Animal Caretakers pay in the U.S.
$37,300avg. a year
$17.94 an hour · 266,910 employed
Animal Caretakers in the U.S. earn an average of $37,300 a year and a median of $35,360. Pay is highest in District of Columbia ($46,510) and lowest in Mississippi ($28,270).
$35,360Median pay
$17.94Average hourly
+31%Avg. pay since 2020
266,910Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for animal caretakers
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
1460 jobs
District of Columbia
$46,510
$22.36 an hour
26,620 jobs
Washington
$46,160
$22.19 an hour
36,900 jobs
Massachusetts
$45,080
$21.67 an hour
46,330 jobs
Arizona
$44,630
$21.46 an hour
5570 jobs
Hawaii
$44,620
$21.45 an hour
625,710 jobs
California
$42,730
$20.54 an hour
73,000 jobs
Connecticut
$42,710
$20.54 an hour
81,020 jobs
Rhode Island
$42,010
$20.20 an hour
95,570 jobs
Maryland
$41,820
$20.11 an hour
106,290 jobs
Colorado
$41,010
$19.72 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Animal Caretakers pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
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Under $34k$34k–$36k$36k–$40k$40k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $47,930 | $23.04 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $47,810 | $22.99 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $46,960 | $22.58 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | $46,050 | $22.14 |
| Barnstable Town, MA | $45,910 | $22.07 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | $45,760 | $22.00 |
| Kennewick-Richland, WA | $45,270 | $21.76 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $45,240 | $21.75 |
Related jobs
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Animal Caretakers pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $31,300 | $28,330 | 4,100 |
| Alaska | $40,460 | $36,640 | 550 |
| Arizona | $44,630 | $38,180 | 6,330 |
| Arkansas | $34,110 | $30,230 | 2,040 |
| California | $42,730 | $38,700 | 25,710 |
| Colorado | $41,010 | $37,430 | 6,290 |
| Connecticut | $42,710 | $37,310 | 3,000 |
| Delaware | $35,940 | $33,910 | 1,230 |
| District of Columbia | $46,510 | $44,210 | 460 |
| Florida | $36,820 | $34,150 | 17,210 |
| Georgia | $32,250 | $29,860 | 9,110 |
| Hawaii | $44,620 | $40,130 | 570 |
| Idaho | $34,970 | $32,170 | 1,760 |
| Illinois | $38,670 | $35,570 | 11,070 |
| Indiana | $31,900 | $29,990 | 6,420 |
| Iowa | $32,900 | $30,080 | 3,480 |
| Kansas | $34,130 | $29,830 | 3,000 |
| Kentucky | $34,070 | $30,720 | 6,140 |
| Louisiana | $29,840 | $27,910 | 2,660 |
| Maine | $39,790 | $37,230 | 1,430 |
| Maryland | $41,820 | $36,780 | 5,570 |
| Massachusetts | $45,080 | $39,650 | 6,900 |
| Michigan | $33,850 | $30,320 | 6,290 |
| Minnesota | $38,320 | $36,430 | 4,250 |
| Mississippi | $28,270 | $26,970 | 1,900 |
| Missouri | $34,500 | $31,230 | 5,820 |
| Montana | $36,170 | $34,210 | 1,200 |
| Nebraska | $37,610 | $31,680 | 2,100 |
| Nevada | $34,400 | $30,320 | 2,470 |
| New Hampshire | $37,160 | $34,790 | 1,810 |
| New Jersey | $39,940 | $35,850 | 5,890 |
| New Mexico | $35,050 | $33,570 | 1,710 |
| New York | $40,540 | $37,840 | 12,470 |
| North Carolina | $33,870 | $30,870 | 9,730 |
| North Dakota | $39,460 | $34,040 | 770 |
| Ohio | $34,690 | $30,310 | 9,350 |
| Oklahoma | $31,020 | $28,940 | 3,170 |
| Oregon | $40,380 | $36,580 | 3,470 |
| Pennsylvania | $34,110 | $31,360 | 9,910 |
| Rhode Island | $42,010 | $37,120 | 1,020 |
| South Carolina | $33,640 | $31,280 | 4,090 |
| South Dakota | $33,700 | $30,390 | 1,110 |
| Tennessee | $34,110 | $30,550 | 6,110 |
| Texas | $35,970 | $32,730 | 20,450 |
| Utah | $37,600 | $34,750 | 2,350 |
| Vermont | $38,460 | $36,090 | 430 |
| Virginia | $36,070 | $34,380 | 10,070 |
| Washington | $46,160 | $40,570 | 6,620 |
| West Virginia | $31,550 | $28,550 | 1,160 |
| Wisconsin | $34,330 | $30,160 | 5,720 |
| Wyoming | $34,150 | $29,080 | 460 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$41,480
11,430 jobsLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$41,710
9,000 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$39,720
8,510 jobsWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX$40,900
6,590 jobs$37,840
6,110 jobsAtlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA$32,750
6,010 jobsBoston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$45,240
5,590 jobsPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD$37,340
5,480 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do animal caretakers make?
The average is $37,300 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $35,360 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $17.94, and the median is $17.00 an hour.
Which state pays animal caretakers the most?
District of Columbia, with an average of $46,510 a year. The best-paying metro area is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA at $47,930.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $27,250 a year, and the top 10% earn over $50,060.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 39-2021. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.