• Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023

39-2021 Animal Caretakers

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. Excludes “Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers” (31-9096) and “Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals” (45-2093).

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National estimates for Animal Caretakers
Industry profile for Animal Caretakers
Geographic profile for Animal Caretakers

National estimates for Animal Caretakers:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Animal Caretakers:

Employment (1)	Employment RSE (3)	Mean hourly wage	Mean annual wage (2)	Wage RSE (3)
268,830	3.0 %	$ 16.12	$ 33,530	0.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for Animal Caretakers:

Percentile	10%	25%	50% (Median)	75%	90%
Hourly Wage	$ 11.15	$ 13.47	$ 15.00	$ 17.41	$ 21.67
Annual Wage (2)	$ 23,180	$ 28,030	$ 31,200	$ 36,220	$ 45,080

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Industry profile for Animal Caretakers:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Animal Caretakers are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Animal Caretakers, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Animal Caretakers:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Other Personal Services	134,120	33.37	$ 15.94	$ 33,150
Other Miscellaneous Retailers	42,640	8.65	$ 15.96	$ 33,200
Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	38,330	4.47	$ 14.78	$ 30,750
Social Advocacy Organizations	11,360	4.49	$ 15.01	$ 31,220
Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions	7,870	4.65	$ 19.18	$ 39,900

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Animal Caretakers:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Other Personal Services	134,120	33.37	$ 15.94	$ 33,150
Support Activities for Animal Production	6,350	19.91	$ 18.16	$ 37,770
Other Miscellaneous Retailers	42,640	8.65	$ 15.96	$ 33,200
Spectator Sports	7,180	4.78	$ 16.42	$ 34,150
Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions	7,870	4.65	$ 19.18	$ 39,900

Top paying industries for Animal Caretakers:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation)	460	0.02	$ 23.55	$ 48,980
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)	220	0.01	$ 21.85	$ 45,440
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services	130	0.01	$ 21.79	$ 45,310
Scientific Research and Development Services	1,360	0.15	$ 21.68	$ 45,090
Real Estate	(8)	(8)	$ 21.31	$ 44,320

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Geographic profile for Animal Caretakers:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Animal Caretakers are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Animal Caretakers, see the Create Customized Tables function.

States with the highest employment level in Animal Caretakers:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
California	24,930	1.39	0.78	$ 19.09	$ 39,710
Texas	22,220	1.64	0.93	$ 15.24	$ 31,710
Florida	16,890	1.77	1.00	$ 15.94	$ 33,160
New York	12,240	1.30	0.74	$ 18.36	$ 38,190
Illinois	10,650	1.77	1.00	$ 17.16	$ 35,690

States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Animal Caretakers:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Kentucky	7,180	3.66	2.07	$ 14.55	$ 30,270
Idaho	2,020	2.46	1.39	$ 15.12	$ 31,450
Missouri	6,960	2.42	1.37	$ 14.86	$ 30,920
Iowa	3,630	2.35	1.33	$ 15.51	$ 32,260
Virginia	9,180	2.31	1.30	$ 15.91	$ 33,090

Top paying states for Animal Caretakers:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Hawaii	630	1.03	0.58	$ 20.61	$ 42,860
Washington	6,190	1.77	1.00	$ 19.66	$ 40,890
District of Columbia	230	0.33	0.19	$ 19.49	$ 40,540
California	24,930	1.39	0.78	$ 19.09	$ 39,710
New York	12,240	1.30	0.74	$ 18.36	$ 38,190

Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Animal Caretakers:

Metropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA	11,870	1.25	0.71	$ 18.66	$ 38,810
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	8,440	1.36	0.77	$ 18.46	$ 38,400
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI	8,370	1.86	1.05	$ 17.60	$ 36,600
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	6,890	1.74	0.98	$ 15.68	$ 32,620
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH	6,020	2.18	1.23	$ 18.05	$ 37,550
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	5,980	1.93	1.09	$ 17.67	$ 36,750
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	5,970	2.12	1.20	$ 14.25	$ 29,640
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	5,650	2.00	1.13	$ 16.06	$ 33,410
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX	5,390	1.70	0.96	$ 15.23	$ 31,680
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	4,460	1.64	0.93	$ 17.45	$ 36,300

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Animal Caretakers:

Metropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Lexington-Fayette, KY	2,560	9.17	5.18	$ 15.13	$ 31,460
Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA	680	7.95	4.49	$ 15.08	$ 31,360
Hot Springs, AR	230	6.14	3.47	$ 14.38	$ 29,920
Ocala, FL	700	6.06	3.43	$ 15.62	$ 32,490
Athens-Clarke County, GA	450	4.97	2.81	$ 16.36	$ 34,040
Jacksonville, NC	240	4.63	2.62	$ 12.66	$ 26,330
Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort, SC	340	4.23	2.39	$ 15.67	$ 32,590
Ames, IA	200	4.16	2.35	$ 19.75	$ 41,080
Lawrence, KS	200	4.01	2.26	$ 13.28	$ 27,630
Dover-Durham, NH-ME	200	3.97	2.24	$ 16.23	$ 33,750