Pay by state · 53 areas
Animal Caretaker Salary by State (2026)
Animal Caretakers earn the most in District of Columbia at $44,210 a year and the least in Mississippi at $26,970 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $35,360. The table below covers all 50 states, DC, U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $44,210District of Columbia
- National median
- $35,360BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $26,970Mississippi
- Areas reporting
- 53of 54 OEWS areas
Top and bottom
Highest- and lowest-paying states for animal caretakers
Ranked on the state median among the 50 states and DC. Territories are in the full table but not ranked here.
Highest median pay
- 1District of Columbia$44,210
- 2Washington$40,570
- 3Hawaii$40,130
- 4Massachusetts$39,650
- 5California$38,700
Lowest median pay
- 1Mississippi$26,970
- 2Louisiana$27,910
- 3Alabama$28,330
- 4West Virginia$28,550
- 5Oklahoma$28,940
All states
Animal Caretaker salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of animal caretakers OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $44,210 | $38,290 | $47,730 | 460 | $40,227 |
| 2 | WAWashington | $40,570 | $37,140 | $48,030 | 6,620 | $37,911 |
| 3 | HIHawaii | $40,130 | $32,910 | $51,810 | 570 | $36,498 |
| 4 | MAMassachusetts | $39,650 | $36,820 | $47,750 | 6,900 | $37,492 |
| 5 | CACalifornia | $38,700 | $36,810 | $45,160 | 25,710 | $34,953 |
| 6 | AZArizona | $38,180 | $35,890 | $47,080 | 6,330 | $37,923 |
| 7 | NYNew York | $37,840 | $35,640 | $43,780 | 12,470 | $35,063 |
| 8 | COColorado | $37,430 | $35,670 | $43,850 | 6,290 | $36,321 |
| 9 | CTConnecticut | $37,310 | $35,860 | $45,980 | 3,000 | $36,010 |
| 10 | MEMaine | $37,230 | $35,250 | $44,000 | 1,430 | $38,362 |
| 11 | RIRhode Island | $37,120 | $34,860 | $43,930 | 1,020 | $36,293 |
| 12 | MDMaryland | $36,780 | $34,450 | $46,790 | 5,570 | $35,042 |
| 13 | AKAlaska | $36,640 | $32,150 | $47,560 | 550 | $35,796 |
| 14 | OROregon | $36,580 | $35,150 | $43,780 | 3,470 | $35,391 |
| 15 | MNMinnesota | $36,430 | $31,710 | $41,600 | 4,250 | $36,939 |
| 16 | VTVermont | $36,090 | $33,870 | $42,840 | 430 | $36,842 |
| 17 | NJNew Jersey | $35,850 | $34,110 | $42,340 | 5,890 | $32,949 |
| 18 | ILIllinois | $35,570 | $32,080 | $37,840 | 11,070 | $35,585 |
| 19 | VIU.S. Virgin Islands | $35,570 | $35,560 | $43,400 | 50 | N/A |
| 20 | NHNew Hampshire | $34,790 | $29,290 | $42,720 | 1,810 | $33,399 |
| 21 | UTUtah | $34,750 | $29,320 | $42,010 | 2,350 | $35,149 |
| 22 | VAVirginia | $34,380 | $29,490 | $38,120 | 10,070 | $34,005 |
| 23 | MTMontana | $34,210 | $29,600 | $39,130 | 1,200 | $36,146 |
| 24 | FLFlorida | $34,150 | $29,760 | $37,460 | 17,210 | $33,023 |
| 25 | NDNorth Dakota | $34,040 | $31,050 | $38,640 | 770 | $38,265 |
| 26 | DEDelaware | $33,910 | $31,200 | $36,360 | 1,230 | $33,975 |
| 27 | NMNew Mexico | $33,570 | $29,070 | $37,300 | 1,710 | $36,405 |
| 28 | TXTexas | $32,730 | $28,460 | $41,930 | 20,450 | $33,722 |
| 29 | IDIdaho | $32,170 | $28,990 | $35,850 | 1,760 | $33,688 |
| 30 | NENebraska | $31,680 | $29,160 | $39,490 | 2,100 | $35,160 |
| 31 | PAPennsylvania | $31,360 | $28,400 | $36,450 | 9,910 | $32,140 |
| 32 | SCSouth Carolina | $31,280 | $28,100 | $36,570 | 4,090 | $33,366 |
| 33 | MOMissouri | $31,230 | $29,300 | $35,500 | 5,820 | $34,388 |
| 34 | NCNorth Carolina | $30,870 | $28,540 | $35,990 | 9,730 | $32,727 |
| 35 | KYKentucky | $30,720 | $27,860 | $37,890 | 6,140 | $34,073 |
| 36 | TNTennessee | $30,550 | $28,110 | $36,170 | 6,110 | $33,254 |
| 37 | SDSouth Dakota | $30,390 | $28,710 | $35,370 | 1,110 | $34,306 |
| 38 | MIMichigan | $30,320 | $28,960 | $36,390 | 6,290 | $31,512 |
| 39 | NVNevada | $30,320 | $28,950 | $36,240 | 2,470 | $30,326 |
| 40 | OHOhio | $30,310 | $28,490 | $36,310 | 9,350 | $32,671 |
| 41 | ARArkansas | $30,230 | $28,580 | $35,210 | 2,040 | $34,772 |
| 42 | WIWisconsin | $30,160 | $28,170 | $36,850 | 5,720 | $32,053 |
| 43 | IAIowa | $30,080 | $27,240 | $35,140 | 3,480 | $34,275 |
| 44 | INIndiana | $29,990 | $26,540 | $35,420 | 6,420 | $32,134 |
| 45 | GAGeorgia | $29,860 | $28,040 | $34,950 | 9,110 | $31,010 |
| 46 | KSKansas | $29,830 | $24,440 | $38,280 | 3,000 | $33,119 |
| 47 | WYWyoming | $29,080 | $25,480 | $36,570 | 460 | $31,373 |
| 48 | OKOklahoma | $28,940 | $23,920 | $35,350 | 3,170 | $32,945 |
| 49 | WVWest Virginia | $28,550 | $25,220 | $34,400 | 1,160 | $31,901 |
| 50 | ALAlabama | $28,330 | $23,920 | $34,280 | 4,100 | $31,895 |
| 51 | LALouisiana | $27,910 | $22,840 | $33,370 | 2,660 | $31,641 |
| 52 | PRPuerto Rico | $27,600 | $22,520 | $30,400 | 520 | N/A |
| 53 | MSMississippi | $26,970 | $22,190 | $29,890 | 1,900 | $31,017 |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For animal caretakers, the adjustment does not change the leader: District of Columbia is first on raw pay and still first once prices are taken into account, at $40,227.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Animal Caretaker pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays animal caretakers the most?
District of Columbia reports the highest median wage for animal caretakers at $44,210 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Washington ($40,570) and Hawaii ($40,130).
Which state pays animal caretakers the least?
Among the 50 states and DC, Mississippi reports the lowest median for animal caretakers at $26,970 a year, $17,240 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Among the territories, U.S. Virgin Islands reports $35,570 and Puerto Rico reports $27,600.
Is the highest-paying state the best for animal caretakers after cost of living?
Yes. District of Columbia stays first after dividing each state median by its BEA Regional Price Parity, at $40,227 in national-average dollars from a raw $44,210. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024; the adjustment is NueCareer's calculation.