US dog treat and chew market revenue

As EV charging stations have proliferated across America, the dog treat market has grown with almost identical enthusiasm, a correlation of 0.994 that suggests either that electric vehicles attract dogs or that the same affluent suburban household charging a Tesla in the garage is also buying freeze-dried salmon bites for the labradoodle. The charger fills the battery, the treat fills the bowl, and the chart fills with the quiet satisfaction of a scatter plot that has found its audience.

EV charging stations grew from about 8,000 to over 160,000 between 2010 and 2022. Dog treat revenue grew from about 5 billion to over 11 billion during the same period. Both are growth curves powered by the same affluent consumer demographic: homeowners with garages (for the charger) and disposable income (for the premium treats). Both also benefited from e-commerce—dog treats are increasingly ordered online and EV chargers are increasingly mapped through apps. The shared variable is the upper-middle-class American household that invests in both sustainable transportation and sustainable spoiling.

Thirteen years of EV chargers and dog treats growing together is a portrait of the suburban American household circa 2022: electric vehicle in the driveway, artisan treats in the pantry, and disposable income sufficient for both. The charger powers the car, the treat powers the dog, and the economy powers them both. The garage is full. The treat jar is full. The wallet is lighter.