Report on Veterinary Compensation

Report on Veterinary Practice Business Measures

U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook

AVMA membership

First year employment

U.S. pet ownership

U.S. veterinarians

Veterinary specialists

= AVMA/SAVMA  Members Only

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Did you know?

• In 2006, nearly half of pet owners, or 49.7%, considered their pets to be family members.
• There are more than 72 million pet dogs in the U.S. and nearly 82 million pet cats.
• The average veterinary expenditure per household for all pets was $366 in 2006.
• Among horse-owning households, 61.1% had at least one visit to the veterinarian in 2006, an increase of 11.9% from 2001.

The all-new 2007 edition of the U.S. Pet Ownership and Demographics Sourcebook is the largest, most statistically accurate and complete survey of the pet owning public and pet population demographics. Drawn from a national survey of over 47,000 households, the survey results are presented alongside the results from similar surveys dating back to 1987, illustrating long-term trends.

Use the information provided in the 2007 edition of the U.S. Pet Ownership and Demographics Sourcebook in a variety of ways. Among them are:

• Business plan development: Identify business opportunities from underserved or growing markets. Uncover niche markets that might be seeking new products or services.
• Analyzing market and consumer trends: Determine the characteristics of pet-owning households being served. Uncover spending trends by household income and its affect of spending by species.
• Strategic planning: Changes to pet populations over time signal necessary changes in business, public policy and governmental regulations. The highly accurate data gathered for the U.S. Pet Ownership and Demographics Sourcebook are a perfect source for making informed decisions.

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Key Findings

• Section 1: Total Pet Ownership and Pet Population
• Section 2: Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures
• Section 3: Pet Owner Demographics
• Section 4: Pet Owner Profiles

Section 1: Total Pet Ownership and Pet Population

• Chapter 1: All Pets
• Chapter 2: Multiple-Pet Ownership
• Chapter 3: Dog Ownership
• Chapter 4: Cat Ownership
• Chapter 5: Bird Ownership
• Chapter 6: Horse Ownership
• Chapter 7: Specialty and Exotic Pet Ownership
• Total Pet Ownership and Pet Population Summary Tables

Section 2: Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures

• Chapter 1: All Pet-owning Households
• Chapter 2: Multiple-Pet Households
• Chapter 3: Dog-owning Households
• Chapter 4: Cat-owning Households
• Chapter 5: Bird-owning Households
• Chapter 6: Horse-owning Households
• Chapter 7: Specialty and Exotic Pet-owning Households
• Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures Summary Tables

Section 3: Pet Owner Demographics

• Chapter 1: All Pet-owning Households
• Chapter 2: Multiple-Pet Households
• Chapter 3: Dog-owning Households
• Chapter 4: Cat-owning Households
• Chapter 5: Bird-owning Households
• Chapter 6: Horse-owning Households
• Pet Owner Demographics Summary Tables

Section 4: Pet Owner Profiles

• Life Stage
• Marital Status
• Household Size
• Household Income
• Education Level of the Head of Household
• Employment Status of the Head of Household
• Home-ownership Status
• Type of Residence
• Community Size
• Race and Ethnicity
• Pet Owner Profiles Summary Tables

Appendix A: Study Method

• Methodology
• Questionnaire
• Calculations
• Statistical Inference
• Sample Representativeness
• Weighting of Data153

Appendix B: Dog Breeds

Appendix C: Formulas

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Pet Ownership and Pet Population: All Pets

• How pet owners viewed their pets, 2006
• Percentage of households that owned pets and number of pet-owning households by region and state, Dec. 31, 2006

Pet Ownership and Pet Population: Dog Ownership

• How dog-only owners, cat-only owners, and dog- and cat-only owners viewed their pets, 2006
• Pet ownership rates, at least one type of pet, Dec. 31, 2006
• How dog owners viewed their dogs by age of dog owner, 2006
• Percentage of households that owned dogs by number owned and mean number of dogs, Dec. 31, 1987-2006
• Percentage of households that owned dogs by age of dog, Dec. 31, 1987-2006
• Percentage of households that owned dogs, number of dog-owning households, mean number of dogs per household and total dog population by region and state, Dec. 31, 2006
• Trends in dog ownership by region and state, Dec. 31, 1996-2006

