Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers Salary: $47,822 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 114,190 veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers nationally earn a mean of $47,822. Employment in the series shown fell about 8% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 4.2% annual growth.
Key Statistics
Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers: what the data shows
Common questions about veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers?
Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 31-9096.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 114,190 workers.
What does a veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Documenting/Recording Information, Performing General Physical Activities, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Assisting and Caring for Others, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Getting Information, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $37,320 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $47,822 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $38,288 |
| 25th percentile | $39,471 |
| Median (50th) | $46,763 |
| 75th percentile | $49,920 |
| 90th percentile | $60,215 |
What education do you need?
For Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Writing, Monitoring, Service Orientation, Reading Comprehension, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Biology, Administrative. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 4.2% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 22.7%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 50.6%.
Current U.S. headcount: 114,190.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 114,190 | 16.7% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 110,280 | 16.1% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 103,290 | 15.1% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 103,290 | 15.1% |
| Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 101,930 | 14.9% |
| Veterinary Services | 101,800 | 14.9% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Veterinary Technologists and Technicians | 131,320 | $45,980 |
| Genetic Counselors | 3,510 | $98,910 |
| Audiologists | 14,730 | $92,120 |
| Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists | — | — |
| Biochemists and Biophysicists | 34,520 | $103,650 |
| Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants | 154,540 | $54,140 |
| Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers | 16,230 | $115,230 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers workforce.
Employment Over Time
114,190 Workforce in 2023
The Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$47,822 Average Wage
In 2023, Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers earned an average of $47,822.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers.
Salary distribution for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers.
Employment Growth Projections
4.2% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
70,616 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 22.7%
86,663 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 50.6%
This occupation is projected to grow at 4.2% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers.
Wage Trends by Industry
5.8% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 13,300 employees, $47,582 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 3,020 employees, $47,627 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 1,640 employees, $46,218 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 1,590 employees, $50,218 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 1,590 employees, $47,373 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 1,370 employees, $52,398 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 1,060 employees, $43,040 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 550 employees, $52,203 avg wage
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA: 430 employees, $45,014 avg wage
- Santa Rosa-Petaluma MSA: 320 employees, $48,007 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 220 employees, $42,320 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers in 2023 was 114,190 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers in 2023 were Biology, Chemistry, Health Sciences.
Common majors for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers workers.
Education level distribution for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers.
Skills
Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Writing, Monitoring, Service Orientation.
Required skills for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers include Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Biology, Administrative, Medicine and Dentistry.
Knowledge areas required for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers include Oral Expression, Oral Comprehension, Written Expression, Problem Sensitivity, Information Ordering.
Required abilities for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers.
Daily Activities
Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers spend their time on activities such as Documenting/Recording Information, Performing General Physical Activities, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Assisting and Caring for Others, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings.
Most important work activities for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers.
About
Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers
The average yearly wage for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers was $47,822 in 2023.
SOC Code
31-9096 - Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers reports an average salary of $47,822.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 114,190 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 4.2%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.