Tampa named most pet-friendly city in WalletHub survey; St. Petersburg No. 26

TAMPA — What makes a pet-friendly city?

Lots of veterinarians, dog parks and pet-friendly restaurants, to start, and that’s what propelled Tampa to the top of a list of 100 U.S. cities in a new survey by the personal finance website WalletHub.

Tampa edged out Austin, Texas; Las Vegas, Nev.; and Orlando as the most pet-friendly U.S. city in the survey released Wednesday.

St. Petersburg is No. 26, Miami is No. 16 and Jacksonville No. 62. The list includes six Florida cities. The bottom three cities are in California — Santa Ana, San Bernardino and Fresno.

The list was released in time for National Homeless Animals Day on Saturday.

WalletHub compared the pet-friendliness of the 100 largest cities across 25 metrics, including pet-care provider costs, pet businesses per capita and walkability.

Tampa rated No. 1 for veterinarians per capita and No. 8 for both dog parks per capita and dog friendly restaurants per capita.

The metrics were also combined into three broad categories, with Tampa ranking No. 4 in outdoor pet friendliness, No. 7 in pet health and wellness, and No 26 in pet budget. The city’s overall score was 59.83, compared to 59.61 for Austin, 59.19 for Las Vegas and 58.78 for Orlando.

“Animal companionship is a great stress reliever, especially during the social isolation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” WalletHub said in releasing the survey. “Naturally, the nearly 85 million households in the U.S. that own pets want to live places where their beloved companions can enjoy long, healthy lives without breaking the bank.”

Adding an animal to the family roster can be hard on the wallet, the website said. Expenses including licenses, grooming and medical care can cost from $230 to more than $2,000 annually, depending on the type of animal.

The American Pet Products Association projects that in 2020, pet ownership will cost Americans $99 billion.

Most Pet-Friendly Cities

1. Tampa
2. Austin, TX
3. Las Vegas, NV
4. Orlando
5. Seattle, WA
6. St. Louis, MO
7. Atlanta, GA
8. New Orleans, LA
9. Birmingham, AL
10. San Diego, CA
11. Cincinnati, OH
12. Scottsdale, AZ
13. Boise, ID
14. Portland, OR
15. Lexington-Fayette, KY
16. Miami
17. Nashville, TN
18. Houston, TX
19. Corpus Christi, TX
20. Oklahoma City, OK1
21. Tulsa, OK
22. San Antonio, TX
23. Columbus, OH
24. Denver, CO
25. Raleigh, NC
26. St. Petersburg
27. Phoenix, AZ
28. Pittsburgh, PA
29. Albuquerque, NM
30. Fort Wayne, IN
31. Colorado Springs, CO
32. Lincoln, NE
33. Fort Worth, TX
34. Plano, TX
35. Louisville, KY
36. Lubbock, TX
37. El Paso, TX
38. Omaha, NE
39. Tucson, AZ
40. Sacramento, CA
41. Chesapeake, VA
42. North Las Vegas, NV
43. Chicago, IL
44. Henderson, NV
45. Kansas City, MO
46. Winston-Salem, NC
47. Hialeah
48. Memphis, TN
49. Philadelphia, PA
50. Virginia Beach, VA
51. Baton Rouge, LA
52. Los Angeles, CA
53. Indianapolis, IN
54. Wichita, KS
55. Durham, NC
56. Irvine, CA
57. Cleveland, OH
58. Garland, TX
59. Jersey City, NJ
60. Minneapolis, MN
61. New York, NY
62. Jacksonville
63. Arlington, TX
64. San Jose, CA
65. Madison, WI
66. Reno, NV
67. Milwaukee, WI
68. Irving, TX
69. Glendale, AZ
70. Boston, MA
71. Anaheim, CA
72. St. Paul, MN
73. Washington, DC
74. Toledo, OH
75. Stockton, TX
76. Dallas
77. Oakland, CA
78. Charlotte, NC
79. Greensboro, NC
80. San Francisco, CA
81. Chandler, AZ
82. Norfolk, VA
83. Gilbert, AZ
84. Riverside, CA
85. Long Beach, CA
86. Anchorage, AK
87. Fremont, CA
88. Aurora, CO
89. Detroit, MI
90. Baltimore, MD
91. Newark, NJ
92. Chula Vista, CA
93. Mesa, AZ
94. Buffalo, NY
95. Laredo, TX
96. Bakersfield, CA
97. Honolulu, HI
98. Santa Ana, CA
99. San Bernardino, CA
100. Fresno, CA