Pet Ownership and Pet Population: Cat Ownership

• How cat owners viewed their cats by age of cat owner, 2006
• Percentage of households that owned cats by number owned and mean number of cats, Dec. 31, 1987-2006
• Percentage of households that owned cats by age of cat, Dec. 31, 1987-2006
• Percentage of households that owned cats, number of cat-owning households, mean number of cats per household and total cat population by region and state, Dec. 31, 2006
• Trends in cat ownership by region and state, Dec. 31, 1996-2006

Pet Ownership and Pet Population: Bird Ownership

• How bird owners viewed their birds by age of bird owner, 2006
• Percentage of households that owned birds by number owned and mean number of birds, Dec. 31, 1987-2006
• Percentage of households that owned birds by age of bird, Dec. 31, 1987-2006
• Table 1-18. Percentage of households that owned birds, number of bird-owning households, mean number of birds per household and total bird population by region, Dec. 31, 2006
• Table 1-19. Trends in bird ownership by region, Dec. 31, 1996-2006

Pet Ownership and Pet Population: Horse Ownership

• How horse owners viewed their horses by age of horse owner, 2006
• Percentage of households that owned horses by number owned, and mean number of horses, Dec. 31, 1987-2006
• Percentage of households that owned horses by age of horse, Dec. 31, 1987-2006
• Percentage of households that owned horses, number of horse-owning households, mean number of horses per household and total horse population by region, Dec. 31, 2006
• Trends in horse ownership by region, Dec. 31, 1996-2006

Pet Ownership and Pet Population: Specialty and Exotic Pet Ownership

• Percentage of households that owned the 2006 top five specialty and exotic pets by type of pet, and mean number of specialty and exotic pets, Dec. 31, 1987-2006
• Percentage of households, number of households, mean number per household and total population by type of specialty and exotic pet, Dec. 31, 2006
• Trends in specialty and exotic pet ownership, Dec. 31, 1996-2006

Pet Ownership and Pet Population: Summary Tables

• Percentage of pet-owning households in the U.S., Dec. 31. 1987-2006

Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures: All Pet-owning Households

• Mean veterinary visits and distribution of households by number of visits for all pets, dogs, cats, birds, horses and specialty and exotic pets, 2006
• Mean veterinary expenditures and distribution of households by expenditures for all pets, dogs, cats, birds, horses and specialty and exotic pets, 2006

Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures: Multiple-Pet Households

• Distribution of households by number of veterinary visits and human-animal bond and mean number of veterinary visits for dog-only, cat-only, and dog- and cat-only households, 2006
• Distribution of households by veterinary expenditures and human-animal bond and mean veterinary expenditures for dog-only, cat-only, and dog- and cat-only households, 2006

Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures: Dog-owning Households

• Distribution of dog-owning households by number of visits to the veterinarian and mean number of visits per household and per dog, 1987-2006
• Percentage of dog-owning households by number of veterinary visits and race/ethnicity, 2006
• Mean number of veterinary visits by human-animal bond for single and multiple dog-owning households per dog, 2006
• Distribution of dog-owning households by veterinary expenditures and mean expenditure per household, per visit and per dog, 1987-2006
• Distribution of dog-owning households and mean veterinary expenditure per household by veterinary expenditures and human-animal bond, 2006
• Mean veterinary expenditure per dog-owning household by household income and human-animal bond, 2006
• Percentage of dog-owning households by veterinary expenditures and race/ethnicity, 2006
• Mean veterinary expenditures by human-animal bond for single and multiple dog-owning households per dog, 2006
• Percentage of dog-owning households that chose the veterinarian they used for the most recent visit by reason for selecting the veterinarian, 2006
• Veterinary visits and expenditures by dog-owning households, 1996-2006
• Distribution of services and products purchased during the most recent veterinary visit by dog-owning households, 1996-2006
• Reason for choosing the veterinarian seen at the most recent veterinary visit by dog-owning households, 1996-2006

Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures: Cat-owning Households

• Distribution of cat-owning households by number of visits to the veterinarian and mean number of visits per household and per cat, 1987-2006
• Percentage of cat-owning households by number of veterinary visits and race/ethnicity, 2006
• Mean number of veterinary visits by human-animal bond for single and multiple cat-owning households per cat, 2006
• Distribution of cat-owning households by veterinary expenditures and mean expenditure per household, per visit and per cat, 1987-2006
• Distribution of cat-owning households and mean veterinary expenditure per household by veterinary expenditures and human-animal bond, 2006
• Mean veterinary expenditure per cat-owning household by household income and human-animal bond, 2006
• Percentage of cat-owning households by veterinary expenditures and race/ethnicity, 2006
• Mean veterinary expenditure by human-animal bond for single and multiple cat-owning households per cat, 2006
• Percentage of cat-owning households that chose the veterinarian they used for the most recent visit by reason for selecting the veterinarian, 2006
• Veterinary visits and expenditures by cat-owning households, 1996-2006
• Distribution of services and products purchased during the most recent veterinary visit by cat-owning households, 1996-2006
• Reason for choosing the veterinarian seen at the most recent veterinary visit by cat-owning households, 1996-2006

Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures: Bird-owning Households

• Distribution of bird-owning households by number of visits to the veterinarian and mean number of visits per household and per bird, 1991-2006
• Percentage of bird-owning households by number of veterinary visits and race/ethnicity, 2006
• Distribution of bird-owning households by veterinary expenditures, mean expenditures per household, per visit and per bird, 1987-2006
• Distribution of bird-owning households and mean veterinary expenditures per household by veterinary expenditures and human animal bond, 2006
• Mean veterinary expenditure per bird-owning household by household income and human-animal bond, 2006
• Percentage of bird-owning households by veterinary expenditures and race/ethnicity, 2006
• Table 2-35. Percentage of bird-owning households that chose the veterinarian they used for the most recent visit by reason for selecting the veterinarian, 2006
• Table 2-36. Veterinary visits and expenditures by bird-owning households, 1996-2006
• Table 2-37. Distribution of services and products purchased during the most recent veterinary visit by bird-owning households, 1996-2006
• Table 2-38. Reason for choosing the veterinarian seen at the most recent veterinary visit by bird-owning households, 1996-2006

Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures: Horse-owning Households

• Distribution of horse-owning households by number of visits to the veterinarian and mean number of visits per household and per horse, 1991-2006
• Distribution of horse-owning households by veterinary expenditures and mean expenditure per household, per visit and per horse, 1987-2006
• Distribution of horse-owning households and mean veterinary expenditure per household by veterinary expenditures and human-animal bond, 2006
• Mean veterinary expenditure per horse-owning household by household income and human-animal bond, 2006
• Percentage of horse-owning households that chose the veterinarian they used for the most recent visit by reason for selecting the veterinarian, 2006
• Veterinary visits and expenditures by horse-owning households, 1996-2006
• Distribution of services and products purchased during the most recent veterinary visit by horse-owning households, 1996-2006
• Reason for choosing the veterinarian seen at the most recent veterinary visit by horse-owning households, 1996-2006

Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures: Specialty and Exotic Pet Owning Households

• Percentage of households with veterinary expenditures by type of specialty and exotic pet, 1996-2006
• For all households that own specialty and exotic pets, mean visits per pet, mean visits per household and total veterinary visits, 1996-2006
• For all households that owned specialty and exotic pets, mean vet expenditure per visit, mean total veterinary expenditures per household and total veterinary expenditures, 1996-2006

Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures: Summary Tables

• Veterinary visits and expenditures for all species, 2006
• Reasons for choosing the veterinarian used on the most recent veterinary visits for all species, 2006

Pet Owner Demographics: All Pet-owning Households

• Percentage of households that owned pets by life stage, 1991-2006
• Percentage of households that owned pets by size of household, 1991-2006
• Percentage of households that own pets by household income, 2001-2006
• Percentage of households that owned pets by education level of the head of household, 2006
• Percentage of households that owned pets by employment status of the head of household, 2006
• Percentage of households that own pets by home-ownership status, 1991-2006
• Percentage of households that owned pets by type of residence, 2001-2006
• Percentage of households that owned pets by community size, 2001-2006
• Percentage of households owning all pets, dogs, cats, birds, horses, and specialty and exotic pets by race/ethnicity, 2006

Pet Owner Demographics: Multiple-Pet Households

• Percentage of households that owned dogs only, cats only, and dogs and cats only by life stage, 2006
• Percentage of households that owned dogs only, cats only, and dogs and cats only by household size, 2006
• Percentage of households that owned dogs only, cats only, and dogs and cats only by household income, 2006

Pet Owner Demographics: Dog-owning Households

• Percentage of households that owned dogs by life stage, 1991-2006
• Percentage of households that owned dogs by size of household, 1991-2006
• Percentage of households that owned dogs by household size and human-animal bond, 2006
• Percentage of households that owned dogs by household income and human-animal bond, 2006
• Percentage of households that owned dogs by education level of the head of household, 2006
• Percentage of households that owned dogs by employment status of the head of household, 2006
• Percentage of households that owned dogs by home-ownership status, 1991-2006
• Percentage of households that owned dogs by type of residence, 2001-2006
• Percentage of households that owned dogs by race/ethnicity and human-animal bond: 2006

Pet Owner Demographics: Cat-owning Households

• Percentage of households that owned cats by life stage, 1991-2006
• Percentage of households that owned cats by size of household, 1991-2006
• Percentage of households that owned cats by household size and human-animal bond, 2006
• Percentage of households that owned cats by household income and human-animal bond, 2006
• Percentage of households that own cats by education level of the head of household, 2006
• Percentage of households that own cats by employment status of the head of household, 2006
• Percentage of households that owned cats by home-ownership status, 1991-2006
• Percentage of households that owned cats by type of residence, 2001-2006
• Percentage of households that owned cats by race/ethnicity and human-animal bond: 2006

Pet Owner Demographics: Bird-owning Households

• Percentage of households that owned birds by life stage, 1991-2006
• Percentage of households that owned birds by life stage, 1991-2006
• Percentage of households that owned birds by household size and human-animal bond, 2006
• Percentage of households that owned birds by size of household, 1991-2006
• Percentage of households that owned birds by household income and human-animal bond, 2006
• Percentage of households that owned birds by education level of the head of household, 2006
• Percentage of households that owned birds by employment status of the head of household, 2006
• Percentage of households that owned birds by home-ownership status, 1991-2006
• Percentage of households that owned birds by type of residence, 2001-2006
• Percentage of households that owned birds by race/ethnicity and human-animal bond: 2006

Pet Owner Demographics: Horse-owning Households

• Percentage of households that owned horses by life stage, 1991-2006
• Percentage of households that owned horses by life stage, 1991-2006
• Percentage of households that owned horses by size of household, 1991-2006
• Percentage of households that owned horses by household size and human-animal bond, 2006
• Percentage of households that owned horses by household income and human-animal bond, 2006
• Percentage of households that owned horses by education level of the head of household, 2006
• Percentage of households that owned horses by employment status of the head of household, 2006
• Percentage of households that owned horses by home-ownership status, 1991-2006
• Percentage of households that owned horses by type of residence, 2001-2006

