iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Among residents of the 50 states, Vermonters are more likely to have pets, according to a new survey by the American Veterinary Medical Association.The AVMA released its U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook, revealing which states have the largest number of pet owners, which have the fewest, and spending trends among pet owners.Thomas McPheron, spokesman for the AVMA, said the survey didn't collect information that might indicate why certain states had higher rates of pet ownership.  However, one of the factors may be related to the type of dwellings, such as rural or suburban."One clue might be that Washington D.C., which is completely urban, has the absolute lowest pet ownership numbers," McPheron said.Total veterinary expenditures for all households with pets were estimated to be about $28 billion in 2011.  Dogs represented 68.1 percent of total veterinary expenditures; cats, 26.3 percent; birds, 0.5 percent; horses, 2.9 percent; and specialty and exotic pets, 2.1 percent.The mean veterinary expenditure per household for all pets was $375 in 2011.Households that considered their dogs or cats to be family members spent more on veterinary expenditures than those that considered their pets to be pets/companions or property.The AVMA retained Irwin Broh Research to conduct the research for the study.  A questionnaire was distributed by email to 222,244 U.S. households.Here is a list of the 10 states with the highest percentage of pet owners:1. Vermont: 70.8 percent pet owners2. New Mexico: 67.6 percent pet owners3. South Dakota: 65.6 pet owners4. Oregon: 63.6 percent pet owners5. Maine: 62.9 percent pet owners6. Washington: 62.7 percent pet owners7. Arkansas: 62.4 percent pet owners8. West Virginia: 62.1 percent pet owners9. Idaho: 62 percent pet owners10. Wyoming: 61.8 percent pet owners And here are the 10 states with the lowest percentage of pet owners:1. District of Columbia: 21.9 percent pet owners2. Massachusetts: 50.4 percent pet owners3. New York: 50.6 percent pet owners4. New Jersey: 50.7 percent pet owners5. Utah: 51.2 percent pet owners6. Nebraska: 51.3 percent pet owners7. Illinois: 51.8 percent pet owners8. Maryland: 52.3 percent pet owners9. California: 52.9 percent pet owners10T. Minnesota: 53 percent pet owners10T. Rhode Island: 53 percent pet owners Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

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