Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2018

31-9096 Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers

Feed, water, and examine pets and other nonfarm animals for signs of illness, disease, or injury in laboratories and animal hospitals and clinics. Clean and disinfect cages and work areas, and sterilize laboratory and surgical equipment. May provide routine post-operative care, administer medication orally or topically, or prepare samples for laboratory examination under the supervision of veterinary or laboratory animal technologists or technicians, veterinarians, or scientists. Excludes "Nonfarm Animal Caretakers" (39-2021).

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1)	Employment RSE (3)	Mean hourly wage	Mean annual wage (2)	Wage RSE (3)
89,480	2.2 %	$13.79	$28,690	0.6 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile	10%	25%	50% (Median)	75%	90%
Hourly Wage	$9.59	$11.09	$13.24	$15.73	$18.70
Annual Wage (2)	$19,950	$23,060	$27,540	$32,730	$38,890

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	79,460	10.91	$13.37	$27,820
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools	3,500	0.11	$18.93	$39,370
Scientific Research and Development Services	2,520	0.37	$16.70	$34,750
Social Advocacy Organizations	1,430	0.67	$13.40	$27,860
Other Personal Services	590	0.17	$12.84	$26,700

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	79,460	10.91	$13.37	$27,820
Social Advocacy Organizations	1,430	0.67	$13.40	$27,860
Scientific Research and Development Services	2,520	0.37	$16.70	$34,750
Other Personal Services	590	0.17	$12.84	$26,700
Support Activities for Animal Production	40	0.13	$18.13	$37,720

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing	180	0.06	$23.05	$47,950
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation)	560	0.01	$20.60	$42,860
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools	3,500	0.11	$18.93	$39,370
Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions	160	0.10	$18.84	$39,190
Support Activities for Animal Production	40	0.13	$18.13	$37,720

Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
California	12,410	0.73	1.18	$15.62	$32,480
Texas	5,440	0.45	0.73	$12.70	$26,410
Florida	4,970	0.58	0.93	$13.20	$27,450
New York	4,030	0.43	0.69	$15.54	$32,320
Virginia	3,850	1.01	1.63	$12.86	$26,750

States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Maine	750	1.24	2.00	$16.67	$34,680
Washington	3,650	1.12	1.81	$14.99	$31,180
Kentucky	1,960	1.04	1.67	$12.20	$25,380
Virginia	3,850	1.01	1.63	$12.86	$26,750
Arizona	2,780	1.00	1.61	$14.08	$29,300

Top paying States for this occupation:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Massachusetts	1,400	0.39	0.63	$17.65	$36,720
Connecticut	960	0.58	0.94	$16.75	$34,850
Maine	750	1.24	2.00	$16.67	$34,680
California	12,410	0.73	1.18	$15.62	$32,480
New York	4,030	0.43	0.69	$15.54	$32,320

Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	4,060	0.66	1.07	$14.73	$30,630
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA	3,430	0.36	0.58	$15.59	$32,440
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	2,320	1.17	1.89	$15.00	$31,200
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	2,270	0.72	1.17	$13.55	$28,190
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ	2,150	1.04	1.69	$14.12	$29,360
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	1,850	0.52	0.84	$13.27	$27,590
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI	1,650	0.36	0.58	$13.66	$28,410
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI	1,510	0.77	1.24	$13.30	$27,660
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA	1,370	0.94	1.52	$15.86	$32,990
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA	1,350	0.56	0.91	$16.61	$34,560