24 Pet Insurance Statistics Every Owner Should Know
What pet insurance costs for dogs vs cats, accident-only vs accident-and-illness premiums, how fast the market is growing, and the vet bills it offsets, in 24 cited statistics for U.S. pet owners.
Pet insurance has gone from a curiosity to one of the fastest-growing lines in U.S. insurance, fueled by rising veterinary costs and a generation of owners who treat dogs and cats as family. The price you pay depends heavily on the animal and the plan, with a comprehensive dog policy costing roughly twice what the same plan costs for a cat. This report gathers 24 cited statistics on what pet insurance costs by species and plan type, how big and how fast the market is growing, how many households own pets, and the veterinary bills the coverage is built to absorb. Every figure comes from an industry body or a government-recognized association, never a sales page.
Key Takeaways
- Dogs cost about twice as much to insure as cats - the average accident-and-illness premium was $749 a year for dogs versus $386 for cats in 2024.
- Accident-only plans are far cheaper - they ran about $193 a year for dogs and $110 for cats, a fraction of comprehensive coverage.
- The market is booming - North American written premium hit $5.2 billion in 2024, up 20.8% in a single year.
- More pets are covered every year - the U.S. insured a record 6.4 million pets at the end of 2024, a 12.7% jump.
- Dogs dominate the insured pool - they make up 75.6% of U.S. insured pets, with cats at 23.5%.
- Pet ownership is widespread - about 95 million U.S. households own at least one pet, and total pet spending reached $158 billion in 2025.
- Vet bills keep climbing - dog owners spent an average of $598 on veterinary care in 2025, the exact cost pet insurance is meant to offset.
What pet insurance costs by species and plan
1. The average dog accident-and-illness policy costs $749 a year
The most common type of pet insurance, an accident-and-illness plan, averaged $749.29 a year for dogs in 2024, or about $62 a month. This is the comprehensive option that covers accidents plus illnesses such as cancer, infections, and digestive problems. It carries the highest premium because it pays out across the widest range of conditions, and it is the plan most owners picture when they think of pet insurance.
2. The same plan costs about half as much for a cat
Cats are cheaper to insure across the board. The average accident-and-illness premium for cats was $386.47 a year, or about $32 a month, in 2024, close to half the equivalent dog premium. Cats tend to file fewer and less costly claims, and they are less prone to the expensive orthopedic and breed-specific conditions that drive dog payouts.
3. Accident-only coverage for dogs costs about $193 a year
Owners who want a cheaper option often choose accident-only coverage, which pays for injuries such as broken bones, swallowed objects, and poisonings but not illnesses. For dogs, this averaged $193.29 a year, roughly $16 a month, in 2024, about a quarter of the price of a comprehensive dog plan. The trade-off is real, since an accident-only policy pays nothing toward cancer treatment, chronic conditions, or routine illnesses.
4. Accident-only coverage for cats costs about $110 a year
For cats, accident-only coverage was the cheapest plan in the dataset at $110.03 a year, about $9 a month, in 2024. At that price it functions almost like a catastrophe backstop for the sudden injuries that send a cat to an emergency clinic. Owners should remember that indoor cats still develop costly illnesses such as kidney disease and diabetes, which an accident-only plan does not touch.
5. A comprehensive plan costs nearly four times an accident-only plan
The gap between the two plan types is wide. For dogs, the $749 accident-and-illness premium is close to four times the $193 accident-only premium. That spread is the single biggest lever an owner has over price. Accident-only coverage slashes the monthly cost but shifts all illness risk back onto the owner, which matters because illness claims, not accidents, drive most of what insurers pay out.
6. Dogs make up about 76% of insured pets
Insured pets skew heavily canine. Dogs represented 75.6% of U.S. insured pets at the end of 2024, with cats at 23.5%. That tilt reflects both higher dog ownership intensity among insurance buyers and the higher perceived risk of expensive dog claims. Triple-I, using a slightly different dataset, puts the split even wider at 80% dogs to 20% cats. Either way, dogs dominate the book of business.
- Dogs 76%
- Cats 24%
How big and how fast the market is growing
7. North American written premium reached $5.2 billion
Pet insurance is no longer a fringe product. The North American industry exceeded $5.2 billion in total written premium in 2024, up from $4.2 billion in 2023. That total spans the United States and Canada and reflects a line of business that has more than doubled in recent years. The scale signals that insurers, employers offering pet benefits, and owners alike now treat the coverage as mainstream.
