Raleigh named among the most pet-friendly cities in US. Here’s why we rank so high

Simone Jasper
Mary Altaffer/AP

North Carolina is home to one of the nation’s best cities for pets, a new report finds.

Raleigh ranks No. 10 on a list of places offering pet-friendly amenities at affordable prices, according to results published Tuesday, Aug. 9.

To come up with the findings, the personal finance website WalletHub examined the 100 most populous U.S. cities. It used data from the federal government and other resources to score each place in three categories: costs, outdoor spaces, and health and wellness, results show.

Raleigh ranked high after landing the No. 1 spot in the costs category. It received that nod after WalletHub found it had some of the lowest amounts that pet owners spend on veterinarian bills and dog insurance.

Though Raleigh came out on top for affordability, it scored just average in the other two categories.

The outdoor spaces category considered the presence of dog parks, weather and paths that are fit for pets and pedestrians.

The remaining health and wellness category examined home sizes and pet-related businesses. While Raleigh was found to have some of the most “dog-friendly restaurants per capita,” it lagged behind other cities in the number of pet stores, veterinarians, caretakers and animal shelters, results show.

For those curious about which furry friends are out there, the American Kennel Club has said Labrador retrievers are the most popular registered dog breed in Raleigh and across the United States.

While the City of Oaks was named an ideal spot for residents with pets, it got snubbed on another recent list. Asheville was the only place in North Carolina to rank among the top 10 most pet-friendly travel destinations in the country, McClatchy News reported in April.

This time around, several North Carolina cities placed lower than Raleigh. Winston-Salem landed at No. 47, Greensboro at No. 52, Charlotte at No. 83 and Durham at No. 88, results show.

Nationwide, the top-ranking place for pets was the Phoenix-area city of Scottsdale, Arizona. Rounding out the top 10:

  • Tampa, Florida

  • Portland, Oregon

  • St. Louis, Missouri

  • Cincinnati, Ohio

  • St. Petersburg, Florida

  • Lexington-Fayette, Kentucky

  • Las Vegas, Nevada

  • Colorado Springs, Colorado

Landing at the bottom of WalletHub’s list was Santa Ana, California, which lies outside of Los Angeles.

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