Animal Caretakers
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. Work in settings such as kennels, animal shelters, zoos, circuses, and aquariums. May keep records of feedings, treatments, and animals received or discharged. May clean, disinfect, and repair cages, pens, or fish tanks.
- O*NET-SOC code
39-2021.00 - Preparation Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
Wages
Median annual wage, U.S.$35,360
Employment, U.S.266,910
Median hourly wage$17.00
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $27,250 | $29,820 | $35,360 | $40,050 | $50,060 |
By state (51)
| State | Employment | Median annual | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 4,100 | $28,330 | 1.13 |
| Alaska | 550 | $36,640 | 0.99 |
| Arizona | 6,330 | $38,180 | 1.14 |
| Arkansas | 2,040 | $30,230 | 0.91 |
| California | 25,710 | $38,700 | 0.82 |
| Colorado | 6,290 | $37,430 | 1.27 |
| Connecticut | 3,000 | $37,310 | 1.03 |
| Delaware | 1,230 | $33,910 | 1.48 |
| District of Columbia | 460 | $44,210 | 0.38 |
| Florida | 17,210 | $34,150 | 1.01 |
| Georgia | 9,110 | $29,860 | 1.09 |
| Hawaii | 570 | $40,130 | 0.53 |
| Idaho | 1,760 | $32,170 | 1.20 |
| Illinois | 11,070 | $35,570 | 1.06 |
| Indiana | 6,420 | $29,990 | 1.17 |
| Iowa | 3,480 | $30,080 | 1.30 |
| Kansas | 3,000 | $29,830 | 1.22 |
| Kentucky | 6,140 | $30,720 | 1.79 |
| Louisiana | 2,660 | $27,910 | 0.80 |
| Maine | 1,430 | $37,230 | 1.30 |
| Maryland | 5,570 | $36,780 | 1.17 |
| Massachusetts | 6,900 | $39,650 | 1.11 |
| Michigan | 6,290 | $30,320 | 0.83 |
| Minnesota | 4,250 | $36,430 | 0.84 |
| Mississippi | 1,900 | $26,970 | 0.95 |
| Missouri | 5,820 | $31,230 | 1.15 |
| Montana | 1,200 | $34,210 | 1.37 |
| Nebraska | 2,100 | $31,680 | 1.19 |
| Nevada | 2,470 | $30,320 | 0.93 |
| New Hampshire | 1,810 | $34,790 | 1.54 |
| New Jersey | 5,890 | $35,850 | 0.80 |
| New Mexico | 1,710 | $33,570 | 1.14 |
| New York | 12,470 | $37,840 | 0.75 |
| North Carolina | 9,730 | $30,870 | 1.15 |
| North Dakota | 770 | $34,040 | 1.05 |
| Ohio | 9,350 | $30,310 | 0.98 |
| Oklahoma | 3,170 | $28,940 | 1.08 |
| Oregon | 3,470 | $36,580 | 1.03 |
| Pennsylvania | 9,910 | $31,360 | 0.95 |
| Rhode Island | 1,020 | $37,120 | 1.19 |
| South Carolina | 4,090 | $31,280 | 1.03 |
| South Dakota | 1,110 | $30,390 | 1.42 |
| Tennessee | 6,110 | $30,550 | 1.08 |
| Texas | 20,450 | $32,730 | 0.85 |
| Utah | 2,350 | $34,750 | 0.79 |
| Vermont | 430 | $36,090 | 0.83 |
| Virginia | 10,070 | $34,380 | 1.43 |
| Washington | 6,620 | $40,570 | 1.09 |
| West Virginia | 1,160 | $28,550 | 0.96 |
| Wisconsin | 5,720 | $30,160 | 1.13 |
| Wyoming | 460 | $29,080 | 0.95 |
Similar occupations
Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.
