Scottsdale rated the most pet-friendly in US, Phoenix makes top 20 in recent study

PHOENIX — Scottsdale was ranked the most pet-friendly city across the nation, according to a study released on Tuesday.

WalletHub’s “Most Pet-Friendly Cities (2024)” stacked up the 100 most populated U.S. cities and rated them based on 23 total metrics.

Phoenix (13th) was the only other Arizona-based city to make the top 20, while the rest of the state ranked in the bottom half of the list. Tucson nearly avoided last place, coming in 94th in the standings.

A total of 100 points were up for grabs under three main categories of pet budget (25 possible points), pet health and wellness (50 possible points) and outdoor pet-friendliness (25 possible points).

Subcategories included veterinary care costs, animal trainers per capita, average home square footage, strength of animal protection laws, weather and dog parks per capita.

Scottsdale (68.70 points) claimed first by nearly four points over Tampa, Florida (64.85). Las Vegas, Birmingham, Alabama, and Lexington, Kentucky, rounded out the top five most pet-friendly cities.

For those curious, Boston (42.41) was deemed the least pet-friendly. While the city had an above-average performance in outdoor pet-friendliness (22nd), it was dragged down with its poor finishes in pet health and wellness (63rd) and pet budget (100th).

Breaking down Scottsdale’s performance

While Scottsdale was rated less than average in pet budget (79th), it was number one in pet health and wellness and sixth in outdoor pet-friendliness. Notably, the city secured the top spot in pet businesses per capita and came in eighth for the most dog-friendly restaurants per capita.

Pets are allowed in nearly 98% of apartment complexes and are not hampered by space, as the average Scottsdale home is over 2,400 square feet.

WalletHub’s study also showed that Scottsdale is made up of the fourth-most parkland in the country (27%) and has the third-best overall weather. These factors greatly contributed to high placement in the final category.

Phoenix bested Scottsdale in animal shelters per capita, coming in second overall.