Animal Caretaker Hourly Pay, Skills & Requirements (2026)
Advertised pay, starting pay, skills and experience from 6,285 US job postings by 838 employers. Data as of October 2026.
What US employers post for animal caretakers: advertised pay, the skills and experience they ask for, and the job titles they use, from 6,285 open job postings (October 2026).
- The median advertised pay for animal caretakers in US job postings is $17.02 an hour (650 postings from 188 employers, October 2026).
- The middle half of those postings offer $15.00 to $20.50 an hour.
- The skills that most set animal caretaker postings apart are reliable, customer service, attention to detail.
- Postings that state a minimum ask for a median of 1 year of experience.
Animal Caretaker job postings in the US, October 2026
- $17.02/hr
- Median advertised pay (650 postings)
- $15.00–$20.50
- Middle 50% of postings
- 6,285
- US job postings from 838 employers
- 1 year
- Median experience asked
How much does an animal caretaker make an hour?
The median advertised pay is $17.02 an hour, from 650 US job postings by 188 employers that state pay. That is about $36,000 a year at 2,080 hours.
Advertised pay in 650 US animal caretaker job postings: median $36,000 a year ($17.02 an hour), middle half $32,000 to $46,000.
- Median: $36,000 ($17.02/hr)
- 25th percentile: $32,000
- 75th percentile: $46,000
The figures as a table
| Annual pay | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| $10K–$20K | 0.2% |
| $20K–$30K | 17.0% |
| $30K–$40K | 47.0% |
| $40K–$50K | 15.3% |
| $50K–$60K | 11.9% |
| $60K–$70K | 5.1% |
| $70K–$80K | 1.2% |
| $80K–$90K | 1.8% |
Midpoint of each posting's pay range, hourly pay × 2,080 hours; at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026.
| Median | Middle 50% | Postings | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Postings that state an hourly rate | $17.02 | $15.00–$20.50 | 446 |
| All pay postings, annualised | $36,000 | $32K–$46K | 650 |
For comparison, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the national median annual wage of Animal Caretakers (39-2021) at $35,000 (May 2025). Postings advertise pay; the BLS measures what people earn, across all employers and levels.
What is the starting salary for an animal caretaker?
Figure withheld: fewer than 250 US postings list pay. How we decide.
Highest-paying animal caretaker jobs
Specializations with at least 250 postings that state pay.
| Specialization | Median pay | Postings with pay | Employers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Animal Care Technician | $17.33/hr | 420 | 121 |
Skills employers ask for in animal caretaker job postings
| Skill | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| Communication | 29% |
| Attention to detail | 26% |
| Customer service | 24% |
| Reliable | 14% |
| Teamwork | 12% |
| Dependable | 11% |
| Work independently | 11% |
| Positive attitude | 8% |
| Detail-oriented | 8% |
| Team player | 8% |
Skills named in the posting text; at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026. Methodology.
Skills that set animal caretakers apart
- Reliable9× as often as in all postings · 14%
- Dependable4.2× as often as in all postings · 11%
- Punctual8.9× as often as in all postings · 7%
- Patience5.9× as often as in all postings · 6%
Skills named in at least 5% of these postings and at least 3 times as often as in job postings overall.
Have a animal caretaker job posting in front of you? See which of its skills your resume is missing.
What does an animal caretaker do?
Employers post these jobs as Pet Groomer, Dog Groomer, Groomer, Dog Bather, Dog Walker and other titles. The largest specializations are Animal Care Technician (21%), Pet Groomer (76%), Animal Control Officer (under 1%).
The closest official occupation is Animal Caretakers (39-2021.00). Its most important 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.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
How much experience do you need to be an animal caretaker?
Among 361 postings that state a minimum, the median is 1 year. 1% say 0 years and 62% ask for 1 year or less.
Minimum experience asked in 361 US animal caretaker job postings: median 1 year, and 62% ask for 1 year or less.
