Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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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).
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 |
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 |
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 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Animal Caretakers:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI |
70 |
0.90 |
0.51 |
$ 22.35 |
$ 46,490 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
1,030 |
0.90 |
0.51 |
$ 21.83 |
$ 45,410 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
3,450 |
1.43 |
0.81 |
$ 21.20 |
$ 44,100 |
| Visalia-Porterville, CA |
160 |
0.95 |
0.54 |
$ 20.69 |
$ 43,040 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
3,750 |
1.80 |
1.02 |
$ 20.26 |
$ 42,140 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI |
450 |
1.02 |
0.57 |
$ 20.07 |
$ 41,750 |
| Salinas, CA |
230 |
1.25 |
0.71 |
$ 20.06 |
$ 41,730 |
| Napa, CA |
130 |
1.68 |
0.95 |
$ 20.00 |
$ 41,600 |
| Santa Rosa, CA |
540 |
2.62 |
1.48 |
$ 19.96 |
$ 41,510 |
| Kennewick-Richland, WA |
140 |
1.09 |
0.61 |
$ 19.95 |
$ 41,500 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Animal Caretakers:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Animal Caretakers:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Animal Caretakers:
About May 2023 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia.
The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.
The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall.
The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median.
More about percentile wages.
(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.
(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours;
for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.
(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.
(8) Estimate not released.
(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration.
A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.
Other OEWS estimates and related information:
May 2023 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2023 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2023 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2023 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2023 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: April 3, 2024
United States Department of Labor
