Animal Caretakers Salary: $41,456 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 277,300 animal caretakers nationally earn a mean of $41,456. Employment in the series shown rose about 5% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 4.1% annual growth.
Key Statistics
Animal Caretakers: what the data shows
Common questions about animal caretakers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a animal caretakers?
Animal Caretakers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 39-2021.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 277,300 workers.
What does a animal caretakers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Getting Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Performing General Physical Activities, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Handling and Moving Objects, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a animal caretakers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $33,470 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $41,456 — 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 | $35,399 |
| 25th percentile | $36,715 |
| Median (50th) | $38,258 |
| 75th percentile | $44,500 |
| 90th percentile | $49,519 |
What education do you need?
For 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 Monitoring, Coordination, Service Orientation, Judgment and Decision Making, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, Administrative, English Language, Education and Training. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is animal caretakers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 4.1% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 22.5%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 50.2%.
Current U.S. headcount: 277,300.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do animal caretakerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 277,300 | 19.3% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 267,410 | 18.6% |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 154,470 | 10.8% |
| Personal and Laundry Services | 143,250 | 10.0% |
| Other Personal Services | 143,210 | 10.0% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 41,030 | 2.9% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Agricultural Equipment Operators | 30,940 | $42,580 |
| Animal Scientists | 2,470 | $79,120 |
| Animal Breeders | 1,730 | $52,000 |
| Agricultural Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary | 8,700 | $86,350 |
| Agricultural Workers, All Other | 4,980 | $40,390 |
| Occupational Therapy Assistants | 47,910 | $68,340 |
| Occupational Therapy Aides | 5,000 | $37,370 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Animal Caretakers workforce.
Employment Over Time
277,300 Workforce in 2023
The Animal Caretakers workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Animal Caretakers.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$41,456 Average Wage
In 2023, Animal Caretakers earned an average of $41,456.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Animal Caretakers.
Salary distribution for Animal Caretakers.
Employment Growth Projections
4.1% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
127,812 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 22.5%
156,625 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 50.2%
This occupation is projected to grow at 4.1% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Animal Caretakers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Animal Caretakers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Animal Caretakers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Animal Caretakers.
Wage Trends by Industry
3.3% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Animal Caretakers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Animal Caretakers.
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:
- CA: 26,200 employees, $40,310 avg wage
- TX: 22,690 employees, $32,350 avg wage
- FL: 17,610 employees, $35,280 avg wage
- NY: 11,970 employees, $39,190 avg wage
- NC: 10,810 employees, $31,480 avg wage
- IL: 10,660 employees, $36,090 avg wage
- PA: 10,330 employees, $32,320 avg wage
- OH: 9,750 employees, $34,220 avg wage
- GA: 9,620 employees, $29,550 avg wage
- VA: 9,610 employees, $33,820 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Animal Caretakers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 10,920 employees, $40,040 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 8,880 employees, $38,950 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 8,210 employees, $36,960 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 7,170 employees, $33,480 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 6,730 employees, $38,700 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 6,600 employees, $29,850 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 6,020 employees, $38,390 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 5,680 employees, $35,640 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 5,260 employees, $32,020 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 4,770 employees, $38,630 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Animal Caretakers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Animal Caretakers in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Animal Caretakers in 2023 was 277,300 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for 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 Animal Caretakers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Animal Caretakers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Animal Caretakers in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Animal Caretakers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Animal Caretakers workers.
Education level distribution for Animal Caretakers.
Skills
Animal Caretakers need many skills, but most especially Monitoring, Coordination, Service Orientation, Judgment and Decision Making, Reading Comprehension.
Required skills for Animal Caretakers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Animal Caretakers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Animal Caretakers include Customer and Personal Service, Administrative, English Language, Education and Training, Administration and Management.
Knowledge areas required for Animal Caretakers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Animal Caretakers include Oral Comprehension, Information Ordering, Static Strength, Oral Expression, Near Vision.
Required abilities for Animal Caretakers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Animal Caretakers.
Daily Activities
Animal Caretakers spend their time on activities such as Getting Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Performing General Physical Activities, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Handling and Moving Objects.
Most important work activities for Animal Caretakers.
About
Animal Caretakers
The average yearly wage for Animal Caretakers was $41,456 in 2023.
SOC Code
39-2021 - Animal Caretakers
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Animal Caretakers reports an average salary of $41,456.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 277,300 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 4.1%, 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.