Personal Care and Service Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Above-baseline growth SOC 39-2021

Animal Caretakers

Projected +12% employment change leads this card; pay sits next to First-Line Supervisors of Gambling Services Workers, Animal Trainers, Embalmers, Costume Attendants.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Animal Caretakers: First-Line Supervisors of Gambling Services Workers ($64K) , Animal Trainers ($40K) , Embalmers ($59K) , Costume Attendants ($50K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Animal Caretakers publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 39-2021 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Feed and water animals according to schedules and feeding instructions
  2. 2. Provide treatment to sick or injured animals, or contact veterinarians to secure treatment
  3. 3. Examine and observe animals to detect signs of illness, disease, or injury
  4. 4. Mix food, liquid formulas, medications, or food supplements according to instructions, prescriptions, and knowledge of animal species
  5. 5. Do facility laundry and clean, organize, maintain, and disinfect animal quarters, such as pens and stables, and equipment, such as saddle…
  6. 6. Exercise animals to maintain their physical and mental health
  7. 7. Collect and record animal information, such as weight, size, physical condition, treatments received, medications given, and food intake
  8. 8. Observe and caution children petting and feeding animals in designated areas to ensure the safety of humans and animals
  9. 9. Clean and disinfect surgical equipment
  10. 10. Find homes for stray or unwanted animals
  11. 11. Respond to questions from patrons, and provide information about animals, such as behavior, habitat, breeding habits, or facility activities
  12. 12. Answer telephones and schedule appointments

Animal Caretakers: O*NET ranks Monitoring first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 39-2021 - lead skill Monitoring at 3.1 ; lead knowledge Customer and Personal Service. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Monitoring 3.1
  2. 2. Reading Comprehension 3.0
  3. 3. Active Listening 3.0
  4. 4. Coordination 3.0
  5. 5. Service Orientation 3.0
  6. 6. Judgment and Decision Making 3.0
  7. 7. Speaking 2.9
  8. 8. Writing 2.8

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Customer and Personal Service 4.2
  2. 2. Administrative 3.1
  3. 3. English Language 3.1
  4. 4. Education and Training 2.6
  5. 5. Administration and Management 2.5
  6. 6. Psychology 2.5
Projected employment change 2024-2034
↑ +12%
much faster than average (3.1%)
National median $35,360/yr
$35K
National median
74,600
Annual openings
266,910
Estimated US jobs
First-Line Supervisors of Gambling Services Workers
Highest-pay peer · $64K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Top Paying States for Animal Caretakers

1. California $38,700
2. Washington $40,570
3. New York $37,840
4. Hawaii $40,130
5. Massachusetts $39,650
6. District of Columbia $44,210
7. Arizona $38,180
8. Connecticut $37,310
9. Colorado $37,430
10. Maine $37,230

Other Personal Care and Service Occupations titles

  1. 1. Embalmers $58,780
  2. 2. Costume Attendants $50,400
  3. 3. Personal Care and Service Workers, All Other $41,600
  4. 4. Animal Trainers $39,990
  5. 5. First-Line Supervisors of Gambling Services Workers $63,820
  6. 6. Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors $47,160

BLS projects +12% employment change for Animal Caretakers (2024-2034), much faster than average vs the all-occupations baseline of 3.1%. Published median pay is $35,360.

BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as typical entry education. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal employer rules. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: California at $38,700. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: First-Line Supervisors of Gambling Services Workers at $63,820. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Animal Caretakers pay-rank #25 in Personal Care and Service Occupations

On the Personal Care and Service Occupations median table (32 detailed occupations with OEWS medians), Animal Caretakers lands at #25, in the lower third. That rank is a table position, not a statement about individual workers.

Other lower-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

Projected change +12.1% puts Animal Caretakers ahead of most peers. Open the state map or compare it directly against a slower-growing role.

Animal Caretakers salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 39-2021

California · top state for Animal Caretakers

$39K published median

Washington · #2 state pay

$41K · behind California

First-Line Supervisors of Gambling Services Workers

Highest-pay peer vs Animal Caretakers · $64K

Animal Trainers

Lower-pay peer beside Animal Caretakers · $40K

Compare Animal Caretakers

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Animal Caretakers with another occupation →

Growth and outlook next reads

Fastest-Growing Rankings

National projection leaders

Highest-Paying Careers

Where growth meets pay

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Animal Caretakers land on the Personal Care and Service Occupations median table? ▼
Animal Caretakers is pay-rank #25 of 32 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Funeral Attendants ($36K), Childcare Workers ($35K), Gambling and Sports Book Writers and Runners ($35K), Manicurists and Pedicurists ($36K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What do animal caretakers do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Animal Caretakers. Leading ones include: Feed and water animals according to schedules and feeding instructions; Provide treatment to sick or injured animals, or contact veterinarians to secure treatment; Examine and observe animals to detect signs of illness, disease, or injury; Mix food, liquid formulas, medications, or food supplements according to instructions, prescriptions, and knowledge of animal species. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for animal caretakers? ▼
For SOC 39-2021, O*NET importance scores lead with Monitoring (3.1), Reading Comprehension (3.0), Active Listening (3.0), Coordination (3.0). Knowledge areas emphasize Customer and Personal Service, Administrative, English Language. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Animal Caretakers? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $35,360 as the national median for Animal Caretakers. The published 10th-90th range is $27,250 to $50,060. Beside First-Line Supervisors of Gambling Services Workers ($63,820), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
How fast is Animal Caretakers projected to grow? ▼
BLS Employment Projections put Animal Caretakers at +12% change for 2024-2034, with about 74,600 annual openings. Versus the all-occupations baseline (3.1%): much faster than average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Animal Caretakers? ▼
BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Animal Caretakers. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Animal Caretakers? ▼
California ($38,700), Washington ($40,570), New York ($37,840) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Animal Caretakers card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 39-2021. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Animal Caretakers. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics