Pay by state · 53 states
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. All 53 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $44,210District of Columbia
- National median
- $35,360BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $26,970Mississippi
- States reporting
- 53of 54 OEWS areas
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, that changes the ranking: District of Columbia leads on raw pay at $44,210, while District of Columbia leads 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?
Mississippi reports the lowest median for Animal Caretakers at $26,970 a year, $17,240 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Animal Caretakers earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts District of Columbia first at $40,227 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $44,210. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.