Animal Breeders Salary: $63,493 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 1,730 animal breeders nationally earn a mean of $63,493. Employment in the series shown fell about 100% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 1.3% annual decline.
Key Statistics
Animal Breeders: what the data shows
Common questions about animal breeders careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a animal breeders?
Animal Breeders is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 45-2021.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 1,730 workers.
What does a animal breeders do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Performing General Physical Activities, Documenting/Recording Information, Handling and Moving Objects, Getting Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a animal breeders make?
BLS national median annual wage: $52,000 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $63,493 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $49,730 |
| 25th percentile | $52,118 |
| Median (50th) | $59,952 |
| 75th percentile | $61,383 |
| 90th percentile | $97,792 |
What education do you need?
For Animal Breeders, 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 Critical Thinking, Active Learning, Monitoring, Complex Problem Solving, Speaking, Science, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, Sales and Marketing, Administration and Management, Biology. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is animal breeders in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 1.3% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -6.5%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -12.5%.
Current U.S. headcount: 1,730.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do animal breederss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 1,730 | 36.9% |
| Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 810 | 17.3% |
| Support Activities for Agriculture and Forestry | 810 | 17.3% |
| Support Activities for Animal Production | 810 | 17.3% |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 130 | 2.8% |
| Manufacturing | 120 | 2.6% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Animal Breeders 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Agricultural Equipment Operators | 30,940 | $42,580 |
| Animal Scientists | 2,470 | $79,120 |
| Agricultural Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary | 8,700 | $86,350 |
| Agricultural Workers, All Other | 4,980 | $40,390 |
| Animal Caretakers | 277,300 | $33,470 |
| Occupational Therapy Assistants | 47,910 | $68,340 |
| Occupational Therapy Aides | 5,000 | $37,370 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Animal Breeders workforce.
Employment Over Time
1,730 Workforce in 2023
The Animal Breeders workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Animal Breeders.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$63,493 Average Wage
In 2023, Animal Breeders earned an average of $63,493.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Animal Breeders.
Salary distribution for Animal Breeders.
Employment Growth Projections
-1.3% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
168 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -6.5%
157 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -12.5%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Animal Breeders.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Animal Breeders and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Animal Breeders employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Animal Breeders.
Wage Trends by Industry
39.1% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Total, All Industry: 22.2% growth (Current: $72,253)
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Animal Breeders.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Animal Breeders.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- NY: 220 employees, $55,480 avg wage
- TX: 110 employees, $48,460 avg wage
- WI: 70 employees, $49,750 avg wage
- AL: 50 employees, $41,540 avg wage
- MN: 40 employees, $49,610 avg wage
- KY: 30 employees, $48,270 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Animal Breeders.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Metropolitan area employment data is not available for this occupation.
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Animal Breeders.
Diversity
Demographic information on Animal Breeders in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Animal Breeders in 2023 was 1,730 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Animal Breeders.
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 Animal Breeders.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Animal Breeders.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Animal Breeders in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Animal Breeders.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Animal Breeders workers.
Education level distribution for Animal Breeders.
Skills
Animal Breeders need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Learning, Monitoring, Complex Problem Solving, Speaking.
Required skills for Animal Breeders.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Animal Breeders.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Animal Breeders include Customer and Personal Service, Sales and Marketing, Administration and Management, Biology, Mathematics.
Knowledge areas required for Animal Breeders.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Animal Breeders include Near Vision, Category Flexibility, Deductive Reasoning, Problem Sensitivity, Arm-Hand Steadiness.
Required abilities for Animal Breeders.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Animal Breeders.
Daily Activities
Animal Breeders spend their time on activities such as Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Performing General Physical Activities, Documenting/Recording Information, Handling and Moving Objects, Getting Information.
Most important work activities for Animal Breeders.
About
Animal Breeders
The average yearly wage for Animal Breeders was $63,493 in 2023.
SOC Code
45-2021 - Animal Breeders
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Animal Breeders reports an average salary of $63,493.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 1,730 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -1.3%, 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.