Multicultural Consumers Lead Growth in U.S. Pet Ownership

More than 200 million pets of all types live in American households, and nowhere is pet ownership on the rise faster than in the homes of the nation's multicultural families. As a result, multicultural consumers are expected to be a key driver in buttressing pet ownership rates in America in the future.  This is especially true in regards to dog ownership, according to Pet Population and Ownership Trends in the U.S., a recent report by market research publisher Packaged Facts. "Changes in the population of dog owners have begun to mirror shifts in the U.S. population as a whole," says Packaged Facts research director David Sprinkle. "Dog owners remain predominantly non-Hispanic white, but growth in the population of dog owners is coming mostly from Latinos, Asians and other multicultural population segments." Between 2004 and 2014 the population of Hispanic dog owners nearly doubled from 7 million to 13 million and the number of Asian dog owners more than doubled from 1 million to 3 million.  Latinos alone accounted for 36% of the growth in the number of dog owners, while the multicultural population segment as a whole was responsible for 55% of the growth. Beyond canines, Hispanic pet owners in particular are a consumer segment influencing other pet segments. Latinos are disproportionately important to the pet industry as owners of birds and they have made a significant contribution to maintaining ownership rates among cat owners. Pet Population and Ownership Trends takes an in-depth look at trends affecting the future of the pet industry. It includes detailed estimates of the size of the American pet population today and projections of the future growth in the dog and cat population. The report also provides demographic and attitudinal profiles of owners of dogs, cats and other pets, such as fish, birds and reptiles.