Pet Owner Demographics: Summary Tables

• Percentage of households that owned pets by life stage, 2006
• Percentage of households that owned pets by size of household, household income, ownership status, type of residence and community size, 2006
• Percentage of households that owned pets by education level of the head of household, 2006
• Percentage of households that owned pets by marital status, employment status of head of household and race and ethnicity, 2006

Pet Owner Profiles:

• Distribution of households that owned pets versus all households, both pet-owning and nonpet-owning, by life stage, 2006
• Distribution of households that owned pets versus all households, both pet-owning and nonpet-owning, by marital status, 2006
• Distribution of households that owned pets versus all households, both pet-owning and nonpet-owning, by household size, 2006
• Distribution of households that owned pets versus all households, both pet-owning and nonpet-owning, by household income, 2006
• Distribution of households that owned pets versus all households, both pet-owning and nonpet-owning, by education level of the head of household, 2006
• Distribution of households that owned pets versus all households, both pet-owning and nonpet-owning, by employment status of the head of household, 2006
• Distribution of households that owned pets versus all households, both pet-owning and nonpet-owning, by ownership status, 2006
• Distribution of households that owned pets versus all households, both pet-owning and nonpet-owning, by type of residence, 2006
• Distribution of households that owned pets versus all households, both pet-owning and nonpet-owning, by community size, 2006
• Distribution of households that owned all pets, dogs, cats, birds and horses pets by race and ethnicity, 2006

Pet Owner Profiles: Summary Tables

• Distribution of households that owned pets versus all pet-owning and nonpet-owning households by life stage, 2006
• Distribution of households that owned pets versus all pet-owning and nonpet-owning households by size of household, household income, ownership status, type of residence and community size, 2006
• Distribution of households that owned pets versus all pet-owning and nonpet-owning households by education level of the head of household, 2006
• Distribution of households that owned pets versus all pet-owning and nonpet-owning households by marital status, employment status of head of household and race and ethnicity, 2006

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Pet Ownership and Pet Population: All Pets

• Percentage and number of households that owned at least one pet at any time during the year, 1991-2006
• Percentage of households that owned pets: Top and bottom 10 states, Dec. 31, 2006
• Age and gender of person with primary responsibility for pet care, 2006
• Percentage of households that owned pets by number owned, Dec. 31, 2001 & 2006

Pet Ownership and Pet Population: Multiple Pets

• Multiple pet ownership rates, Dec. 31, 2006

Pet Ownership and Pet Population: Dog Ownership

• Percentage and number of households that owned a dog, Dec. 31, 1991-2006
• Percentage of households that owned dogs: Top and bottom 10 states, Dec. 31, 2006
• Age and gender of person with primary responsibility for dog care, 2006
• Percentage of households that owned dogs by age of dog, Dec. 31, 1987 & 2006

Pet Ownership and Pet Population: Cat Ownership

• Percentage and number of households that owned a cat, Dec. 31, 1991-2006
• Percentage of households that owned cats: Top and bottom 10 states, Dec. 31, 2006
• Age and gender of person with primary responsibility for cat care, 2006
• Percentage of households that owned cats by age of cat, Dec. 31, 1987 & 2006

Pet Ownership and Pet Population: Bird Ownership

• Percentage and number of households that owned a bird, Dec. 31, 1991-2006
• Percentage of households that owned birds by region, Dec. 31, 2006
• Age and gender of person with primary responsibility for bird care, 2006
• Percentage of households that owned birds by age of bird, Dec. 31, 1987 & 2006

Pet Ownership and Pet Population: Horse Ownership

• Percentage and number of households that owned a horse, Dec. 31, 1991-2006
• Percentage of households that owned horses by region, Dec. 31, 2006
• Age and gender of person with primary responsibility for horse care, 2006
• Percentage of households that owned horses by age of horse, Dec. 31, 1987 & 2006

Pet Ownership and Pet Population: Summary Tables

• Percentage of pet-owning households in the U.S., Dec. 31. 1987-2006

Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures: All Pet-owning Households