Circles are the 20 most similar occupations, coloured by Job Zone. Lines join pairs where one is among the other's 10 most similar; darker lines are pairs O*NET also lists as related. Drag a circle to move it out of the way; select one to open it.
| # | Occupation | Job Zone | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Physical Therapist Aides | 1-2 | 0.966 |
| 2 | Nursing Assistants | 3 | 0.965 |
| 3 | Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers | 1-2 | 0.960 |
| 4 | Food Servers, Nonrestaurant | 1-2 | 0.960 |
| 5 | Postal Service Clerks | 1-2 | 0.955 |
| 6 | Bartenders | 1-2 | 0.952 |
| 7 | Waiters and Waitresses | 1-2 | 0.950 |
| 8 | Phlebotomists | 3 | 0.949 |
| 9 | Funeral Attendants | 1-2 | 0.948 |
| 10 | Cashiers | 1-2 | 0.947 |
One skill away
Among the 50 occupations most similar to Animal Caretakers, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.
| Occupation | Skill to build | Level gap | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Funeral Attendants | Social Perceptiveness | 1.00 | 0.948 |
Software to learn next
Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Animal Caretakers, excluding software Animal Caretakers already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.
| Software | Similar jobs using it | Lift |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduling software | 6 of 20 | 4.0x |
| Bookkeeping software | 3 of 20 | 9.9x |
| Microsoft Windows | 10 of 20 | 1.9x |
| Medical condition coding software | 4 of 20 | 4.6x |
| Medical procedure coding software | 4 of 20 | 4.1x |
| MEDITECH software | 5 of 20 | 3.0x |
| Electronic medical record EMR software | 3 of 20 | 4.3x |
| 6 of 20 | 2.1x | |
| Epic Systems | 4 of 20 | 2.9x |
| Inventory tracking software | 3 of 20 | 3.1x |
Skills
From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.
| Skill | Type | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monitoring | Essential skill | 3.12 | 2.88 |
| Active Listening | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Reading Comprehension | Essential skill | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Service Orientation | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Coordination | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 2.50 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 2.12 |
| Speaking | Essential skill | 2.88 | 2.75 |
| Critical Thinking | Essential skill | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Writing | Essential skill | 2.75 | 2.50 |
| Social Perceptiveness | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 2.25 |
| Complex Problem Solving | Transferable skill | 2.62 | 2.25 |
| Time Management | Transferable skill | 2.50 | 2.00 |
| Active Learning | Essential skill | 2.38 | 2.12 |
| Instructing | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Systems Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 1.75 |
| Systems Evaluation | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 1.62 |
| Learning Strategies | Essential skill | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Mathematics | Essential skill | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Negotiation | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.62 |
| Quality Control Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.50 |
| Persuasion | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.75 |
| Operations Monitoring | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.38 |
| Troubleshooting | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.25 |
| Management of Material Resources | Transferable skill | 1.75 | 0.88 |
| Management of Financial Resources | Transferable skill | 1.75 | 0.75 |
| Operation and Control | Transferable skill | 1.62 | 0.75 |
| Equipment Selection | Transferable skill | 1.62 | 0.62 |
| Technology Design | Transferable skill | 1.62 | 0.62 |
| Equipment Maintenance | Transferable skill | 1.50 | 0.50 |
| Science | Essential skill | 1.50 | 0.50 |
| Programming | Transferable skill | 1.25 | not rated |
| Repairing | Transferable skill | 1.25 | not rated |
| Installation | Transferable skill | 1.12 | not rated |
| Operations Analysis | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Customer and Personal Service | 4.20 | 4.32 |
| Administrative | 3.13 | 3.02 |
| English Language | 3.07 | 3.62 |
| Education and Training | 2.62 | 2.75 |
| Administration and Management | 2.54 | 2.45 |
| Psychology | 2.52 | 2.43 |
| Mathematics | 2.45 | 2.30 |
| Public Safety and Security | 2.42 | 2.17 |
