FMK Research
Measured, not estimated
Every cost page on the internet quotes an estimated range. We maintain a directory of US pet-care facilities and record the prices they actually advertise — which makes it possible to publish real numbers with a stated method: sample sizes per state, percentiles instead of vibes, and an n ≥ 10bar below which we say “insufficient data” instead of guessing. The data behind each study is downloadable and free to cite.
Price index · June 2026
What dog boarding actually costs, by state
Advertised prices measured from 1,160 boarding facilities; median, p25–p75, and cost-of-living-adjusted rankings for the 31 states that clear the sample bar.
Price index · June 2026
What dog daycare actually costs, by state
Advertised prices measured from 865 daycare facilities; median, p25–p75, and cost-of-living-adjusted rankings for the 31 states that clear the sample bar.
Price index · June 2026
What dog grooming actually costs, by state
Advertised prices measured from 1,344 grooming shops; median, p25–p75, and cost-of-living-adjusted rankings for the 34 states that clear the sample bar.
Price index · June 2026
The two prices of a self-serve dog wash
Advertised prices measured from 1,347 wash locations: farm-store chains charge a flat $9.99 nationwide, independents a median of $18 — a national two-tier finding, not a state table.
Coverage
The Pet Care Access Gap
How far 19,333 American towns sit from the nearest vet, groomer, kennel, daycare and dog wash — 55.4 million people live more than 10 miles from a dedicated dog daycare.
Facility audit
What pet-care facilities actually advertise
How often kennels and groomers promote each amenity and service on their own sites — only 27.9% of boarding kennels advertise webcams, with the denominator printed beside every rate.
Also from the dataset
The studies above are the methodical treatment. For shorter pieces built on the same data — what a “luxury” kennel name really costs, how pet businesses name themselves, which cities have the most pet care per resident — see FMK Stories.