Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 19-1011

Animal Scientists

The published band from $44,350 to $166,000 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Psychologists, All Other.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Animal Scientists: Psychologists, All Other ($111K) , Clinical and Counseling Psychologists ($101K) , Geographers ($102K) , Nuclear Technicians ($110K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Animal Scientists publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 19-1011 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Study nutritional requirements of animals and nutritive values of animal feed materials
  2. 2. Write up or orally communicate research findings to the scientific community, producers, and the public
  3. 3. Develop improved practices in feeding, housing, sanitation, or parasite and disease control of animals
  4. 4. Advise producers about improved products and techniques that could enhance their animal production efforts
  5. 5. Conduct research concerning animal nutrition, breeding, or management to improve products or processes
  6. 6. Study effects of management practices, processing methods, feed, or environmental conditions on quality and quantity of animal products…
  7. 7. Research and control animal selection and breeding practices to increase production efficiency and improve animal quality
  8. 8. Determine genetic composition of animal populations and heritability of traits, using principles of genetics
  9. 9. Crossbreed animals with existing strains or cross strains to obtain new combinations of desirable characteristics

Animal Scientists: O*NET ranks Reading Comprehension first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 19-1011 - lead skill Reading Comprehension at 4.1 ; lead knowledge Biology. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Reading Comprehension 4.1
  2. 2. Writing 4.0
  3. 3. Science 4.0
  4. 4. Critical Thinking 4.0
  5. 5. Complex Problem Solving 4.0
  6. 6. Judgment and Decision Making 4.0
  7. 7. Active Listening 3.9
  8. 8. Speaking 3.9

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Biology 4.6
  2. 2. Mathematics 4.1
  3. 3. English Language 4.1
  4. 4. Chemistry 4.0
  5. 5. Food Production 3.8
  6. 6. Education and Training 3.5
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$44,350 to $166,000
median $68,940 · ~3.7× spread
$69K
National median
↑ +6%
Growth 2024-2034
200
Annual openings
3,100
Estimated US jobs
Psychologists, All Other
Highest-pay peer · $111K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Bachelor's degree

Top Paying States for Animal Scientists

1. Maryland $77,750
2. North Dakota $72,100
3. Kansas $80,090
4. Minnesota $88,640
5. South Dakota $77,300
6. Wisconsin $84,310
7. Texas $132,830
8. Iowa $75,290
9. Washington $83,160
10. Pennsylvania $77,660

Other Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations titles

  1. 1. Geographers $102,040
  2. 2. Nuclear Technicians $110,240
  3. 3. Psychologists, All Other $110,840
  4. 4. Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists $103,410
  5. 5. Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers $101,920
  6. 6. Clinical and Counseling Psychologists $100,580

The OEWS band for Animal Scientists runs from $44,350 (10th) to $166,000 (90th), about 3.7× wide, with median $68,940. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +6% change between 2024 and 2034 (faster than average vs baseline 3.1%). About 200 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. 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: Maryland at $77,750. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Psychologists, All Other at $110,840. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Animal Scientists pay-rank #37 in Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations

On the Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations median table (48 detailed occupations with OEWS medians), Animal Scientists lands at #37, 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.

The 10th-to-90th percentile spread for Animal Scientists is unusually wide, so the state map and peer comparison carry more signal than the median alone.

Animal Scientists salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 19-1011

Maryland · top state for Animal Scientists

$78K published median

North Dakota · #2 state pay

$72K · behind Maryland

Psychologists, All Other

Highest-pay peer vs Animal Scientists · $111K

Clinical and Counseling Psychologists

Lower-pay peer beside Animal Scientists · $101K

Compare Animal Scientists

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

Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Animal Scientists land on the Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations median table? ▼
Animal Scientists is pay-rank #37 of 48 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Survey Researchers ($69K), Anthropologists and Archeologists ($71K), Forensic Science Technicians ($72K), Conservation Scientists ($73K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What do animal scientists do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Animal Scientists. Leading ones include: Study nutritional requirements of animals and nutritive values of animal feed materials; Write up or orally communicate research findings to the scientific community, producers, and the public; Develop improved practices in feeding, housing, sanitation, or parasite and disease control of animals; Advise producers about improved products and techniques that could enhance their animal production efforts. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for animal scientists? ▼
For SOC 19-1011, O*NET importance scores lead with Reading Comprehension (4.1), Writing (4.0), Science (4.0), Critical Thinking (4.0). Knowledge areas emphasize Biology, Mathematics, English Language. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Animal Scientists? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $44,350 and the 90th at $166,000 for Animal Scientists (3.7× spread). The national median is $68,940. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Animal Scientists? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Animal Scientists is +6%. Projected annual openings: about 200. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: faster than average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Animal Scientists? ▼
BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Animal Scientists. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Animal Scientists? ▼
Maryland ($77,750), North Dakota ($72,100), Kansas ($80,090) 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 Scientists card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 19-1011. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Animal Scientists. 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