State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
Animal Caretaker Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
The median pay for Animal Caretakers is $35,360 a year ($17.00/hr), according to BLS OEWS, May 2025. Employment is projected to grow 12.1% through 2034, with about 74,600 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent.
SOC 39-2021Personal Care and ServiceLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $35,360
- Projected growth
- +12.1%
- Openings a year
- 74,600
- Typical education
- High school
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Animal Care Giver (ACG), Aquarist, Dog Bather, Dog Groomer, Groomer, Kennel Attendant.
How much do Animal Caretakers make?
10th percentile$27,250
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$29,820
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$35,360
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$40,050
Upper quartile
90th percentile$50,060
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $35,360 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $17.00/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $37,300 |
| People employed | 266,910 |
Versus all US occupations
At $35,360, Animal Caretakers earn 31% below the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $15,620 a year.
Versus personal care and service occupations
Inside the Personal Care and Service group, where the middle occupation pays $38,120, this is 7% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $50,060 or more while the bottom 10% earn $27,250, a gap of 1.8×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 3% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
District of Columbia pays the most at $44,210, and still leads at $40,227 once local prices are taken into account.
Which states pay Animal Caretakers the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $44,210 | $40,227 | 460 |
| Washington | $40,570 | $37,911 | 6,620 |
| Hawaii | $40,130 | $36,498 | 570 |
| Massachusetts | $39,650 | $37,492 | 6,900 |
| California | $38,700 | $34,953 | 25,710 |
| Arizona | $38,180 | $37,923 | 6,330 |
| New York | $37,840 | $35,063 | 12,470 |
| Colorado | $37,430 | $36,321 | 6,290 |
| Connecticut | $37,310 | $36,010 | 3,000 |
| Maine | $37,230 | $38,362 | 1,430 |
Is Animal Caretaker a growing career?
Animal Caretakers12.1%
All US occupations3.1%
+12.1% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
Much faster than average
BLS projects employment of Animal Caretakers to change 12.1% over 2024–2034, roughly 3.9× the 3.1% projected for all occupations. That is 47,600 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 74,600 openings are projected each year, 19.0% of the 392,100 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Overall employment of animal care and service workers is projected to grow 11 percent from 2024 to 2034, much faster than the average for all occupations.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Many people consider their pets to be a part of their family and are willing to pay more for pet care than pet owners have in the past. As more households include companion pets, employment of animal care and service workers is expected to continue to grow.
How to become an Animal Caretaker
Animal care and service workers typically have a high school diploma or equivalent and learn the occupation on the job. Many employers prefer to hire people who have experience with animals.
| Typical entry-level education | High school diploma or equivalent |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Little or no preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | None |
| Typical on-the-job training | Short-term on-the-job training |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as animal caretakers.
- High School Diploma63.6%
- Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)13.6%
- Bachelor's Degree13.4%
- Less than a High School Diploma9.5%
What does an Animal Caretaker do?
Feed, water, groom, bathe, exercise, or otherwise provide care to promote and maintain the well-being of pets and other animals that are not raised for consumption, such as dogs, cats, race horses, ornamental fish or birds, zoo animals, and mice. Work in settings such as kennels, animal shelters, zoos, circuses, and aquariums. May keep records of feedings, treatments, and animals received or discharged. May clean, disinfect, and repair cages, pens, or fish tanks.
Animal care and service workers attend to or train animals. Working with pets and other nonfarm animals, these caretakers and trainers feed, groom, and exercise the animals or teach them to respond to human commands.
Day-to-day tasks
- Respond to questions from patrons, and provide information about animals, such as behavior, habitat, breeding habits, or facility activities.
- Examine and observe animals to detect signs of illness, disease, or injury.
- Do facility laundry and clean, organize, maintain, and disinfect animal quarters, such as pens and stables, and equipment, such as saddles and bridles.
- Feed and water animals according to schedules and feeding instructions.
- Provide treatment to sick or injured animals, or contact veterinarians to secure treatment.
- Perform animal grooming duties, such as washing, brushing, clipping, and trimming coats, cutting nails, and cleaning ears.
- Mix food, liquid formulas, medications, or food supplements according to instructions, prescriptions, and knowledge of animal species.
- Collect and record animal information, such as weight, size, physical condition, treatments received, medications given, and food intake.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Where animal caretakers work
| Other personal services | 37% |
|---|---|
| Self-employed workers | 25% |
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | 10% |
| Retail trade | 10% |
| Social advocacy organizations | 3% |
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–2034 edition.
Core skills
- Monitoring3.1/5
- Reading Comprehension3.0/5
- Active Listening3.0/5
- Speaking2.9/5
- Writing2.8/5
- Critical Thinking2.8/5
- Active Learning2.4/5
- Mathematics2.0/5
Transferable skills
- Coordination3.0/5
- Service Orientation3.0/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.0/5
- Social Perceptiveness2.8/5
- Complex Problem Solving2.6/5
- Time Management2.5/5
- Instructing2.1/5
- Systems Analysis2.1/5
Tools and software
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Calendar and scheduling software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits an Animal Caretaker?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realisticprimary6.2
Investigative2.8
Artistic1.6
Socialprimary3.8
Enterprising1.5
Conventionalprimary3.3
Day to day this is work built around hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors, combined with teaching, helping and working directly with other people.
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Animal Caretaker: frequently asked questions
How much do Animal Caretakers make?
Animal Caretakers earn a median of $35,360 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 31% below the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $17.00/hr. The middle half earn between $29,820 and $40,050. The top 10% earn $50,060 or more.
Do you need a degree to become an Animal Caretaker?
No. A bachelor's degree is not the norm: BLS reports a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for Animal Caretakers. BLS also lists short-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 63.6% hold high school diploma.
Is Animal Caretaker a growing career?
Yes, strongly. Employment is projected to grow 12.1% over 2024–2034, more than double the 3.1% projected for all occupations (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 74,600 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does an Animal Caretaker do?
Animal care and service workers attend to or train animals. A core O*NET task: respond to questions from patrons, and provide information about animals, such as behavior, habitat, breeding habits, or facility activities. Employers most often ask for Data base user interface and query software, Electronic mail software, Office suite software.
Which states pay Animal Caretakers the most?
The highest state medians for Animal Caretakers are District of Columbia ($44,210), Washington ($40,570), Hawaii ($40,130) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits an Animal Caretaker?
O*NET scores Animal Caretakers highest on the Realistic, Social and Conventional interest areas, so the work mixes hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors with teaching, helping and working directly with other people. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ISTJ, ISFJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.