Pet Services in the US, 2nd Edition

Pet Services in the US, 2ND Edition

This report focuses on non-medical pet services for dogs and cats in the US, including grooming, boarding (overnight) and daycare, training, and pet sitting/walking, with niche and emerging areas such as end-of-life services and waste retrieval services also discussed. Report coverage also includes pet insurance as a financial service – and a key category for market growth.

The COVID-19 pandemic exacted a toll on non-medical pet services that continues to be felt. The market didn’t rebound to its pre-pandemic 2019 sales levels until 2022, when 8% growth lifted sales to $11 billion. While an additional 8% growth is projected for 2023, in real dollar terms the post-pandemic rebound is less impressive than it may sound, as much of dollar growth stems from the macroeconomic factor of high price inflation in pet services. Posing a challenge to the pet industry as a whole is the gradually declining dog population, only partially offset by cat population growth.

Market innovation opportunities remain, nonetheless, as hands-on pet services increasingly become a chain retail affair, including a wave of franchise activity as well as initiatives by or partnerships with retail giants. Notably, Walmart has opened its first Walmart Pet Services Center combining veterinary and grooming services, with dedicated signage and entrance along the Walmart storefront. Not only are traditional pet product retailers becoming more reliant on pet services for one-stop shopping appeal, but veterinary and non-medical pet service providers will become even more heavily reliant upon retailers for growth.

At the same time, on the financial end of the pet services market, pet insurance has risen in the past few years to claim the top spot by market share, representing 30% of sales as of 2023, up from 14% in 2019, reflecting a double-digit compound annual growth rate during the 2019-2023 period. Along with vastly increased consumer awareness over the past decade, the high cost of veterinary services has been a key factor to the pet insurance boom, along with disproportionate growth in pet insurance for cats.

The information contained in this report was obtained from primary and secondary research. Our estimates of market size and company performance are based on reported revenues of pet services providers, government data including US Bureau of Labor Statistics, and figures from other market research sources. Primary research includes national online consumer polls of US adult pet owners (age 18+) conducted on an ongoing basis by Packaged Facts. Detailed consumer demographics discussion also draws on trended MRI-Simmons National Consumer Studies. Show more