Animal Trainers Salary: $58,415 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 20,110 animal trainers nationally earn a mean of $58,415. Projections imply about 3.3% annual growth; much hiring sits in other services (except public administration).
Key Statistics
Animal Trainers: what the data shows
Common questions about animal trainers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a animal trainers?
Animal Trainers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 39-2011.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 20,110 workers.
What does a animal trainers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Performing General Physical Activities, Training and Teaching Others, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Thinking Creatively, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a animal trainers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $38,750 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $58,415 — 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 | $37,527 |
| 25th percentile | $40,078 |
| Median (50th) | $48,110 |
| 75th percentile | $61,891 |
| 90th percentile | $86,645 |
What education do you need?
For Animal Trainers, 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 Instructing, Speaking, Learning Strategies, Critical Thinking, Active Learning, Active Listening, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, Education and Training, Psychology, Administration and Management. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is animal trainers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 3.3% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 17.4%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 37.8%.
Current U.S. headcount: 20,110.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do animal trainerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 20,110 | 20.7% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 19,960 | 20.5% |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 9,760 | 10.0% |
| Other Personal Services | 9,130 | 9.4% |
| Personal and Laundry Services | 9,130 | 9.4% |
| Retail Trade | 3,660 | 3.8% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Animal Trainers 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Animal Scientists | 2,470 | $79,120 |
| Animal Breeders | 1,730 | $52,000 |
| Animal Caretakers | 277,300 | $33,470 |
| Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers | 114,190 | $37,320 |
| Animal Control Workers | 11,790 | $45,830 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Animal Trainers workforce.
Employment Over Time
20,110 Workforce in 2023
The Animal Trainers workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Animal Trainers.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$58,415 Average Wage
In 2023, Animal Trainers earned an average of $58,415.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Animal Trainers.
Salary distribution for Animal Trainers.
Employment Growth Projections
3.3% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
10,705 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 17.4%
12,567 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 37.8%
This occupation is projected to grow at 3.3% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Animal Trainers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Animal Trainers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Animal Trainers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Animal Trainers.
Wage Trends by Industry
49.6% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Animal Trainers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Animal Trainers.
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: 2,470 employees, $56,800 avg wage
- FL: 1,570 employees, $42,750 avg wage
- NY: 1,320 employees, $51,470 avg wage
- OH: 970 employees, $38,160 avg wage
- GA: 790 employees, $39,760 avg wage
- TX: 790 employees, $34,810 avg wage
- NC: 740 employees, $46,960 avg wage
- AZ: 710 employees, $37,170 avg wage
- PA: 630 employees, $44,310 avg wage
- VA: 620 employees, N/A avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Animal Trainers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 1,230 employees, $54,950 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 790 employees, $55,750 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 660 employees, $40,340 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 620 employees, $65,580 avg wage
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: 530 employees, $36,760 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 500 employees, $46,660 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 460 employees, $39,550 avg wage
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI: 430 employees, $38,890 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 400 employees, $74,770 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 360 employees, $46,820 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Animal Trainers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Animal Trainers in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Animal Trainers in 2023 was 20,110 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Animal Trainers.
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 Trainers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Animal Trainers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Animal Trainers in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Animal Trainers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Animal Trainers workers.
Education level distribution for Animal Trainers.
Skills
Animal Trainers need many skills, but most especially Instructing, Speaking, Learning Strategies, Critical Thinking, Active Learning.
Required skills for Animal Trainers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Animal Trainers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Animal Trainers include Customer and Personal Service, Education and Training, Psychology, Administration and Management, English Language.
Knowledge areas required for Animal Trainers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Animal Trainers include Problem Sensitivity, Oral Expression, Oral Comprehension, Information Ordering, Speech Clarity.
Required abilities for Animal Trainers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Animal Trainers.
Daily Activities
Animal Trainers spend their time on activities such as Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Performing General Physical Activities, Training and Teaching Others, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Thinking Creatively.
Most important work activities for Animal Trainers.
About
Animal Trainers
The average yearly wage for Animal Trainers was $58,415 in 2023.
SOC Code
39-2011 - Animal Trainers
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Animal Trainers reports an average salary of $58,415.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 20,110 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 3.3%, 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.