thousands of dollars, and being unprepared can mean that people have to make difficult decisions about their pet’s care.”

Unfortunately, Beal is not exaggerating. Our data found that the average emergency vet visit is around $1,500 — and that’s assuming the dog owner has pet insurance. In fact, roughly 16% of pet owners said they’ve lost a pet because they couldn’t afford veterinary care, according to a recent MarketWatch Guides survey.

If cost is an important factor in your decision to adopt a pet, you should do some deep research on the type of breed you’re planning to buy or adopt beforehand, taking their size into consideration.

“A dog’s breed and size can certainly impact their lifetime care costs,” Beal said. “Larger breeds will incur higher food costs. Most medications are based on weight, so larger dogs may also have higher medical bills.”

It’s not just size, either. “Some dog breeds are predisposed to certain health problems, which can raise veterinary costs,” Beal said. For example, French bulldogs typically weigh less than 28 pounds, but they’re known to be frequent vet visitors due to physical features that make them more prone to health issues.

You can save some money by ditching the groomer in favor of an at-home shave or convincing your friends or family members to watch your pooch when you’re out of town. But if you really want to save on dog ownership costs, Beal says pet insurance is the best place to start.

“Although policyholders pay a monthly premium, insurance can cover a large portion of unexpected veterinary bills, which can significantly lower overall costs,” Beal explained.

To rank the most and least expensive states to own a dog, the MarketWatch Guides team considered average costs for a Labrador retriever, the most popular dog breed in the U.S., according to the American Kennel Club. We broke costs into puppy upfront figures and annual recurring ones. To note, because the cost of purchasing or adopting a dog differs widely, we did not include that as an upfront cost in our analysis.

We assumed the typical Labrador retriever lives 11 years. Using that assumption and the costs above, we calculated the average lifetime cost of owning a Labrador retriever in each state. States were ranked from most to least expensive.

Questions on our study? Contact the author here.

We encourage journalists and reporters to share our findings on dog expenses by state. If you choose to do so, please link back to our original story to give us proper credit for our research.

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