| Chemistry | 2.39 | 2.35 |
| Biology | 2.38 | 2.15 |
| Computers and Electronics | 2.25 | 2.56 |
| Communications and Media | 2.23 | 2.26 |
| Personnel and Human Resources | 2.15 | 2.17 |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 2.12 | 1.66 |
| Sales and Marketing | 2.11 | 2.04 |
| Mechanical | 1.99 | 1.78 |
| Production and Processing | 1.95 | 1.53 |
| Therapy and Counseling | 1.82 | 1.68 |
| Economics and Accounting | 1.78 | 1.30 |
| Telecommunications | 1.73 | 0.91 |
| Transportation | 1.71 | 1.31 |
| Sociology and Anthropology | 1.69 | 1.31 |
| Food Production | 1.68 | 0.98 |
| Geography | 1.64 | 1.27 |
| Engineering and Technology | 1.59 | 1.29 |
| Law and Government | 1.59 | 1.15 |
| Design | 1.52 | 1.15 |
| Philosophy and Theology | 1.50 | 1.03 |
| Foreign Language | 1.50 | 0.69 |
| Physics | 1.47 | 0.82 |
| Fine Arts | 1.45 | 0.83 |
| Building and Construction | 1.40 | 0.82 |
| History and Archeology | 1.39 | not rated |
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Oral Comprehension | 3.25 | 3.25 |
| Oral Expression | 3.12 | 3.25 |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.12 | 3.25 |
| Static Strength | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Near Vision | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Information Ordering | 3.12 | 2.75 |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Speech Recognition | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Trunk Strength | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Speech Clarity | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Extent Flexibility | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 2.88 | 2.75 |
| Written Comprehension | 2.88 | 2.75 |
| Far Vision | 2.88 | 2.62 |
| Manual Dexterity | 2.75 | 2.25 |
| Stamina | 2.75 | 2.25 |
| Category Flexibility | 2.62 | 2.62 |
| Finger Dexterity | 2.62 | 2.38 |
| Selective Attention | 2.62 | 2.38 |
| Flexibility of Closure | 2.62 | 2.12 |
| Written Expression | 2.50 | 2.25 |
| Auditory Attention | 2.38 | 2.12 |
| Multilimb Coordination | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Dynamic Strength | 2.12 | 2.12 |
| Perceptual Speed | 2.12 | 2.12 |
| Time Sharing | 2.12 | 2.12 |
| Gross Body Coordination | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Memorization | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Fluency of Ideas | 2.12 | 1.75 |
| Speed of Closure | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Visualization | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Control Precision | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Originality | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Number Facility | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Depth Perception | 2.00 | 1.50 |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 2.00 | 1.50 |
| Hearing Sensitivity | 1.88 | 1.62 |
| Speed of Limb Movement | 1.88 | 1.38 |
| Gross Body Equilibrium | 1.88 | 1.25 |
| Sound Localization | 1.75 | 0.75 |
| Response Orientation | 1.62 | 0.75 |
| Explosive Strength | 1.50 | 0.62 |
| Reaction Time | 1.50 | 0.62 |
| Spatial Orientation | 1.50 | 0.50 |
| Wrist-Finger Speed | 1.38 | 0.50 |
| Dynamic Flexibility | 1.25 | not rated |
| Peripheral Vision | 1.12 | not rated |
| Glare Sensitivity | 1.00 | not rated |
| Night Vision | 1.00 | not rated |
| Rate Control | 1.00 | not rated |
Software used
Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.
- Microsoft Access hot
- Microsoft Excel hot
- Microsoft Office software hot
- Microsoft Outlook hot
- Microsoft PowerPoint hot
- Microsoft Word hot
- CEEJS The Pet Groomer's Secretary
- DaySmart Software 123Pet
- DaySmart Software Appointment-Plus
- Envision Pet Grooming
- Groom Pro
- Groomsoft
- K9 Bytes K9 Koordinator
- Kennel Link
- Mobile Dog Grooming Software mGroomer
- Petschedule
- The Groomer's Write Hand
Where it concentrates
Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.
| Metro area | Employment | Location quotient | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lexington-Fayette, KY | 2,400 | 4.88 | $34,590 |
| Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA | 470 | 3.22 | $29,870 |
| Athens-Clarke County, GA | 520 | 3.13 | $33,610 |
| Ocala, FL | 600 | 2.88 | $34,930 |
| Jacksonville, NC | 250 | 2.80 | $30,460 |
| Santa Fe, NM | 240 | 2.24 | $35,360 |
| Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL | 330 | 2.18 | $29,480 |
| Rapid City, SD | 270 | 2.17 | $32,090 |
| Auburn-Opelika, AL | 260 | 2.10 | $27,690 |
| Ames, IA | 190 | 2.02 | $38,700 |