Pets Benefit Older Adults' Health, but Financial Strain Is Growing

Fifty-seven percent of Americans over the age of 50 share their home with at least one animal. That figure has barely shifted since 2018, when it stood at 55%. But the world around those pets has changed considerably -- and for a growing number of older adults, the costs of keeping them have become difficult to absorb.

A national poll conducted in September 2025 by NORC at the University of Chicago for the University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation surveyed 2,698 adults between the ages of 50 and 95. The findings chart both the enduring benefits of pet ownership and the financial pressures that are increasingly putting those benefits out of reach.

A Sense of Purpose That Has Grown Since 2018

The percentage of pet owners over 50 who say their animal gives them a sense of purpose rose from 73% in 2018 to 83% in 2025 -- a 10-point gain that stands out against a backdrop of declining scores on some other measures. Seventy percent say their pet connects them with other people, a significant finding given that loneliness among older adults has been identified as a major public health concern. Sixty-three percent report reduced stress, and 44% say pet ownership keeps them more physically active.

These numbers are not trivial. Social isolation in later life is associated with higher rates of cognitive decline, cardiovascular disease, and depression. Anything that reliably counteracts isolation -- including a dog that needs walking or a cat that demands attention -- carries genuine health value.

Yet some specific benefits appear to have weakened. In 2018, 60% of pet owners said their animal helped them cope with physical or mental symptoms. By 2025, that figure had fallen to 34%. The share who said pets help them stay physically active dropped from 64% to 44%. Stress relief declined from 79% to 63%.

The reasons for these declines are not entirely clear from the poll data alone. Researchers note that older adults themselves have aged since 2018, which may affect what they can do with or for a pet. Mobility limitations, chronic illness, and cognitive changes all influence the nature of the human-animal relationship over time.

The Budget Strain Is Getting Harder to Ignore

The sharpest shift in the data involves money. In 2018, 18% of pet owners aged 50 to 80 said owning a pet strained their household budget. In 2025, that figure stands at 31% -- a near-doubling within seven years. The groups most likely to report financial strain include women, people who rate their own health as fair or poor, those with disabilities limiting daily activity, and households earning less than $60,000 annually.

"Our two polls, seven years apart, clearly show that animals can play a key role in the lives of older adults," said Preeti Malani, a professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School and an adviser to the poll's research team. "Yet some of the people who could potentially get the most benefit from having a pet may also be the ones who have cost-related challenges to pet ownership."

Among those who do not own pets, the proportion citing cost as a reason climbed from 21% in 2018 to 33% in 2025. Lack of time rose from 15% to 20%, and the share saying they are not healthy enough to care for a pet more than doubled, from 2% to 6%.

Dogs remain the most common pet among owners over 50, with 70% of pet-owning respondents reporting at least one dog. Cats follow at 50%, with fish at 6%, birds at 4%, small mammals at 3%, large mammals at 3%, and reptiles at 1%. Thirty-one percent of pet owners have more than one type of animal.

Michigan Data Adds a Regional Dimension

The poll also analyzed a separate sample of 1,270 Michigan adults aged 50 and over, with support from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund. Fifty-four percent of older Michiganders report having at least one pet. Among those pet owners, 87% say their pet gives them a sense of purpose, 72% say it helps them enjoy life and connects them with others, 67% report stress reduction, and 66% say their pet helps them feel loved.

Michigan pet owners were more likely than their counterparts in the rest of the country to report budget strain: 38% versus 31%. Among non-owners in Michigan, cost was cited by 29%, though the most common reason -- not wanting to be tied down -- was mentioned by 42%.

What Clinicians Should Know

Poll director Jeffrey Kullgren, an associate professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan and a primary care physician at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, argues that health care providers should make pet ownership part of routine patient conversations. "If we're encouraging someone to get more physical activity to improve their physical or mental health, knowing if they have a pet they can take for a walk or play with could be very useful," he said.

He also flagged two practical concerns that often go unaddressed in clinical settings: planning for pet care during hospitalization, and recognizing the grief that follows the loss of a pet. "We also need to be attuned to the mental health effects of pet loss, which is a very real form of grief that needs to be taken seriously," Kullgren said.

He noted that older adults who do not own pets may still benefit from animal contact through other means -- walking with a pet-owning neighbor, caring for a friend's dog, or spending time with relatives' animals.

Methodology

The 2025 poll used the AmeriSpeak panel, a probability-based sample developed by NORC, and included both online and phone responses from 2,698 adults aged 50 to 95. Results were weighted to represent the national population. The 2018 poll used the Ipsos KnowledgePanel and was limited to adults 50 to 80; direct comparisons between the two waves are restricted to that age range. The poll captures self-reported perceptions rather than clinical outcomes and cannot establish causation between pet ownership and health benefits.