2026 dog walking & pet sitting rate benchmark
A free, open dataset covering 25 U.S. metro areas across 5 service types, with 25th/50th/75th percentile pricing. Released under CC-BY 4.0 — cite Dog Walker Central with a link back.
Published April 1, 2026 · Updated April 15, 2026
What's in the dataset
Median and percentile pricing for 30-minute dog walks, 60-minute walks, drop-in visits, overnight stays, and daycare across 25 major U.S. metro areas, compiled from aggregated provider and platform data.
Methodology
Sample. 4,200 list-price listings across 25 US metros, weighted equally per metro (~168 listings per metro). Source mix per metro: ~50% Rover & Wag pro listings, ~30% direct provider websites, ~20% published rate sheets from Dog Walker Central public profiles.
Service definitions. 30-min walk = single dog, single visit, 30 minutes door-to-door. 60-min walk = same, 60 minutes. Drop-in = 20 minute potty/feed visit, no walk. Overnight = single-night in-home stay. Daycare = one full day at provider's home or facility.
Statistics. Each cell shows the 25th, 50th (median), and 75th percentile of the per-metro sample. Listings with add-on clauses (multi-pet, holiday, distance fee) are normalized to the base list price before percentile calculation.
Caveats. Rates reflect list prices on public listings and may not include negotiated discounts for recurring clients or add-on fees for multi-pet households, holidays, off-hours, or distance. Rural and suburban submarkets within a metro can run 10–20% below the metro median.
Per-metro list price ranges
| Metro | 30-min walk | 60-min walk | Drop-in | Overnight | Daycare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York, NY | $28–$45 (median $35) | $45–$70 (median $55) | $25–$40 (median $32) | $80–$130 (median $100) | $55–$90 (median $70) |
| Los Angeles, CA | $25–$40 (median $32) | $42–$65 (median $52) | $22–$38 (median $30) | $75–$125 (median $95) | $50–$85 (median $65) |
| San Francisco, CA | $30–$48 (median $38) | $50–$75 (median $60) | $28–$42 (median $35) | $90–$140 (median $115) | $60–$100 (median $80) |
| Seattle, WA | $25–$38 (median $30) | $40–$62 (median $50) | $22–$35 (median $28) | $70–$115 (median $90) | $48–$80 (median $62) |
| Boston, MA | $25–$40 (median $32) | $42–$65 (median $52) | $22–$38 (median $30) | $75–$120 (median $95) | $50–$85 (median $65) |
| Washington, DC | $25–$38 (median $30) | $40–$62 (median $50) | $22–$35 (median $28) | $70–$115 (median $90) | $48–$80 (median $62) |
| Chicago, IL | $22–$35 (median $28) | $38–$60 (median $48) | $20–$32 (median $25) | $65–$110 (median $85) | $45–$75 (median $58) |
| Denver, CO | $22–$35 (median $28) | $38–$58 (median $45) | $20–$32 (median $25) | $65–$105 (median $80) | $45–$75 (median $58) |
| Austin, TX | $22–$35 (median $28) | $38–$60 (median $48) | $20–$32 (median $25) | $65–$105 (median $80) | $45–$75 (median $58) |
| Portland, OR | $22–$35 (median $28) | $38–$58 (median $48) | $20–$32 (median $25) | $65–$105 (median $80) | $42–$72 (median $55) |
| Atlanta, GA | $20–$32 (median $25) | $35–$55 (median $42) | $18–$28 (median $22) | $60–$95 (median $75) | $40–$68 (median $52) |
| Minneapolis, MN | $20–$32 (median $25) | $35–$55 (median $42) | $18–$28 (median $22) | $60–$95 (median $75) | $40–$68 (median $52) |
| Philadelphia, PA | $22–$35 (median $28) | $38–$58 (median $45) | $20–$30 (median $25) | $65–$105 (median $80) | $42–$72 (median $55) |
| Miami, FL | $22–$35 (median $28) | $38–$60 (median $48) | $20–$32 (median $25) | $65–$110 (median $85) | $45–$75 (median $58) |
| Dallas, TX | $20–$32 (median $25) | $35–$55 (median $42) | $18–$28 (median $22) | $60–$95 (median $75) | $40–$68 (median $52) |
| Houston, TX | $20–$30 (median $25) | $35–$52 (median $42) | $18–$28 (median $22) | $58–$92 (median $72) | $38–$65 (median $50) |
| Phoenix, AZ | $20–$32 (median $25) | $35–$55 (median $42) | $18–$28 (median $22) | $58–$92 (median $72) | $38–$65 (median $50) |
| San Diego, CA | $25–$40 (median $32) | $42–$65 (median $52) | $22–$35 (median $28) | $75–$120 (median $92) | $50–$82 (median $65) |
| Charlotte, NC | $18–$28 (median $22) | $32–$50 (median $38) | $16–$25 (median $20) | $55–$88 (median $70) | $35–$60 (median $45) |
| Nashville, TN | $20–$32 (median $25) | $35–$55 (median $42) | $18–$28 (median $22) | $58–$92 (median $72) | $38–$65 (median $50) |
| Raleigh-Durham, NC | $18–$28 (median $22) | $32–$50 (median $38) | $16–$25 (median $20) | $55–$88 (median $70) | $35–$60 (median $45) |
| Salt Lake City, UT | $18–$28 (median $22) | $32–$50 (median $38) | $16–$25 (median $20) | $55–$85 (median $68) | $35–$60 (median $45) |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $18–$28 (median $22) | $32–$48 (median $38) | $16–$25 (median $20) | $52–$82 (median $65) | $32–$55 (median $42) |
| Indianapolis, IN | $16–$26 (median $20) | $30–$45 (median $35) | $14–$22 (median $18) | $50–$78 (median $62) | $30–$52 (median $40) |
| Kansas City, MO | $16–$26 (median $20) | $30–$45 (median $35) | $14–$22 (median $18) | $50–$78 (median $62) | $30–$52 (median $40) |
License
This dataset is released under CC-BY 4.0. You may reuse it in articles, tools, or research as long as you credit Dog Walker Central with a link back to this page.
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