As a dog owner or lover living in New York City you know, anecdotally, that there are tons of dogs getting walked on the streets and maybe suspect there are just as many cats hiding indoors. Well, you’d be right that there are lots of canines and felines in NYC. In fact, according to the NYC Economic Development Corp, there were about 1.1 million pets living in the city as of February 2012.

Dogs Live in New York City

The break down turns out to be 600,000 dogs and 500,000 cats with approximately one pet for every three households. Does that hold true when it comes to your friends? Interestingly, this number is lower than the national average, but that makes sense considering what it’s like to live in New York City. Tiny apartments, walk-ups, lack of cars and many other factors don’t make pet-having an easy feat.

The NYC Economic Development Corp also notes that pet ownership varied depending on certain demographic factors like household income, household size and race. Those with higher income were more likely to have more dogs than those with lower income, for example.(dog walking services nyc)

The pet industry is also booming and the NYCEDC estimates that in New York City, the pet spending has blown past $1.5 billion in 2010. Pretty incredible, but since pets are like family to most, it’s not surprising.

Here’s the breakdown:

Does this analysis surprise you or is it what you expected for this busy city?

Sources: NYCEDC, NYC Balto statue image via DNAinfo.com/Amy Zimmer