The figures as a table
| Minimum experience asked | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| 0 yr | 9% |
| 1 yr | 52% |
| 2 yrs | 24% |
| 3-4 yrs | 10% |
| 5-7 yrs | 4% |
| 8-9 yrs | 0% |
| 10+ yrs | 1% |
Postings that state a minimum (required or preferred); at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026.
We do not show a degree figure: in our checks, degree requirements in posting text were found too rarely to publish one. Why.
Part-time 54%, Full-time 46% of the 387 postings that state working hours.
Other names for an animal caretaker: job titles employers use
| Job title | Employers using it |
|---|---|
| Pet Groomer | 104 (12.4%) |
| Dog Groomer | 95 (11.3%) |
| Groomer | 90 (10.7%) |
| Dog Bather | 71 (8.5%) |
| Dog Walker | 46 (5.5%) |
| Kennel Technician | 42 (5.0%) |
| Animal Care Technician | 36 (4.3%) |
| Kennel Assistant | 36 (4.3%) |
| Kennel Attendant | 34 (4.1%) |
| Dog Bather Groomer in Training | 33 (3.9%) |
| Animal Care Specialist | 32 (3.8%) |
| Experienced Pet Groomer | 32 (3.8%) |
| Mobile Pet Groomer | 32 (3.8%) |
| Bather | 23 (2.7%) |
| Animal Technician | 22 (2.6%) |
| Dog Trainer | 21 (2.5%) |
| Dog Daycare Attendant | 19 (2.3%) |
| Lead Groomer | 17 (2.0%) |
| Pet Sitter | 16 (1.9%) |
| Dog Walker/Pet Sitter | 15 (1.8%) |
Titles read in our audit and used by at least 3 employers.
Animal caretaker job titles compared
The titles people search for most, from the US job postings that use each exact title (October 2026).
| Job title | Open postings | Employers | Median pay | Median experience | Skills named most |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Groomer | 653 | 90 | – | – | attention to detail, customer service, working with dogs and cats |
| Dog Groomer | 142 | 95 | – | – | – |
| Pet Groomer | 1,709 | 104 | – | – | – |
Animal Caretaker compared with similar careers
| Career | Median pay | Median experience | Postings | Shares N of top 25 skills |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Animal Caretaker | $17.02/hr | 1 year | 6,285 | – |
| Housekeeper | $17.75/hr | 1 year | 20,700 | 18 |
| Custodian | $17.85/hr | 1 year | 27,601 | 17 |
| Childcare Worker | $17.50/hr | 1 year | 11,091 | 17 |
| Automotive Detailer | $17.50/hr | 1 year | 5,577 | 15 |
Similar careers
| Career | Shares N of the top 25 skills | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Housekeeper | 18 | $17.75/hr |
| Custodian | 17 | $17.85/hr |
| Childcare Worker | 17 | $17.50/hr |
| Automotive Detailer | 15 | $17.50/hr |
| Dishwasher | 16 | $17.00/hr |
| Delivery Driver | 16 | $21.00/hr |
Applying for animal caretaker jobs?
- Animal caretaker resume examples: one-page examples for these roles
- Match your resume to a job: paste a posting and see the skills your resume is missing
- Check your resume: see how an applicant tracking system reads it
- Find animal caretaker jobs: search open postings
Source and method
Open US job postings collected from employers' applicant tracking systems, de-duplicated, counted only when their job title was read in our audit. Shares count at most 20 postings per employer, and franchise locations of one brand count as one employer. Pay uses hourly and annual figures only; a figure is shown when leaving out the largest employer moves it by 10% or less. Every figure states its number of postings. Methodology and measured accuracy.
Accuracy check: we read 20 randomly chosen postings counted on this page in full; 19 of them were this career or a closely related one (October 2026).
Download the figures on this page (CSV): every number above with its count of postings. Aggregate figures are licensed CC BY 4.0; cite the page when you reuse them.