February’s for lovers, and we’re not just talking about Valentine’s Day.
If you’re a real dog person, you know that the most exciting day of the month isn’t the 14th — in 2017, it’s actually the day before: it’s the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.
For the 141st year, more than 3,000 dogs and their owners (and, for the first time ever, cats!!) will descend on Madison Square Garden to duke it out in breed-based battles of good grooming and agility — and just overall cuteness — while millions of American humans tune in to see what these pups can do. And no matter your level of interest — whether you’re a casual observer with a bracket to win, or a serious canine aficionado — there’s one thing that we can all agree on: these are some impeccably primped pooches.
That got us wondering: Which cities have the best-groomed dogs overall?
To answer this question, Care.com analysts found the number of dog groomer jobs posted by owners throughout the U.S. on Care.com, and then calculated the total number of pet grooming jobs posted per owner. From these numbers, our analysts identified 10 cities whose dogs are always “Westminster-ready”:
Methodology
This study gathered data from 14 major Metropolitan Statistical Areas (M.S.A.s) on the number of dog grooming jobs posted on Care.com in 2016. In order to determine each city’s ranking, we calculated the number of pet grooming jobs posted per person using population data from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. The highest ranked cities had the most pet grooming jobs per person.
Want to check out more of our studies? Feel free to peruse this list:
- The 20 Most Family-Friendly Cities for Halloween in 2016
- The 10 Best Cities in America to Raise the Next Rock Star
- The Best — and Worst — States for Child Care
- Best in Style: These 10 Cities Have the Best-Groomed Dogs
- Dads Are Getting More Involved on Valentine’s Day — By the Numbers
- Grab Your Pup’s Leash: These Are the Best U.S. Cities for Walking Your Dog
- How Child Care Could Swing the Election
- How Much Do the Holidays Cost?
- Listen up, College Kids: Here Are the Top 20 Cities to Make Bank Over Break
- These Are the States With the Healthiest Pets — Is Yours One of Them?
- Think You’re a Neat Freak? Here’s Where People Pay the Most for Housekeeping
- Want a New You in the New Year? Here’s Where You’re Most Likely to Make That Happen in 2017
- Want to Babysit on Valentine’s Day? These Are the Cities Where You Could Make Bank