Indiana almost cracks Top 10 Best State for animals

The US has nearly 3,000 native animal species. At the same time, over 87 million American households’ own pets that depend on humans for their care. To help highlight where they are best supported, the nonprofit SmileHub released two new reports for 2025: Best Charities for Animals and Best States for Animals.

SmileHub compared all 50 states using 18 key metrics. These included the number of charities per capita, how many homes have pets, and the number of veterinarians per pet-owning household.

Indiana ranked at number 11.

Top 10 Best States for animals:

1. Colorado
2. Oregon
3. Nebraska
4. Washington
5. Vermont
6. Montana
7. Minnesota
8. Idaho
9. Kansas
10. Florida

10 States With the Most Room for Improvement:

41. South Carolina
42. Nevada
43. Louisiana
44. Mississippi
45. New York
46. Georgia
47. New Mexico
48. Maryland
49. Hawaii
50. Alabama