Animal Caretakers

Low pay & lowrisk
Moderate Risk
Low High

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Occupation snapshot

What does this snowflake show?
The Snowflake is a visual summary of the five badges: Automation Risk (calculated), Risk (polled), Growth, Wages and Volume. It gives you an instant snapshot of an occupations profile. The colour of the Snowflake relates to its size. The better the occupation scores in relation to others, the larger and greener the Snowflake becomes.
JOB SCORE
5.6/10
What's this?
Job Score (higher is better):

We rate jobs using four factors. These are:

- Chance of being automated
- Job growth
- Wages
- Volume of available positions

These are some key things to think about when job hunting.

Risk & user votes

Calculated automation risk

46% (Moderate Risk)

Moderate Risk (41-60%): This occupation may be meaningfully affected by automation. Some parts of the role may be suitable for AI, software, or robotics, while others still rely on human skill, judgement, trust, or real-world context. People in this range may benefit from building skills that complement automation and reduce replacement risk.

More information on what this score is, and how it is calculated is available here.

Human strengths important in this job

These are human abilities and work contexts that are important in this occupation. They may help explain why parts of the role are harder to replace end-to-end, but they are not the only inputs into the automation score.

Assisting and caring for others

Quite important
Why this matters
Provide hands-on help, emotional support, or personal care to people—work that depends on empathy, trust, and responding to individual needs in the moment.
Jobs that also use this strength

Working directly with the public

Quite important
Why this matters
The job involves face-to-face interaction with customers, clients, or guests—answering questions, handling requests, and managing service situations in real time. Roles with frequent public interaction are harder to replace end-to-end because they rely on trust, communication, and adapting to unpredictable human needs.
Jobs that also use this strength

Thinking creatively

Quite important
Why this matters
Coming up with original ideas and designs—creating new concepts, products, systems, or artistic work. This kind of open-ended invention and taste-based judgment is harder to automate end-to-end than routine, rule-based tasks.
Jobs that also use this strength

Decision-making and problem solving

Quite important
Why this matters
Analyze information, weigh tradeoffs, and choose the best solution—especially when situations are ambiguous, high-stakes, or have real-world consequences.
Jobs that also use this strength

What users think

Based on 162 votes

30% chance of full automation within the next two decades

Our visitors have voted there's a low chance this occupation will be automated. This assessment is further supported by the calculated automation risk level, which estimates 46% chance of automation.

What do you think the risk of automation is?

What is the likelihood that Animal Caretakers will be replaced by robots or artificial intelligence within the next 20 years?

Sentiment

Based on user votes over time

View sentiment trend

How opinions have changed over time

Pay & outlook

Wages

Very low paid relative to other professions

In 2024, the median annual wage for Animal Caretakers was $33,470 ($16 per hour).

The median annual wage for Animal Caretakers was 32.4% lower than the national median annual wage, which stood at $49,500.

View wage trend

Wages over time

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Growth

Very fast growth relative to other professions

The number of 'Animal Caretakers' job openings is expected to rise 12.1% by 2034

View employment trend

Total employment, and estimated job openings

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the period between 2023 and 2033
Updated projections are due 09-2025.

Volume

Greater range of job opportunities compared to other professions

As of 2024 there were 277,300 people employed as 'Animal Caretakers' within the United States.

This represents around 0.18% of the employed workforce across the country

Put another way, around 1 in 556 people are employed as 'Animal Caretakers'.

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What people are saying (10)

Leave a comment
Mookie (No chance)
22 Apr 2026 13:44
Very physical, need to be extremely quick thinking and emotionally intelligent.
anonymous (Low)
30 Mar 2026 16:53
robots can't express the love and care animals need
Ell (Low)
21 May 2025 14:42
Because no one in their right mind would let a soulless robot take care of fragile creatures like kittens or puppies or any other animal. Besides, cats and dogs have already been domesticated really well by humans, so they won’t like weird, new, modern, robotic voices in a metal, uncanny-looking body
Lora S
19 Jul 2024 16:49
I have a dog daycare facility. There is no chance robots will take over this field. My lowest paid worker earns $20/hour.
Stryder Maravilla (Low)
01 Jul 2024 21:16
Well robots are being created by humens. humens love dogs and enjoy walking them therefor why would a dog owner buy or creat a robot to walk your dog
shan
13 Apr 2022 14:23
This is BS. Animals are unpredictable and not easy to work with. No robot is gonna be able to anticipate their constant changes in behaviour or stop them from wiggling around while bathing/brushing/cleaning them. I can see kennel cleaning or feeding being automated but a human is always gonna be needed to look out for animals and interact with them.
Ching Canada (Highly likely)
30 Aug 2021 03:29
I dont think robots can address the needs of an animal especially the beloved one. Regardless, the future's gonna make it possible tho
oscar (Low)
13 Aug 2021 23:06
because animals need humans to comfort them when they are not felling well or need human interaction.
Rebecca
19 Jan 2020 16:37
Can't see how the entire job could be automated?? For example no one is going to use a boarding kennel or cattery with no human workers.
trinity
17 Nov 2023 15:10
frb thares noi way for that to happen
Leave a reply about this occupation
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Job description

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