Data
Pet Sitting Rates 2026: What US Pet Sitters and Dog Walkers Charge, by Service and Region
TL;DR
Across 74 US businesses, the median posted price is $30 for a 30-minute dog walk, $46 for a 60-minute walk, $30 for a 30-minute drop-in visit and $100 for an overnight stay.
The median holiday surcharge is $10 and the median extra-pet fee is $5. Prices come from each business’s own website, checked October 21, 2026.
Read this first: a small sample of 74 businesses found through search, not a survey. Prices were read once, on October 21, 2026. Where fewer than 5 businesses posted a price, we show no figure. The Midwest overnight row (n = 4) is not shown, and the West extra-pet fee (n = 5) is a thin sample.
The numbers, by service and region
Each table shows how many businesses posted that price (n), the median, and the 25th and 75th percentiles. The middle half of businesses charge between the 25th and 75th percentile. Where fewer than 5 businesses posted a price, we do not show a figure.
30-min dog walk
| Region | n | Median | 25th pct | 75th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northeast | 16 | $30 | $26.50 | $34.25 |
| Midwest | 8 | $31 | $26.75 | $33.25 |
| South | 16 | $27 | $25.75 | $30 |
| West | 16 | $30.50 | $25 | $35 |
| National | 56 | $30 | $25.75 | $34 |
60-min dog walk
| Region | n | Median | 25th pct | 75th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northeast | 11 | $43.75 | $40 | $55.50 |
| Midwest | 8 | $46 | $44.50 | $49.25 |
| South | 11 | $45 | $43 | $47 |
| West | 11 | $48 | $40.50 | $53 |
| National | 41 | $46 | $40 | $53 |
30-min drop-in visit
| Region | n | Median | 25th pct | 75th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northeast | 15 | $30 | $26.50 | $31.50 |
| Midwest | 8 | $30.50 | $24.50 | $34.25 |
| South | 18 | $29 | $25.25 | $30 |
| West | 11 | $30 | $30 | $33.50 |
| National | 52 | $30 | $26 | $31.63 |
Overnight stay (in-home)
| Region | n | Median | 25th pct | 75th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northeast | 14 | $112.50 | $100 | $144.96 |
| Midwest | 4 | not enough data | not enough data | not enough data |
| South | 19 | $95 | $90 | $122.50 |
| West | 14 | $100 | $86.25 | $116.50 |
| National | 51 | $100 | $90 | $125 |
Holiday surcharge
| Region | n | Median | 25th pct | 75th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northeast | 8 | $12.50 | $10 | $15 |
| Midwest | 6 | $10 | $10 | $13.75 |
| South | 12 | $12.50 | $10 | $20 |
| West | 10 | $12.50 | $10 | $15 |
| National | 36 | $10 | $10 | $15 |
Extra-pet fee
| Region | n | Median | 25th pct | 75th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northeast | 8 | $5 | $4.50 | $5.50 |
| Midwest | 8 | $4 | $2.75 | $5 |
| South | 13 | $5 | $3 | $5 |
| West | 5 | $5 | $5 | $9 |
| National | 34 | $5 | $3 | $5 |
Business count by region: Northeast 19, Midwest 14, South 23, West 18. Full data with the page URL for every row: prices.csv (download).
What stands out
- The 30-minute walk and the 30-minute drop-in have the same national median, $30. The middle half of walk prices runs from $25.75 to $34.
- The South has the lowest median 30-minute walk ($27) and the Northeast the highest overnight median ($112.50) among regions with enough data.
- Holiday surcharges and extra-pet fees are small, flat amounts at most businesses. Many businesses post no extra-pet fee at all, so n is lower for those rows.
- With 14 to 23 businesses per region, a gap of a dollar or two between regions is within what you would expect from noise. Read the quartiles, not just the medians.
Method
We searched for independent US pet sitting and dog walking businesses by city and read the rates, pricing or services page on each business’s own website. We aimed for at least 12 businesses in each of the four Census regions, mixing large metros and smaller towns. Marketplaces such as Rover and Wag, aggregators and articles were not used as data points.
We recorded only prices clearly posted on the page. “Call for quote” and price ranges were left blank, and most “starting at” prices too. Percent surcharges were left out. All prices were checked on October 21, 2026, and each row in the data file has its page URL.
Limits. These are posted prices, not what clients actually pay after packages and discounts. The sample is small and found through search, so it is not a survey and does not represent every business or state. Several states have one business or none. Definitions differ between businesses (for example, an overnight priced per night versus per 24 hours). A typo in reading a page is possible, so tell us if you spot one.
How to use this to set your own rates
- Find your service in the tables and compare your price with the 25th, median and 75th percentile. If you sit below the 25th percentile and are booked out, you likely have room to raise prices.
- Look at your region, then adjust for your own town. A big metro and a small town in the same region can price very differently, and the tables here do not split by city size.
- Check the add-ons. A flat holiday surcharge and an extra-pet fee are common, and the medians above give you a starting point if you have none.
- Run your own numbers through our pet sitting rate calculator to see what a price needs to cover for your costs and hours.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median price of a 30-minute dog walk in 2026?
In our sample of 56 businesses that posted it, the median is $30, and the middle half charge between $25.75 and $34. By region the median ranges from $27 in the South to $31 in the Midwest.
How much does an overnight pet sitting stay cost?
The national median posted price is $100 per night for an in-home stay (n = 51). The middle half run from $90 to $125. The Northeast median is $112.50, the West $100 and the South $95. We do not show a Midwest figure because only 4 businesses posted one.
Do pet sitters charge extra for holidays and extra pets?
Many do. Among businesses that posted a flat dollar holiday surcharge, the median is $10 (n = 36). The median extra-pet fee is $5 (n = 34). Some businesses charge a percent instead, and we did not include those.
Does the price depend on where I live?
Somewhat. Medians differ by a few dollars between regions, and overnight stays vary the most. Our sample is small, so use the quartile ranges in the tables as a guide, not a rule.
Where does this data come from?
From the rates pages on each business’s own website, checked October 21, 2026. We did not use Rover, Wag or other marketplaces. This is a sample of posted prices, not a survey.
Cite this data
Porchlight, Pet Sitting Rates 2026, porchlight.pet/data/pet-sitting-rates-2026, checked October 2026
You are welcome to quote the tables with a link back to this page.
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