Gen Z Pet Owners Spend $6,103 Yearly on Average, Harris Poll Finds

Gen Z pet owners spend an average of $6,103 per year on their pets, according to a Harris Poll survey of more than 2,100 adults published by The New York Post. Millennials spend $5,150 and Gen X spends $3,878.

One in five Gen Z respondents said they would be willing to sell an organ to pay for their animal in an emergency. Nearly half said they see no real difference between their pet and a human child. Americans spent $158 billion on pets in 2025, the highest total on record, according to American Pet Products Association statistics.

Vet bills have risen by over 60 percent in the past decade. Private equity ownership of veterinary practices rose from 8 percent to 30 percent over the same period, according to Private Equity Vet. Mars Inc.

Is one of the largest owners of veterinary practices in the United States. JAB Holding Company owns more than 1,000 animal hospitals. A 2024 article in The Atlantic reported that private equity firms have poured billions of dollars into veterinary companies.

The firms have identified Americans willing to spend beyond their means to keep pets alive. A separate study by Healthy Paws titled Love vs. Limits: The New Economics of Pet Care found that 62 percent of Americans are willing to take on debt to pay for their pets.

Seventy-three percent said they would sacrifice personal luxuries. Over an average pet lifespan of 12 years, owners spend up to $50,000 on food, vet visits, and grooming supplies, the Healthy Paws study said. The figure excludes emergency surgery and end-of-life care.

Seventy-seven percent of respondents across the studies described their pet as like a child to them.