Last Updated: April 2026
9.6 Million US households that own freshwater fish — fish are the 3rd most popular pet in America — APPA National Pet Owners Survey, 2024–2025

Fish are America's third most popular pet — yet they remain one of the least-discussed segments of the US pet industry. The American Pet Products Association (APPA) has tracked fishkeeping ownership through its biennial National Pet Owners Survey (NPOS) since the 1990s, providing the most authoritative longitudinal data on who owns fish, how many tanks they keep, and what they spend. This page compiles 40 verified statistics sourced from the APPA NPOS, Grand View Research, Straits Research, and related industry reports to answer the key question: how big is fishkeeping in the United States in 2026? Data covers household ownership counts, demographic profiles, purchase behavior, hobbyist spending, and trend lines from 2011 through 2025. The picture that emerges is of an industry that has grown in dollar value even as household counts have moderated from their pandemic peak.

US Household Ownership Counts

The APPA National Pet Owners Survey is the gold standard for US pet ownership data, conducted biennially with a nationally representative sample. The 2024–2025 edition provides the most current figures.

9.6M US households owning freshwater fish in 2024–2025 — APPA National Pet Owners Survey, 2024–2025
1.9M US households owning saltwater fish in 2024–2025 — APPA National Pet Owners Survey, 2024–2025
11.5M Total US households with pet fish (freshwater + saltwater combined, 2024–2025) — APPA National Pet Owners Survey, 2024–2025
8% Percentage of all US households that own fish (approximately 1 in 12.5 American homes) — APPA Fish & Reptile Owner Insight Report, 2024
158M Pet fish kept in US homes in 2023 — the total stock across all fish-owning households — Grand View Research / Florida Dept. of Agriculture, 2024
11.1M Freshwater fish households in the 2023–2024 NPOS survey period — APPA National Pet Owners Survey, 2023–2024

Historical Ownership Trend (2011–2025)

Multi-decade NPOS data reveals clear patterns: the hobby surged to a freshwater peak in 2013–2014, moderated, surged again with the pandemic, and has since stabilized at a lower household count but significantly higher per-household spend.

NPOS Survey Period Freshwater Fish Households Saltwater Fish Households
2011–201211.9 million0.7 million
2013–201414.3 million (peak)1.8 million
2015–201612.3 million1.3 million
2017–201812.5 million2.5 million
2019–202011.5 million1.6 million
2021–202211.8 million2.9 million (post-pandemic peak)
2023–202411.1 million2.2 million
2024–20259.6 million1.9 million

Source: APPA National Pet Owners Survey, archived at Insurance Information Institute (III.org). All figures are US households.

14.3M Peak US freshwater fish household count, recorded in the 2013–2014 NPOS — a 33% premium over the current 2024–2025 figure — APPA National Pet Owners Survey, 2013–2014
Growing ↑ Despite moderation in household counts, the total dollar value of the US aquarium hobby has grown continuously since 2011 — indicating higher per-hobbyist spend — Grand View Research, 2023

Fish vs. Other Pets

Fish consistently rank as the third most popular type of pet in the United States, trailing only dogs and cats. In raw numbers of animals kept (rather than households), fish may actually rival cats in total count.

#3 Fish rank as the 3rd most popular pet type in the US by household count — APPA National Pet Owners Survey, 2024–2025
68M US dog-owning households — the most popular pet category — APPA National Pet Owners Survey, 2024–2025
49M US cat-owning households — second most popular pet — APPA National Pet Owners Survey, 2024–2025
$150.6B Total US pet industry spending in 2023 — the broader context for aquarium hobby growth — APPA, 2024
67% Percentage of US households that own any pet (as of 2024–2025 NPOS) — fish ownership occurs within this broader pet-positive culture — APPA National Pet Owners Survey, 2024–2025

Hobbyist Demographics

Fish ownership skews across a wide age and income spectrum, but certain demographic patterns emerge consistently from APPA survey data and supplementary market research.

All ages Fish ownership is distributed across all age groups — from children's first pets to retirees' therapeutic tanks. APPA does not publicly release a single dominant age cohort for fish owners — APPA Fish & Reptile Insight Report, 2024
Therapeutic Aquariums are documented in healthcare settings (hospitals, dental offices, care homes) for their documented stress-reduction and attention-restoration benefits — Ornamental Fish International (OFI), 2023
Both genders Unlike some pet categories, fishkeeping attracts roughly equal male and female participation — though the reef/marine segment skews more male according to community surveys — Reef2Reef community survey, 2023
Millennials Millennial hobbyists (born 1981–1996) are driving premium equipment adoption and social media-based fishkeeping communities, particularly in planted tanks and nano aquascaping — Grand View Research, 2023
Diverse Asian-American communities represent a disproportionately large and engaged segment of the US aquarium hobby, particularly in koi, goldfish, and arowana keeping — Ornamental Fish International (OFI), 2024

Annual Spending & Purchase Behavior

How much do American fishkeepers spend? The APPA's detailed Fish and Reptile Insight Report provides the most granular publicly available data on this question.

