The question of how many animal testing laboratories exist in the United States does not have a single, fixed answer, as the count depends entirely on the legal definition of a research facility. The official number is derived from a federal registration system that governs institutions using certain species of animals for scientific purposes. This makes the count a regulatory figure rather than a simple census of every physical location where animal research occurs. Understanding the true scope of animal use requires looking beyond the facility count to the specific legal framework that dictates which animals and institutions must be tracked.
The Regulatory Framework Defining Research Facilities
The federal government tracks facilities through the registration requirements established by the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). This law mandates that any entity using covered animals for research, teaching, or experimentation must register with the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). Registration applies to a diverse group of institutions, including universities, private pharmaceutical companies, government laboratories, and hospitals. These entities are classified as “research facilities” under the AWA.
The AWA system differentiates between a registered research facility and other regulated entities, such as animal dealers or exhibitors, which have separate license and registration requirements. A single registered facility may encompass multiple physical buildings or campuses under the same administrative oversight, meaning the number of registrations does not equate to the number of individual laboratory rooms. Registration legally defines the universe of institutions subject to APHIS oversight and annual inspections.
The legal framework is designed to ensure compliance with minimum standards for the humane handling, housing, and veterinary care of the animals covered by the Act. Facilities must also establish an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) to review and approve all research protocols involving regulated species. This committee structure provides internal oversight, ensuring that the institution’s practices conform to federal regulations.
Current Facility Statistics and Data Sources
The official count of animal research facilities is published annually by USDA APHIS. This number represents the total count of active registrations across the country for a given fiscal year. The most recent data indicates that the number of AWA-registered research facilities fluctuates around the one thousand mark.
In fiscal year 2023, APHIS reported approximately 1,048 registered research facilities in the United States. This figure includes both private and public institutions that are actively using or holding AWA-regulated animals. The count for the following fiscal year, 2024, showed a slight decrease to 1,014 registered facilities.
These numbers are dynamic and can change year-to-year due to facility mergers, new registrations, or the termination of research programs involving regulated species. The official data is consolidated from the APHIS Form 7023 submissions. While this number directly answers the question of registered facilities, it is a narrow metric that does not capture the full extent of animal research activity.
Annual Scope of Animal Utilization
The number of registered facilities provides only one dimension of the scope of animal research; a more complete picture emerges from the mandated animal usage reports. The AWA requires registered facilities to report the number of covered animals used each year, categorized by species and the degree of pain or distress experienced. This reporting system includes dogs, cats, guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits, non-human primates, and certain other warm-blooded species.
A significant limitation of the AWA’s reporting is the explicit exclusion of purpose-bred rats, mice of the genus Mus, and birds bred for research. Because these non-regulated species constitute an estimated 90% to 95% of all animals used in laboratories, the official APHIS statistics reflect only a small fraction of the total animals involved in scientific studies. The total reported number of AWA-covered animals used in fiscal year 2023 was approximately 1.6 million.
Facilities must categorize the regulated animals used into specific pain and distress levels, designated as categories C, D, and E.
- Category C procedures involve no more than momentary or slight pain or distress, such as routine injections or minor physical examinations.
- Category D includes procedures that may cause pain or distress, but for which appropriate pain-relieving drugs, such as anesthesia or analgesia, are administered.
- Category E accounts for animals subjected to procedures with accompanying pain or distress where pain relief was withheld for justifiable scientific reasons.
The most recent summary data indicates that the majority of AWA-covered animals are reported in category C, followed by category D. Category E, representing unalleviated pain or distress, consistently accounts for the smallest number of animals. However, a major increase in the total reported animals for 2024, rising to over 2.2 million, was largely due to new reporting requirements that included non-research-bred birds and voluntary reporting of cold-blooded animals like fish, further complicating the comparison of annual totals.