• Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021

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)
225,680	1.4 %	$ 14.19	$ 29,520	0.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for Animal Caretakers:

Percentile	10%	25%	50% (Median)	75%	90%
Hourly Wage	$ 10.28	$ 11.13	$ 13.75	$ 14.96	$ 18.63
Annual Wage (2)	$ 21,380	$ 23,160	$ 28,600	$ 31,130	$ 38,750

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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	104,530	35.20	$ 13.99	$ 29,100
Other Miscellaneous Store Retailers	38,600	10.33	$ 13.57	$ 28,220
Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	34,450	4.52	$ 13.22	$ 27,490
Social Advocacy Organizations	10,570	4.72	$ 13.37	$ 27,800
Spectator Sports	7,840	6.86	$ 15.00	$ 31,190

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	104,530	35.20	$ 13.99	$ 29,100
Support Activities for Animal Production	4,500	14.28	$ 15.71	$ 32,680
Other Miscellaneous Store Retailers	38,600	10.33	$ 13.57	$ 28,220
Spectator Sports	7,840	6.86	$ 15.00	$ 31,190
Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions	6,560	4.98	$ 17.42	$ 36,220

Top paying industries for Animal Caretakers:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation)	470	0.02	$ 21.29	$ 44,290
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation)	180	0.01	$ 20.96	$ 43,590
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4241, 4247, and 4249 only)	410	0.08	$ 19.23	$ 39,990
Scientific Research and Development Services	1,360	0.17	$ 18.99	$ 39,500
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools	2,010	0.07	$ 18.87	$ 39,240

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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	23,700	1.43	0.89	$ 17.05	$ 35,470
Texas	18,830	1.54	0.96	$ 13.18	$ 27,410
Florida	14,180	1.65	1.03	$ 13.18	$ 27,400
New York	10,680	1.23	0.77	$ 16.64	$ 34,610
North Carolina	9,070	2.05	1.28	$ 12.72	$ 26,450

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	4,850	2.64	1.65	$ 12.94	$ 26,920
Missouri	6,790	2.49	1.55	$ 13.60	$ 28,300
Kansas	3,080	2.30	1.44	$ 12.00	$ 24,950
New Hampshire	1,430	2.25	1.40	$ 14.32	$ 29,780
Delaware	940	2.15	1.34	$ 13.41	$ 27,900

Top paying states for Animal Caretakers:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia	100	0.15	0.09	$ 19.02	$ 39,560
Washington	4,380	1.37	0.85	$ 17.15	$ 35,680
California	23,700	1.43	0.89	$ 17.05	$ 35,470
Massachusetts	6,260	1.85	1.15	$ 16.84	$ 35,030
New York	10,680	1.23	0.77	$ 16.64	$ 34,610

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	10,380	1.20	0.75	$ 16.74	$ 34,830
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	8,260	1.44	0.90	$ 16.67	$ 34,670
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI	6,770	1.60	1.00	$ 14.18	$ 29,500
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	5,390	1.50	0.94	$ 13.80	$ 28,700
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH	4,890	1.89	1.18	$ 16.77	$ 34,870
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	4,790	1.81	1.13	$ 14.62	$ 30,400
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	4,790	1.63	1.02	$ 15.56	$ 32,360
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX	4,720	1.63	1.02	$ 13.14	$ 27,320
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	4,500	1.74	1.09	$ 12.99	$ 27,010
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	3,710	1.51	0.94	$ 14.11	$ 29,350

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	1,720	6.69	4.18	$ 13.77	$ 28,640
Ocala, FL	680	6.40	3.99	$ 12.81	$ 26,650
Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA	530	6.30	3.93	$ 13.14	$ 27,320
Hot Springs, AR	190	5.14	3.21	$ 15.21	$ 31,630
Jacksonville, NC	210	4.27	2.66	$ 11.42	$ 23,750
Asheville, NC	770	4.13	2.58	$ 12.59	$ 26,180
Santa Fe, NM	220	3.93	2.45	$ 14.77	$ 30,720
Ames, IA	170	3.71	2.31	$ 17.52	$ 36,440
Lawrence, KS	160	3.53	2.20	$ 11.73	$ 24,400
Sebastian-Vero Beach, FL	180	3.52	2.20	$ 12.61	$ 26,240