Editor:
How many rabbits are there in the United States in 2025?
Each year, we get better rabbit statistics about the number of “pet” bunnies in the United States. Here are the most recent statistics, as well as some historical statistics on companion rabbits in the USA.
Current Rabbit Statistics
1In May of 2025, the American Veterinary Medical Association’s public statistics page estimated roughly one million U.S. households (0.7%) have rabbits. That’s based on its 2024 Pet Ownership & Demographics data summarized on AVMA’s site, as seen in the chart below.
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association’s (AVMA’s) 2022 U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook, 1.2% of households ( 1.5 million) owned rabbits2. and that there are 2.2 million pet rabbits3.
According to the 2022 American Pet Products Association (APPA) Pet Owners Survey, bunnies are the most popular Small Animal, and 6.7 million households have small animals.4
In addition, Forbes reports that rabbits and other exotics are extremely popular with younger generations, such as Millennials and Gen Z5.
The APPA also reported in their 2013-2014 survey that 25% of all pet rabbits were adopted, and 14% were purchased from pet stores6. The rest came from other sources. Between 2011-12 and 2013-14, the number of rabbits purchased at pet stores declined by 42%.7
Historical Statistics on Rabbits as Pets
United States Historical Summary
| 20221 | 20178 | 20129 | 201013 | 200714,15 | 200218 | 200110 | 200011 | 199612 | 199111 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Households owning rabbits | 1.5M | 1.5M | 1.4M | 1.9M | 2.2 | 1.8M | 2.2M | 1.9M | 1.4M | |
| % overall households owning rabbits | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.19% | 1.62% | 1.70% | 1.6% | 1.90% | 1.50% | ||
| Average rabbits per household | 2.28 | 3.3 | 2.7 | 2.4 | 2.63 | 3.22 | ||||
| Total rabbit population | 2.2M | 2.2M | 3.2M | 6.6M | 6.1M | 5M | 4.8M | 5.3M | 4,9M | 4.6M |
United States Historical Details
The 2012 AVMA survey found 1.2% of American households (or 1.2 million American households) lived with about 3 million rabbits (bunnies).13
The American Pet Products Association’s (APPA) 2009-2010 Pet Owners Survey confirmed that rabbits (bunnies) are the most commonly kept small animal pet in the United States. Out of the 15.9 million small animal pets owned in the U.S., 42 percent of them were rabbits (bunies). There were 6.6 million rabbits (bunnies) kept as pets in the United States in 2010.14
In 2007 the AVMA reported 6.1 million pet rabbits in the USA.15, as did the 2007 American Pet Products Manufacturing Association (APPA) Pet Owners Survey16. The APPA survey also noted that in the past decade, rabbits (bunnies) have surpassed hamsters as the most popular small pet, making them the third most popular companion mammal, behind cats and dogs.
In 2006, Gallup found that just 1% of American households had at least one rabbit (bunny) as a pet, as did the AVMA.17 18
In 2002, the USDA released a report that said that 5 million rabbits (bunnies) were living as pets in the United States, in 2.2 million households19.
References
