You might not be the only family member going to a salon in Parma this week. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, we’re spending more than ever on our pets. So maybe in addition to getting your color touched up at our Parma salon, you have Fido scheduled for a blowout at one of the many pet salons in Cleveland this weekend.
In just 10 years, the amount of money spent on pet care services has doubled. According to the latest Economic Census statistics, we are now shelling out $5.8 billion on pet services every year.
And that doesn’t include your vet bills, the special food you order online or that really cute toy your dog destroyed in what seemed like seconds. When the Census Bureau talks about “pet services,” they are referring to things like dog training, dog walking, grooming and boarding.
Not surprisingly, as our spending on services related to the care of our pets – it’s not just dogs – the number of businesses in that sector of the economy has also grown. “With over 100,000 pet care service businesses, this industry increased its number of establishments by more than 60% since 2007, for both employer businesses and self-employed (nonemployer) businesses,” the Census people report.
A growing industry means more jobs. “The number of people employed in pet care services rose sharply from 2007 to 2017. Excluding the self-employed, the number of workers grew from 52,855 paid employees to 111,384, a 111% increase, according to County Business Patterns data.”
Notice that they said, “excluding the self-employed.” If you have a pet – and apparently about half of all America households do – you know that there are lots of self-employed dog walkers and pet sitters.
If you want to chat about your doggy’s latest do, you will find plenty of pet-people at Illusion Unlimited in Parma, Ohio.
