The median annual earnings for nonfarm animal caretakers was $31,200 in May 2023, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The top 10 percent earned more than $45,080, and the bottom 10 percent earned less than $23,180 a year. Indeed.com reported that animal caretakers employed in the United States in July 2024 earned an average of $35,438 per year.
Self-employed animal caretakers who provide dog walking, kennel, sitting, or other cottage industry services do not have salaries that are readily available for review, but in large cities, boarding a dog overnight can cost $25 to $110, with a minimum of three dogs usually at one facility. Dog walkers charge between $8 and $20 a dog for a 30-minute visit. There is little overhead for either service, beyond perhaps providing food.
Benefits for full-time workers include vacation and sick time, health, and sometimes dental, insurance, and pension or 401(k) plans. Part-time workers must provide their own benefits.
- Agribusiness Technicians
- Agricultural Consultants
- Agricultural Equipment Technicians
- Agricultural Pilots
- Agricultural Scientists
- Animal Behaviorists
- Animal Breeders and Technicians
- Animal Handlers
- Animal Physical Therapists
- Animal Trainers
- App Services Workers
- Aquaculturists
- Aquarists
- Arborists
- Beekeepers
- Biosecurity Monitors
- Botanists
- Chemists
- Cleaning Service Owners
- Dairy Products Manufacturing Workers
- Dry Cleaning and Laundry Workers
- Ecologists
- Farm Crop Production Technicians
- Farm Equipment Mechanics
- Farmers
- Farmers' Market Managers/Promoters
- Fishers
- Food Technologists
- Funeral Home Workers
- Genealogical Researchers
- Grain Merchants
- Grounds Managers
- Groundwater Professionals
- Home Health Care Aides
- Horticultural Inspectors
- Household Workers
- Landscapers
- Lawn and Gardening Service Owners
- Life Coaches
- Meatcutters and Meat Packers
- Molecular and Cellular Biologists
- Nursery Owners and Managers
- Organic Farmers
- Painters and Paperhangers
- Personal Care Aides
- Pest Control Workers
- Pet Shop Workers
- Pet Sitters
- Professional Organizers
- Range Managers
- Rewilders
- Soil Conservationists and Technicians
- Soil Scientists
- Spa Managers
- Swimming Pool Servicers
- Tattoo Artists
- Taxidermists
- Tobacco Products Industry Workers
- Veterinarians
- Veterinary Technicians
- Zoo and Aquarium Curators and Directors
- Zookeepers