8. The market grew 20.8% in a single year
Few insurance lines grow this quickly. Written premium rose 20.8% from 2023 to 2024, and the industry has sustained a combined five-year growth rate of 20.8%, the kind of compounding expansion more common in technology than in insurance. Rising veterinary costs and rising adoption are both feeding the trend, and the pace has held steady rather than tapering off.
9. U.S. premium alone reached $4.7 billion
The United States accounts for the overwhelming majority of the North American market. U.S. gross written premium hit $4.7 billion in 2024, a 21.4% increase over the prior year. The U.S. share of the continental total sits around 90%, which makes domestic trends the main driver of the industry’s overall numbers. That growth rate slightly outpaced the North American average, signaling especially strong U.S. demand.
10. A record 6.4 million pets are insured in the U.S.
The number of covered animals keeps setting records. The U.S. insured 6,405,541 pets at the end of 2024, a 12.7% increase over 2023. Across all of North America the figure reached 7.03 million pets, up 20.9% in a year. Each policy represents an owner who has decided to convert an unpredictable vet bill into a predictable monthly premium.
11. Insured-pet counts have grown 20% a year for five years
The pet count is expanding nearly as fast as premium dollars. The number of insured pets in the U.S. has grown at an average annual rate of 20.0% since 2020, multiplying the insured population several times over in just five years. That tells you the growth is driven by new customers entering the market, not only by existing customers paying higher premiums.
- United States 90%
- Canada (USD equiv.) 10%
12. Triple-I tracked $3.9 billion in U.S. premium for 2023
Independent tracking confirms the growth curve. The Insurance Information Institute reported that U.S. pet insurance premium volume was $3.9 billion in 2023, covering nearly 5.7 million pets, a 17% increase over 2022. Comparing that to the $4.7 billion U.S. total for 2024 shows the same rapid expansion from a second source, and two trackers pointing to roughly 20% annual growth is a strong signal the trend is real.
13. California, New York, and Florida lead in insured pets
Coverage is geographically concentrated. The largest share of insured pets reside in California, New York, and Florida, populous, high-cost states where veterinary care is expensive and pet ownership is dense. The pattern mirrors most consumer insurance lines, where the biggest states by population also generate the most policies.
How many Americans own pets
14. About 95 million U.S. households own a pet
Pet ownership is close to universal. An estimated 95 million U.S. households owned at least one pet in 2025, according to the American Pet Products Association, a majority of all households in the country. With so many owners and only a few million insured pets, the gap between ownership and coverage remains enormous, which is exactly why the line keeps growing at 20% a year.
15. 53% of households own a dog
Dogs remain the most popular pet. About 53% of U.S. households, or 71 million, owned a dog in 2025 per APPA data. The American Veterinary Medical Association, using its own survey, puts dog ownership at 42.6% of households, or 56.3 million households and 87.3 million dogs. The two surveys differ in method, but both confirm dogs are in a large plurality of American homes.
16. Roughly a third of households own a cat
Cats are the second most common pet. APPA reported that 39% of households, or 53 million, owned a cat in 2025, while AVMA put cat ownership at 32.6% of households, or 76.3 million cats. Despite their numbers, cats are insured at much lower rates, which helps explain why they are only about a quarter of the insured pool.
17. The average household has 1.6 dogs or 1.8 cats
Multi-pet homes are common. Dog-owning households averaged 1.6 dogs, a figure stable since 1987, while cat-owning households averaged 1.8 cats in 2025. Those averages matter for budgeting, because a household with two or three pets faces a multiple of the single-pet premium, which is why many insurers offer multi-pet discounts.
- Own a dog 58%
- Own a cat 42%
The vet bills pet insurance is built to absorb
18. Dog owners spend about $598 a year on veterinary care
Veterinary spending is the core reason owners buy coverage. Dog owners spent an average of $598 on veterinary care in 2025, according to AVMA data, close to a full year of accident-and-illness premium for a dog. Owners are already spending hundreds of dollars annually, and insurance smooths the spikes when a single emergency dwarfs the routine spend.
19. Cat owners spend about $529 a year on veterinary care
Cats are not far behind on vet costs. Cat owners spent an average of $529 on veterinary care in 2025, well above the $386 average annual premium for a comprehensive cat policy. The math is straightforward when expected vet spending exceeds the cost of the premium, which is part of why a growing number of cat owners are choosing to insure.
20. The average vet visit now costs about $200
Per-visit costs have climbed sharply. The average reported cost of an owner’s last veterinary visit was $200 in 2025, up from $147 in 2024, with dog visits averaging $220 and cat visits $202. A single routine visit is manageable, but the same clinics charge thousands for surgery or cancer care, the long tail of cost that insurance is designed to cover.
21. Total U.S. pet spending reached $158 billion
The broader pet economy is enormous. Total U.S. pet industry expenditures reached $158 billion in 2025, up 3.7%, and APPA projects $165 billion in 2026. Veterinary care and product sales are among the largest components. The size of the category is the backdrop against which a multi-billion-dollar insurance line could form, since insurance follows wherever owners are already spending heavily.
22. Pet spending has grown steadily year over year
Spending growth has been consistent rather than sporadic. Triple-I reported total U.S. pet expenditures of $147 billion in 2023, up 7.5% from $136.8 billion in 2022. Layered onto the $158 billion figure for 2025, that shows a category that keeps expanding even as the broader economy fluctuates, and owners’ willingness to keep spending underpins demand for products that protect those budgets.
Why the species gap matters
23. Insured pet growth far outpaces ownership growth
The insurance market is growing much faster than the pet population. While ownership of dogs and cats edges up modestly each year, insured-pet counts have grown at 20% annually since 2020. That divergence means the growth is about penetration, owners insuring pets they already have, rather than more pets existing. There is still a large runway, since insured pets number in the single-digit millions against tens of millions of pet households.
24. Premium growth is outpacing pet-count growth
Average premiums per pet are rising, not just the number of policies. North American written premium grew 20.8% in 2024 while the U.S. insured-pet count rose 12.7%, meaning the average premium per pet increased. That reflects the rising veterinary costs insurers must price in, and it is a reminder that locking in coverage earlier, before a pet ages into higher-risk years, tends to mean a lower starting premium.
How to choose the right pet policy for less
The data points to a few clear moves for any owner weighing coverage:
- Match the plan to your risk tolerance. A comprehensive accident-and-illness plan costs nearly four times an accident-only plan but covers the illnesses that drive most payouts.
- Insure cats too, not just dogs. Cat premiums average $386 a year, well below the $529 owners already spend on cat vet care.
- Compare carriers before you buy. Premiums and reimbursement terms vary widely, so start with our carrier comparison and then compare quotes for your specific pet.
- Enroll while your pet is young. Premiums climb with age and rising vet costs, so the $749 average dog premium is typically a starting point that grows over time.
- Verify every number. We explain where our figures come from on the methodology page.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does pet insurance cost per month?
For comprehensive accident-and-illness coverage, the average premium was about $62 a month for dogs and $32 a month for cats in 2024. Accident-only plans cost far less, around $16 a month for dogs and $9 for cats. Your exact price depends on your pet’s species, breed, age, and your chosen reimbursement level.
Why is dog insurance more expensive than cat insurance?
Dogs cost more to insure because they file more frequent and more expensive claims. The average accident-and-illness premium runs $749 a year for dogs versus $386 for cats, roughly double. Dogs are more prone to costly orthopedic injuries and breed-specific conditions, and they make up 75.6% of insured pets, so insurers price them as the higher-risk category.
Is pet insurance worth it?
The vet-cost data makes a case for it. Dog owners already spend an average of $598 a year on veterinary care, and a single emergency surgery can cost thousands. Insurance converts those unpredictable spikes into a fixed premium, which is why the U.S. insured a record 6.4 million pets by the end of 2024.
What is the difference between accident-only and accident-and-illness coverage?
Accident-only plans cover injuries such as broken bones and poisonings, while accident-and-illness plans add coverage for conditions like cancer, infections, and digestive disease. The price gap is large: $193 a year for dogs on accident-only versus $749 for the comprehensive plan. Most owners choose accident-and-illness because illness claims, not accidents, account for the bulk of what insurers pay out.
How fast is the pet insurance market growing?
Very fast. North American written premium reached $5.2 billion in 2024, up 20.8% in a year, and has sustained a 20.8% combined growth rate over five years. The number of insured pets in the U.S. has grown about 20% annually since 2020. Rising veterinary costs and rising adoption are driving the expansion together.