Animal Caretakers
Also called: Animal Care Attendant, Animal Care Giver (ACG), Animal Care Service Worker, Animal Care Specialist, Animal Care Taker, Animal Care Technician, Animal Caregiver, Animal Caretaker
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.
What animal caretakers do
Typical tasks
- 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.
- Do facility laundry and clean, organize, maintain, and disinfect animal quarters, such as pens and stables, and equipment, such as saddles and bridles.
- Exercise animals to maintain their physical and mental health.
- Collect and record animal information, such as weight, size, physical condition, treatments received, medications given, and food intake.
- Respond to questions from patrons, and provide information about animals, such as behavior, habitat, breeding habits, or facility activities.
- Answer telephones and schedule appointments.
- Advise pet owners on how to care for their pets' health.
- Perform animal grooming duties, such as washing, brushing, clipping, and trimming coats, cutting nails, and cleaning ears.
- Observe and caution children petting and feeding animals in designated areas to ensure the safety of humans and animals.
Typical path into the job (BLS)
Animal Caretakers salary
The median annual wage for animal caretakers is $35,360 (BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national). The lowest 10 percent earn less than $27,250 and the highest 10 percent earn more than $50,060. The mean annual wage is $37,300.
The mean hourly wage of $17.00 is 2.3× the federal minimum wage of $7.25. State minimums are higher in most large states. Minimum wage by state →
How does your pay compare with people your age?
Your numbers are not sent or stored. The comparison uses this occupation's BLS wage percentiles, adjusted for age with BLS median weekly earnings by age group (Q3 2026).
Pay by percentile
Annual wage percentiles from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Percentiles are a good proxy for pay by experience.
Projected pay for Animal Caretakers (3, 5 and 10 years)est.
Today $35,360 → in 3 years $39,200 → in 5 years $42,000 → in 10 years $49,900 (10-year range $42,900–$57,900). The model assumes pay growth of +3.5% per year.
What drives the annual growth rate
Projected pay = current pay × (1 + annual growth)^years. The annual growth rate starts from a base wage-growth rate and adds or subtracts labor demand (BLS projected employment growth), wage momentum and AI replacement risk for each occupation. Projections are not guarantees. How it is calculated →
Outlook score for Animal Caretakers
Each component is a percentile rank among all occupations in the same country (0–100). Weights: labor demand 25, wage momentum / openings 15, pay level 15, AI resistance 25, aging workforce 10 (Japan only), entry barrier 10.
Will AI replace Animal Caretakers? AI replacement risk
How AI is changing this job
A written analysis for this occupation is being prepared.
AI replacement risk compares the parts of a job that are easy to hand to AI or software (processing information, documentation, repetitive computer work) with the parts that are hard to automate (physical work, working closely with people, judgment in unpredictable settings), using O*NET work activities, work context, skills and knowledge. The result is a relative position among all occupations in the country, scaled to 0–100%. Methodology →
Labor demand for Animal Caretakers
Employment projections are from the BLS Employment Projections program (2025–35). Annual openings include both new jobs and replacement of workers who leave the occupation.
The same job in Japan
| Animal Caretakers United States | 厩舎スタッフ Japan | 動物園飼育員 Japan | 水族館飼育員 Japan | トリマー Japan | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median / average pay | $35,360 | ¥3.61M ≈ $22,941 | ¥3.61M ≈ $22,941 | ¥3.61M ≈ $22,941 | ¥4.03M ≈ $25,607 |
| Pay in 10 years (est.) | $49,900 | ¥4.76M | ¥4.76M | ¥4.40M | ¥5.46M |
| Outlook score | 65 | 55 | 53 | 41 | 62 |
| AI replacement risk | 27% Low | 3% Very low | 4% Very low | 47% Moderate | 8% Very low |
| Workers | 267K | — | — | — | — |
Matched by occupation (SOC code). Yen converted at 157.25 JPY/USD for reference; Japanese figures are averages, U.S. figures are medians, and the surveys define occupations differently.
Skills, education and requirements for Animal Caretakers
Key skills
O*NET skill level ratings (0–7).
Key knowledge areas
What the work involves
Important abilities
Education of workers
Training before entry
Related work experience
Job Zone 2 — some preparation needed (O*NET)
Difficulty of entry: ★☆☆☆☆ Easy to enter (from education, training, experience and Job Zone)
How to become animal caretakers
A step-by-step guide for this occupation is being prepared. The education, training and experience data above show the typical path.
Career path and how to earn more as animal caretakers
Career-path guidance is being prepared. Pay by percentile is shown in the Pay section.