Best cities for a happy and healthy dog in 2024

Key points

• Seattle is the best city for a happy and healthy dog.
• Three California cities make the top 10: San Francisco, Long Beach and Sacramento.
• Boston and San Francisco offer the most outdoor options, with 100% of residents living within a 10-minute walk to a park.

Where you live can play a factor in your dog’s overall health and happiness. Seattle is the best city for a dog’s happiness and health, according to our analysis. California has the most cities per state for a charmed dog life.

To evaluate the performance of each city, we scrutinized the data across these categories:

• Number of veterinary offices per 100,000 residents.
• Percent of residents within a 10-minute walk to a park.
• Average annual vet costs in the city.
• WalkScore, which refers to how walkable a city is without a car.
• Number of dog parks per 100,000 residents.
• Number of “cooling degree days,” as dogs don’t thrive in the heat. 

See our methodology for full details.

The top 10 cities for a happy and healthy dog

West Coast cities top our list of the best metro areas for happy and healthy dogs. Despite its harsh winters, Boston is the fourth-best major city where dogs can thrive. 

San Francisco and Seattle have the most hospitable weather for your dog. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), these two cities have a relatively low number of annual “cooling degree days.” This unit of measure records how often the temperature rises above 65 F. If one day the mean temperature is 10 degrees higher than 65 F, for instance, this counts as 10 cooling degree days. 

1. Seattle, Washington

Thanks to its abundant number of parks, veterinary offices and NOAA cooling degree days, our study finds that Seattle is the best city for a happy and healthy dog.

• 99% of Seattle residents live within a 10-minute walk to a park.
• Seattle has around 59 veterinary offices per 100,000 residents.
• Seattle ranks second for the number of NOAA cooling degree days. This means the weather doesn’t regularly spike higher than 65 F. 
• Seattle residents pay around $747 per year in vet costs.

2. Portland, Oregon

Portland, Oregon is the second-best city for a happy and healthy dog, according to our study. Portland ranks first for the number of dog parks per 100,000, with almost six parks per 100,000 residents.

• 90% of Portland residents live within a 10-minute walk to a park.
• Portland ranks third in our study for the number of NOAA cooling degree days.
• Portland's average annual vet costs are lower than some other cities in our analysis, at about $708 per year.

3. San Francisco, California

San Francisco is third place in our study of the happiest and healthiest cities for dogs. It’s one of the best cities for average proximity to a park, with 100% of San Franciscans living within a 10-minute walk to the park.

• Lowest amount of cooling degree days, which means you don’t need to use cooling efforts — like an AC or pup pool — very often to cool down your dog.
• San Francisco ranks second for the number of dog parks per 100,000 residents.
• San Francisco has almost five dog parks per 100,000 residents.

San Francisco lost points in our study due to its high annual vet rates. Dog owners pay an average of $881 per year for vet care.

4. Boston, Massachusetts

Like San Francisco, our study found that 100% of Boston residents live within a 10-minute walk to a park. Boston also has a WalkScore of 83, meaning it's very walkable and most errands can be done on foot.

• Boston ranks 10th for the number of veterinary offices per 100,000 residents.
• Vet costs are about $761 per year in Boston.

5. Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minneapolis, Minnesota takes fifth place in our study of the healthiest cities for dogs, thanks to its access to parks and relatively average veterinarian costs. Minneapolis dog owners pay about $721 per year.

• Minneapolis has about 88 veterinary offices per 100,000 residents.
• About 98% of residents live within a 10-minute walk to the park.

6. Long Beach, California

Long Beach is the sixth-best city for a happy and healthy dog, adding another California city to our list.

• Long Beach ranks first for the number of veterinary offices per 100,000. With 996 veterinary offices, or about 221 per 100,000 residents.
• Vet costs average $775 per year, making Long Beach one of the more expensive cities for pet medical care.

7. Washington, D.C.

Washington D.C. is a highly walkable city and 99% of its residents live within walking distance of a park.

• Washington, D.C. ranks first place for WalkScore among the cities we analyzed — meaning it's a highly walkable city without much need for a car.
• 99% of residents are within a 10-minute walk of a park.

8. Denver, Colorado

Denver offers the cheapest annual vet rates for dog owners, according to our analysis. Dog owners in Denver pay about $671 on average per year.

• Denver also takes ninth place for the percentage of residents within a 10-minute walk to a park.
• Denver ranks 12th for number of dog parks, with 1.9 parks per 100,000 residents.

9. Sacramento, California

About 84% of Sacramento residents live within a 10-minute walk to the park. Sacramento has a lot of dog parks specifically, about four per 100,000 residents.

• Vet costs average about $761 per year for Sacramento dog owners.
• Sacramento has about 42 vet offices per 100,000 residents.
• Sacramento ranks third for number for number of dog parks per 100,000 residents.

10. Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta is the 10th best city for happy and healthy dogs. About 78% of residents live within walking distance of a park. However, Atlanta isn’t as walkable as some other cities in our analysis. It has a 48 WalkScore, which means most errands require a car.

• Atlanta ranks third for the number of veterinary offices per 100,000 residents in our study.
• Vet costs are around $684 per year for Atlanta dog owners.

The top 10 most expensive cities for vet costs

Here are the ten most expensive cities for vet costs per year, among those we analyzed.

How to care for your dog’s health

Where you live isn’t the only factor that affects your dog’s overall health and happiness. On a basic level, your dog needs healthy food, fresh water and shelter.

Here are some tips to help your dog live its best life.

• Make sure your dog gets the proper daily exercise by going on walks and runs. 
• Visit the vet with your dog at least once a year.
• Consider socializing your dog with other pups and people. 
• Keep up to date on dog vaccinations.
• Help your dog maintain a healthy weight for its breed.
• Maintain your dog’s oral health by brushing its teeth with dog toothpaste and taking it to the vet if needed.
• Make sure your dog has a collar with identification.

How pet insurance can make pet care more affordable

Average vet costs per year are above $670 across all the cities in our analysis. One way to help cover the cost of your pet’s medical care is pet insurance.

Here are the most common types of plans and what pet insurance covers: 

• Accident-only: Covers diagnosis and treatment of injuries that come from an accident, like if your dog breaks its leg. This is typically the cheapest type of pet insurance since it does not cover illnesses.
• Accident and illness: Covers diagnosis and treatment of injuries and illnesses, like if your dog gets cancer. This is the most popular form of pet insurance.
• Wellness plan: This is additional coverage that you can typically add to an accident and illness plan. It covers routine veterinary visits and preventive measures.