Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers

Detailed Occupation

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2024 Workforce

82k

Average Age

30.5

Estimated Job Growth

8.74%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$35,409

Average Male Salary

$47,681

Average Female Salary

$33,323

About

Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers are most often employed by the Veterinary services industry. The average yearly wage for Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers was $35,409 in 2024.

The locations that employ the most Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers are Butte County--Chico City PUMA, CA, Rappahannock-Rapidan Regional Commission PUMA, VA, and Collier County (Southwest) PUMA, FL. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers are Kent County (North) PUMA, MI, Collier County (Southwest) PUMA, FL, and Coastal Regional Commission (East)--Chatham County (East & Outside Savannah City) PUMA, GA.

Healthcare Support Occupations Service Occupations

Employment

Employment and salary information for the Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers workforce. Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers workforce in 2024 was 82,038 people, of which 85.5% were women and 14.5% were men.

Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers are paid most in Erie County (South) PUMA, NY but are relatively concentrated in Kent County (North) PUMA, MI.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

11,920

Male Workforce

± 2.68k

70,118

Female Workforce

± 6.5k

The Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers workforce in 2024 was 82,038 people (85.5% women and 14.5% men). This implies an average annual growth of 94.2% between 2014 (42,248) and 2024 (82,038).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

This map shows the states in the United States shaded by average wage for Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers.

During 2024, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were Rhode Island ($60,680), Texas ($50,660), and Arizona ($49,831).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$35,409

AVERAGE WAGE

#440 in the ranking (2014)

$69,878

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2024, Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers earned an average of $35,409, $34,468 less than the average national salary of $69,878

The graph shows the ranking of Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2014.

Wage Distribution

Gender

0.419

WAGE GINI

In 2024, Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.419, which is lower than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

The graphic shows the distribution of average salaries by buckets for Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers compared to the entire workforce in the country.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers and on wages for those in the field. Veterinary services is the industry that employs the most Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers, by average wage, is Other health care services ($85,040).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

82k

2024 Workforce

± 7,030

9.02%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 11.4%

This graphic shows the share of Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers employed by various industries. Veterinary services employs the largest share of Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers at 96.4%, followed by Other personal services with 1.45% and Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges with 1.21%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers in the US. The workforce of Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers in 2024 was 82,038 people, with 85.5% woman, and 14.5% men. The average age of male Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers in the workforce is 33.2 and of female Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers is 30.1, and the most common race/ethnicity for Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers in 2024 was 82,038 people, with 85.5% woman, and 14.5% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 20 to 24 years (25,023 people), 25 to 29 years (18,881 people), and 30 to 34 years (12,339 people). Among them they concentrated 68.8% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2024, 17.5% of Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers workers were Hispanic and 82.5% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (54.1%), Puerto Rican (12)%, and All Other Spanish/Hispanic/Latino (6.21)%

You can review this information by gender using the selectors above.

Races

In 2024, 74.5% of the Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers workforce were White, of which 87.2% were women and 12.8% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Two or More Races (11.9%) and Other (6.2%).

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices for Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers is Biology but the most specialized major according to RCA in 2024 were Agriculture.

Among the necessary skills for Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers, Active Listening stands, but the revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers need more than the average amount of Science.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

Type of Majors

Degree

The most common majors achieved by Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers in 2024 (counting all academic degrees) were Biology (5,616 people), Agriculture (4,085 people), and Health (2,386 people).

You can review this information for different academic grades by modifying the option selected in the selector above.

Education Levels

Metric

The main educational levels achieved by the Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers workers were Some college (25,834 people), Bachelors Degree (21,955 people), and High School or Equivalent (18,032 people).

The graphic shows the Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers workforce by gender and educational level.

Skills

Chart

Value

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Writing, Critical Thinking.

Projections

Projections on job growth for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.07%, but Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers are expected to see a growth of 8.74% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow more than the national average.

Job Growth

For growth projections, the closest comparible industry reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics is Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers.

8.74%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.07%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers. This profession is expected to grow more than than 3.07%, the average rate of national job growth.