More than half (54%) of American households have a pet, reports market research firm Packaged Facts in the new study Pet Population and Ownership Trends in the U.S: Dogs, Cats, and Other Pets, 3rd Edition.

The two most popular pets, dogs and cats, live in 39% and 24% of U.S. households, respectively. One in eight households has other pets, including fish, birds, reptiles, or small animals such as rabbits, hamsters or gerbils.

A key trend shaping today's pet owner population is its increasing diversity. Compared to a decade ago, pet owners are now more likely to be a member of a multicultural population segment (28% in 2018 vs. 22% in 2008).

"Between 2008 and 2018 the increase in the number of Hispanic, African American, Asian, and other multicultural pet owners was five times higher than the increase in the number of non-​Hispanic white pet owners," says Packaged Facts Research Director David Sprinkle.

Packaged Facts reports that:

• Hispanics have become an especially significant part of the population of pet owners. The number of Latinos owning pets increased 44% from 15 million in 2008 to 22 million in 2018, a growth rate vastly greater than that experienced among non-​Hispanic white pet owners.
• Although a much smaller population, the number of Asian pet owners grew at the same rate (45%), between 2008 and 2018.
• During the same period, the number of African American pet owners also increased at a healthy rate (24%).

The impact of Latinos on dog or cat ownership has been especially pronounced. Over the past decade the number of Hispanic dog owners increased 59%. The number of Latino cat owners likewise increased 50%.

Pet-​related product and service advertisers should be creating more inclusive advertisements to target a wider variety of pet owners. According to AudienceSCAN, last year, consumers who Want to Get a New Pet in the Next 12 Months took action after seeing TV commercials, receiving direct mail ads and emails, either seeing ads on their mobile smartphone apps or receiving text ads and hearing ads on both digital and over-​the-​air radio.

AudienceSCAN data is available for your applications and dashboards through the SalesFuel API. In addition, AdMall contains industry profiles on pet stores and animal shelters, as well as lead lists at the local level. Media companies, sales reps and agencies can access this data with a subscription to AdMall from SalesFuel.