The highest-paying states for nonfarm animal caretakers (ranked by average annual salary) are listed in Table 1. The entry level salary (as measured by the salary of the lowest 10% paid earners) and the number of employment of nonfarm animal caretakers in those states are also shown in the table. As shown in the table, with an annual salary of $37,000, Massachusetts is the highest paying state for nonfarm animal caretakers. It is followed by District of Columbia (average annual salary $36,510). The salary and employment information is computed from data published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in April 2023 [1]. For more salary information of nonfarm animal caretakers in a specific state, use the links in the table.
| Rank | State | Average Salary i | Entry Level Salary i |
# of Empl. i |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | $37,000 |
$31,230 | 7,840 |
| 2 | District of Columbia | $36,510 |
$31,620 | 110 |
| 3 | Washington | $36,090 |
$30,850 | 6,880 |
| 4 | California | $35,200 |
$30,670 | 25,030 |
| 5 | New York | $34,270 |
$28,830 | 11,950 |
| 6 | Maryland | $32,840 |
$27,160 | 5,200 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $32,160 |
$28,670 | 1,150 |
| 8 | Oregon | $31,680 |
$28,320 | 3,230 |
| 9 | Colorado | $31,360 |
$28,570 | 6,150 |
| 10 | Maine | $30,910 |
$28,500 | 1,070 |
| 11 | Arizona | $30,700 |
$28,280 | 5,360 |
| 12 | Connecticut | $30,630 |
$28,290 | 2,950 |
| 13 | Minnesota | $30,490 |
$24,290 | 3,940 |
| 14 | Alaska | $30,470 |
$26,470 | 510 |
| 15 | New Jersey | $30,290 |
$27,460 | 7,240 |
| 16 | Vermont | $30,090 |
$28,450 | 560 |
| 17 | Illinois | $29,510 |
$24,960 | 10,530 |
| 18 | Hawaii | $29,270 |
$24,990 | 460 |
| 19 | New Hampshire | $29,080 |
$20,730 | 1,690 |
| 20 | Wyoming | $29,020 |
$21,730 | 340 |
| 21 | Delaware | $28,970 |
$23,860 | 960 |
| 22 | Virgin Islands | $28,830 |
$21,840 | 60 |
| 23 | Montana | $28,770 |
$22,470 | 920 |
| 24 | Michigan | $28,610 |
$23,170 | 7,210 |
| 25 | Virginia | $28,520 |
$22,880 | 7,790 |
| 26 | Idaho | $28,370 |
$20,150 | 2,010 |
| 27 | Florida | $28,330 |
$23,270 | 15,240 |
| 28 | Kentucky | $28,230 |
$18,950 | 5,860 |
| 29 | Nebraska | $28,220 |
$22,210 | 1,970 |
| 30 | Tennessee | $28,190 |
$20,870 | 5,800 |
| 31 | North Dakota | $28,120 |
$22,700 | 560 |
| 32 | South Dakota | $28,080 |
$22,880 | 840 |
| 33 | New Mexico | $28,010 |
$23,920 | 1,580 |
| 34 | Missouri | $28,010 |
$23,490 | 6,910 |
| 35 | Nevada | $27,980 |
$22,070 | 2,270 |
| 36 | Indiana | $27,800 |
$20,790 | 5,330 |
| 37 | Pennsylvania | $27,690 |
$21,740 | 8,900 |
| 38 | South Carolina | $27,690 |
$20,800 | 4,470 |
| 39 | Iowa | $27,610 |
$21,260 | 3,560 |
| 40 | Texas | $27,560 |
$20,770 | 19,630 |
| 41 | Ohio | $27,520 |
$21,530 | 9,170 |
| 42 | Utah | $27,470 |
$18,350 | 2,140 |
| 43 | North Carolina | $27,130 |
$20,990 | 10,000 |
| 44 | Arkansas | $27,060 |
$23,800 | 2,070 |
| 45 | West Virginia | $26,800 |
$20,250 | 1,050 |
| 46 | Georgia | $26,780 |
$21,360 | 8,720 |
| 47 | Wisconsin | $26,410 |
$21,060 | 5,060 |
| 48 | Alabama | $24,120 |
$18,420 | 3,310 |
| 49 | Guam | $23,930 |
$19,560 | 40 |
| 50 | Kansas | $23,670 |
$18,660 | 3,270 |
| 51 | Louisiana | $23,590 |
$18,600 | 2,970 |
| 52 | Oklahoma | $23,470 |
$18,720 | 3,000 |
| 53 | Mississippi | $21,770 |
$17,960 | 1,900 |
| 54 | Puerto Rico | $20,610 |
$17,680 | 480 |