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

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.

Rank	State	% of Pet Ownership
1	Wyoming	71.8
2	West Virginia	71
3	Idaho	70
4	Vermont	70
5	Indiana	69.2
6	Arkansas	69
7	Mississippi	65.5
8	Oklahoma	65
9	Kentucky	64.1
10	North Dakota	63.7
11	Maine	63.5
12	Missouri	63.5
13	Washington	63
14	Kansas	62.8
15	Michigan	62.4
16	Ohio	62.4
17	Montana	62
18	South Carolina	62
19	Tennessee	61.7
20	Pennsylvania	60.6
21	New Mexico	60
22	Alabama	59.8
23	Oregon	59.2
24	Iowa	59
25	North Carolina	59
26	Wisconsin	59
27	Utah	58.5
28	Texas	58.2
29	Arizona	58
30	Delaware	57.9
31	Florida	56
32	Virginia	55.5
33	Louisiana	54
34	Minnesota	54
35	Nevada	53
36	New Hampshire	52
37	Nebraska	51.3
38	Georgia	51
39	Connecticut	50
40	New York	50
41	Massachusetts	49
42	Illinois	48.6
43	Maryland	48.6
44	New Jersey	47.4
45	Colorado	47.2
46	South Dakota	46
47	Rhode Island	45.4
48	California	40.1
49	*Alaska	0
50	*Hawaii	0

* — 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

@cgboan

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.