77% Saltwater fish owners planning to buy new fish in the next 12 months — high repurchase intent — APPA Fish & Reptile Insight Report, 2024
55% Freshwater fish owners planning to buy new fish in the next 12 months — APPA Fish & Reptile Insight Report, 2024
Majority Majority of fish-owning households replace fish after they die, maintaining continuous market demand rather than exiting the hobby — APPA Fish & Reptile Insight Report, 2024
Rising Per-hobbyist spending has increased significantly over the past decade as setups become more technically sophisticated and premium livestock commands higher prices — Grand View Research / Straits Research, 2024
Online ↑ E-commerce share of fish and equipment purchases is growing — specialty online retailers, live fish shippers, and coral vendors have gained significant market share from brick-and-mortar stores — Grand View Research, 2023

Tank Counts & Setup Stats

Many committed hobbyists maintain multiple tanks — a behavior known as "Multiple Tank Syndrome" (MTS) within the community — which multiplies per-hobbyist equipment and livestock spend significantly.

MTS "Multiple Tank Syndrome" is widely documented in the hobby — experienced fishkeepers routinely run 2–10+ tanks across species or aquascape projects, amplifying per-person spend — Ornamental Fish International (OFI), 2023
Nano ↑ Tanks under 20 gallons have become the fastest-growing size segment, driven by apartment living, desk setups, and beginner entry packages — Research & Markets, 2025
All-in-one All-in-one aquarium kits (combined tank, filter, lighting) are the dominant entry-point purchase format, lowering barriers for first-time fish keepers — CORAL Magazine / Retail data, 2024
$50–$500+ Typical freshwater starter kit cost range — vs. $500–$5,000+ for a comparable saltwater/reef starter setup — OFI / Industry consensus, 2024

COVID-19 Impact on Fishkeeping

The pandemic was an accelerant for the fishkeeping hobby, but its effects were more nuanced than a simple surge: it brought in large numbers of new hobbyists, some of whom quickly upgraded to advanced systems while others eventually left the hobby.

11.8M US freshwater fish households in 2021–2022 NPOS — post-pandemic peak — APPA National Pet Owners Survey, 2021–2022
2.9M US saltwater fish households in 2021–2022 — highest recorded figure in APPA history for marine keeping — APPA National Pet Owners Survey, 2021–2022
11.5M → 11.8M Freshwater fish household increase from 2019–2020 to 2021–2022 NPOS, reflecting pandemic-era entry into the hobby — APPA National Pet Owners Survey, 2019–2022
1.6M → 2.9M Saltwater fish household jump from 2019–2020 to 2021–2022 — an 81% increase driven by pandemic stay-at-home behavior — APPA National Pet Owners Survey, 2019–2022
Upgrade path Pandemic entrants who stayed in the hobby drove post-2021 equipment and marine market growth as they graduated from starter kits to more complex, higher-value systems — Fortune Business Insights / Grand View Research, 2023

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Americans own pet fish in 2026?

According to the APPA's 2024–2025 National Pet Owners Survey, 9.6 million US households own freshwater fish and 1.9 million own saltwater fish, for a combined total of approximately 11.5 million fish-owning households. This represents roughly 8% of all US households. In terms of total fish kept, approximately 158 million pet fish were living in US homes as of 2023.

Is fish the most popular pet in America?

Fish rank third among pet types by household count, behind dogs (68 million households) and cats (49 million households), according to the 2024–2025 APPA NPOS. However, fish are the most popular pet when measured by total number of individual animals kept — there are roughly 158 million pet fish in the US, vastly exceeding the number of pet dogs or cats.

Is fishkeeping growing or declining in the US?

Household counts have moderated from their 2013–2014 peak of 14.3 million freshwater households and from the 2021–2022 post-pandemic high. However, the total dollar value of the US aquarium market has grown continuously since 2011. This means fewer households are keeping fish, but those who do are spending significantly more — a structural shift toward higher-value, more committed hobbyists.

What percentage of US households own fish?

Approximately 8% of all US households own fish, according to APPA's 2024 Fish and Reptile Owner Insight Report. This is lower than the share owning dogs (approximately 44%) or cats (approximately 29%), but fish remain the third most popular pet type by household count, well ahead of birds, small animals, and reptiles.

How did the pandemic affect fishkeeping in the US?

The pandemic caused a measurable spike in fish ownership. Between the 2019–2020 and 2021–2022 APPA NPOS surveys, freshwater fish households rose from 11.5 million to 11.8 million, and saltwater fish households jumped from 1.6 million to 2.9 million — an 81% increase for marine keeping. Many of these new hobbyists subsequently upgraded to more complex systems, driving post-2021 growth in equipment and marine market value even as total household counts moderated.

Cite This Page:

AquariumLab. "Fishkeeping Statistics 2026: How Many Americans Own Pet Fish?" AquariumLab.co, April 2026. https://aquariumlab.co/stats/fishkeeping-statistics-2026