Animal Control Workers Salary: $65,501 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 11,790 animal control workers nationally earn a mean of $65,501. Employment in the series shown rose about 27% from the first to the last year; much hiring sits in federal, state, and local government, excluding state and local government schools and hospitals and the u.s. postal service (oews designation).
Key Statistics
Animal Control Workers: what the data shows
Common questions about animal control workers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a animal control workers?
Animal Control Workers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 33-9011.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 11,790 workers.
What does a animal control workers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Documenting/Recording Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards, Getting Information, Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a animal control workers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $45,830 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $65,501 — 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 | $48,059 |
| 25th percentile | $54,188 |
| Median (50th) | $64,544 |
| 75th percentile | $74,952 |
| 90th percentile | $82,254 |
What education do you need?
For Animal Control Workers, 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 Speaking, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Social Perceptiveness, Service Orientation, Reading Comprehension, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, Law and Government, Public Safety and Security, English Language. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is animal control workers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 0.2% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 1.2%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 2.5%.
Current U.S. headcount: 11,790.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do animal control workerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 11,790 | 17.0% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 10,810 | 15.6% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 10,810 | 15.6% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 10,810 | 15.6% |
| Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | 10,740 | 15.5% |
| Local Government, including Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | 10,740 | 15.5% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Animal Control Workers 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Air Traffic Controllers | 22,400 | $144,580 |
| Pest Control Workers | 96,110 | $44,730 |
| Traffic Technicians | 7,580 | $58,480 |
| Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door | 46,920 | $74,690 |
| Animal Scientists | 2,470 | $79,120 |
| Animal Breeders | 1,730 | $52,000 |
| Animal Caretakers | 277,300 | $33,470 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Animal Control Workers workforce.
Employment Over Time
11,790 Workforce in 2023
The Animal Control Workers workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Animal Control Workers.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$65,501 Average Wage
In 2023, Animal Control Workers earned an average of $65,501.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Animal Control Workers.
Salary distribution for Animal Control Workers.
Employment Growth Projections
0.2% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
4,777 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 1.2%
4,836 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 2.5%
This occupation is projected to grow at 0.2% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Animal Control Workers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Animal Control Workers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Animal Control Workers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Animal Control Workers.
Wage Trends by Industry
0.4% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Animal Control Workers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Animal Control Workers.
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:
- TX: 1,380 employees, $43,240 avg wage
- CA: 1,280 employees, $63,690 avg wage
- NY: 930 employees, $61,190 avg wage
- FL: 480 employees, $48,700 avg wage
- NC: 450 employees, $43,670 avg wage
- GA: 450 employees, $40,150 avg wage
- IL: 370 employees, $48,730 avg wage
- OK: 370 employees, $37,050 avg wage
- VA: 360 employees, $49,860 avg wage
- MO: 320 employees, $45,380 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Animal Control Workers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 430 employees, $67,160 avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 400 employees, $62,290 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 390 employees, $47,320 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 220 employees, $52,760 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 200 employees, $42,920 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA: 180 employees, $61,280 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 180 employees, $61,570 avg wage
- St. Louis, MO-IL: 160 employees, $48,900 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 150 employees, $45,800 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 150 employees, $73,300 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Animal Control Workers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Animal Control Workers in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Animal Control Workers in 2023 was 11,790 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Animal Control Workers.
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 Control Workers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Animal Control Workers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Animal Control Workers in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Animal Control Workers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Animal Control Workers workers.
Education level distribution for Animal Control Workers.
Skills
Animal Control Workers need many skills, but most especially Speaking, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Social Perceptiveness, Service Orientation.
Required skills for Animal Control Workers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Animal Control Workers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Animal Control Workers include Customer and Personal Service, Law and Government, Public Safety and Security, English Language, Administrative.
Knowledge areas required for Animal Control Workers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Animal Control Workers include Problem Sensitivity, Oral Expression, Oral Comprehension, Deductive Reasoning, Inductive Reasoning.
Required abilities for Animal Control Workers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Animal Control Workers.
Daily Activities
Animal Control Workers spend their time on activities such as Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Documenting/Recording Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards, Getting Information.
Most important work activities for Animal Control Workers.
About
Animal Control Workers
The average yearly wage for Animal Control Workers was $65,501 in 2023.
SOC Code
33-9011 - Animal Control Workers
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Animal Control Workers reports an average salary of $65,501.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 11,790 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 0.2%, 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.