• Distribution of pet-owning households by number of veterinary visits, 2006
• Distribution of pet-owning households by veterinary expenditures, 2006

Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures: Multiple-Pet Households

• Mean number of veterinary visits by human-animal bond for dog-only, cat-only, and dog- and cat-only households, 2006
• Mean veterinary expenditures by human-animal bond for dog-only, cat-only, and dog- and cat-only households, 2006

Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures: Dog-owning Households

• Total number of veterinary visits in millions for dog-owning households, 1987-2006
• Mean number of veterinary visits for dog-owning households by human-animal bond, 2006
• Total veterinary expenditures in billions for dog-owning households, 1991-2006
• Top three services and products of 2006 purchased at the most recent veterinary visit by dog-owning households, 1987-2006
• Percentage of dog-owning households with a regular veterinarian, 1996-2006

Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures: Cat-owning Households

• Total number of veterinary visits in millions for cat-owning households, 1987-2006
• Mean number of veterinary visits for cat-owning households by human-animal bond, 2006
• Total veterinary expenditures in billions for cat-owning households, 1991-2006
• Top three services and products of 2006 purchased at the most recent veterinary visit by cat-owning households, 1987-2006
• Percentage of cat-owning households with a regular veterinarian, 1996-2006

Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures: Bird-owning Households

• Total number of veterinary visits in millions for bird-owning households, 1991-2006
• Mean number of veterinary visits for bird-owning households by human- animal bond, 2006
• Total veterinary expenditures in millions for bird-owning households, 1991-2006
• Top three services and products of 2006 purchased at the most recent veterinary visit by bird-owning households, 1987-2006
• Percentage of bird-owning households with a regular veterinarian, 1996-2006

Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures: Horse-owning Households

• Total number of veterinary visits in millions for horse-owning households, 1991-2006
• Mean number of veterinary visits for horse-owning households by human-animal bond, 2006
• Total veterinary expenditures in millions for horse-owning households, 1991-2006
• Top three services and products of 2006 purchased at the most recent veterinary visit by horse-owning households, 1987-2006
• Percentage of horse-owning households with a regular veterinarian, 1996-2006

Pet Owner Demographics: All Pet-owning Households

• Percentage of households that owned pets by life stage, 1991-2006
• Percentage of households that owned pets by marital status, 2006

Pet Owner Demographics: Dog-owning Households

• Percentage of households that owned dogs by life stage, 1991-2006
• Percentage of households that own dogs by marital status, 2006
• Percentage of households that owned dogs by household income, 2001-2006
• Percentage of households that owned dogs by community size, 2001-2006

Pet Owner Demographics: Cat-owning Households

• Percentage of households that owned cats by life stage, 1991-2006
• Percentage of households that owned cats by marital status, 2006
• Percentage of households that owned cats by household income, 2001-2006
• Percentage of households that owned cats by community size, 2001-2006

Pet Owner Demographics: Bird-owning Households

• Percentage of households that owned birds by marital status, 2006
• Percentage of households that owned birds by household income, 2001-2006
• Percentage of households that owned birds by community size, 2001-2006

Pet Owner Demographics: Horse-owning Households

• Percentage of households that own horses by marital status, 2006
• Percentage of households that owned horses by household income, 2001-2006
• Percentage of households that owned horses by community size, 2001-2006

Pet Owner Profiles

• Distribution of households that owned pets by life stage, 2006
• Distribution of households that owned pets by marital status, 2006
• Distribution of households that owned pets by size of household, 2006
• Distribution of households that owned pets by household income, 2006
• Distribution of households that owned pets by education level of the head of household, 2006
• Distribution of households that owned pets by employment status of the head of household, 2006
• Distribution of households that owned pets by home-ownership status, 2006
• Distribution of households that owned pets by type of residence, 2006
• Distribution of households that owned pets by community size, 2006
• Distribution of households that owned pets by race and ethnicity, 2006

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