Mississippi is a Pet-Loving State: Ranked 7th in U.S.

Fact Checked by Nate Hamilton

Few things bond together Americans like our shared love for our four-legged friends, whether they be cats, dogs, or some other type of animal entirely.  

That bond seems especially strong in places like Mississippi, which ranks in the top 10 nationally when it comes to the state’s pet ownership rate.  

Overall, 65.5% of Magnolia State residents have at least one pet, which ranks seventh nationally, just behind Arkansas (69%).  

It seems like Mississippians are more loyal to dogs than cats, with 51% having canines at home, versus 29.1% that have felines.  

With April 11 being National Pet Day, a day for people everywhere to love on their fur babies a little extra. As we briefly "paws" from our Mississippi sports betting updates, we dive into which states love their pets the most. 

Who Are the Top Pet-Loving States?

BetMississippi.com used data from the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Pet Ownership and Demographics Sourcebook to calculate which states had the highest percentage of pet ownership. 

RankState% of Pet Ownership
1Wyoming71.8
2West Virginia71
3Idaho70
4Vermont70
5Indiana69.2
6Arkansas69
7Mississippi65.5
8Oklahoma65
9Kentucky64.1
10North Dakota63.7
11Maine63.5
12Missouri63.5
13Washington63
14Kansas62.8
15Michigan62.4
16Ohio62.4
17Montana62
18South Carolina62
19Tennessee61.7
20Pennsylvania60.6
21New Mexico60
22Alabama59.8
23Oregon59.2
24Iowa59
25North Carolina59
26Wisconsin59
27Utah58.5
28Texas58.2
29Arizona58
30Delaware57.9
31Florida56
32Virginia55.5
33Louisiana54
34Minnesota54
35Nevada53
36New Hampshire52
37Nebraska51.3
38Georgia51
39Connecticut50
40New York50
41Massachusetts49
42Illinois48.6
43Maryland48.6
44New Jersey47.4
45Colorado47.2
46South Dakota46
47Rhode Island45.4
48California40.1
49*Alaska0
50*Hawaii0
* — Limited information available on Alaska and Hawaii.

Where Mississippi’s Pet Ownership Rates Rank Nationally

The Magnolia State finds itself among elite company when it comes to pet ownership, ranking just behind the top five of Wyoming (71.8%), West Virginia (71.0%), Idaho and Vermont (70% apiece) and Indiana (69.2%).  

Mississippi also ranks ahead of its neighbors, with Tennessee ranked 19th at 61.7%, while Alabama sits in 22nd at 59.8% and Louisiana ranks 33rd (54%). Arkansas is the only other state bordering Mississippi that ranks ahead of them, at 69%.  

On a national level, the lowest pet ownership rates on a state-by-state basis were in Colorado (47.2%), Rhode Island (46.0%), California (40.1%), Alaska, and Hawaii (0% apiece). 

 Check out other interesting stories like this, sports betting, and all things Mississippi news, right here.

Author

Christopher Boan

Christopher Boan is a writer at BetMississippi.com specializing in covering state issues. He has covered sports and sports betting in Arizona for more than seven years, including stops at ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly and the Green Valley News.