Private Detectives and Investigators
Median $51,220
Occupation · SOC 33-9011
Animal Control Workers: pay and where the jobs are
What animal control workers earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$45,660 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $48,440
- Median hourly wage
- $21.95
- Mean hourly wage
- $23.29
- Employment
- 12,070
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 33-9011.
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See where your pay falls among animal control workers nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do animal control workers make?
The median annual wage for animal control workers was $45,660 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $33,090 and the highest-paid 10% more than $68,070. As an hourly rate, the median is $21.95. About 12,070 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Washington ($66,440), Oregon ($66,130) and Alaska ($63,340). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Alaska.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for animal control workers looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $33,090 | $15.91 | $2,758 | $2,397 |
| 25th percentile | $37,750 | $18.15 | $3,146 | $2,709 |
| Median | $45,660 | $21.95 | $3,805 | $3,239 |
| 75th percentile | $57,060 | $27.44 | $4,755 | $4,002 |
| 90th percentile | $68,070 | $32.72 | $5,673 | $4,726 |
Animal Control Workers: pay by state
44 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$51,586 take-home in national prices
2
$51,062 take-home in national prices
3
$50,494 take-home in national prices
Where a median animal control worker paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 180 | $66,440 | $39,370 | $88,180 | $54,643 | $51,062 |
| Oregon | 40 | $66,130 | $54,950 | $82,620 | $50,473 | $48,831 |
| Alaska | 30 | $63,340 | $46,140 | $74,420 | $52,803 | $51,586 |
| California | 1,210 | $62,630 | $47,570 | $78,880 | $49,892 | $45,061 |
| Massachusetts | 280 | $60,930 | $44,370 | $78,180 | $48,030 | $45,416 |
| Nevada | 100 | $58,810 | $32,100 | $74,610 | $49,434 | $49,444 |
| Colorado | 170 | $58,470 | $43,870 | $74,230 | $47,039 | $45,646 |
| Connecticut | 220 | $57,130 | $37,270 | $82,000 | $45,406 | $43,824 |
| Rhode Island | 70 | $55,060 | $35,650 | $64,420 | $44,367 | $43,378 |
| Iowa | 80 | $54,190 | $42,120 | $62,040 | $44,314 | $50,494 |
| Wyoming | 40 | $53,870 | $40,390 | $60,540 | $45,465 | $49,050 |
| Maryland | 140 | $53,330 | $39,420 | $81,450 | $42,863 | $40,838 |
| New Jersey | 260 | $52,050 | $36,890 | $81,240 | $42,265 | $38,845 |
| Pennsylvania | Not published | $52,000 | $47,740 | $67,370 | $42,329 | $43,383 |
| Montana | 50 | $50,530 | $40,230 | $57,190 | $41,163 | $43,492 |
| Maine | 90 | $49,660 | $38,050 | $59,530 | $40,159 | $41,380 |
| Virginia | 430 | $49,010 | $37,010 | $60,340 | $39,556 | $39,124 |
| New Hampshire | 60 | $48,840 | $35,000 | $64,610 | $41,423 | $39,767 |
| New York | 870 | $48,420 | $34,800 | $73,360 | $38,827 | $35,978 |
| Michigan | 260 | $48,340 | $36,090 | $60,960 | $39,217 | $40,759 |
| Arizona | 210 | $47,650 | $35,200 | $58,070 | $39,669 | $39,403 |
| Utah | 200 | $47,210 | $33,280 | $64,860 | $38,601 | $39,045 |
| Florida | 640 | $45,860 | $35,100 | $61,730 | $39,029 | $37,740 |
| South Dakota | 50 | $45,530 | $32,670 | $56,900 | $38,763 | $43,758 |
| Ohio | 290 | $45,220 | $31,940 | $59,470 | $37,714 | $40,652 |
| North Carolina | 460 | $43,940 | $35,150 | $57,230 | $36,241 | $38,421 |
| Idaho | 50 | $43,930 | $32,890 | $57,470 | $36,258 | $37,969 |
| Texas | 1,300 | $43,250 | $34,440 | $54,550 | $36,931 | $38,051 |
| Indiana | 340 | $43,000 | $29,120 | $59,890 | $35,492 | $38,028 |
| Tennessee | 280 | $42,970 | $27,240 | $51,640 | $36,706 | $39,955 |
| Illinois | 410 | $42,480 | $32,510 | $73,470 | $34,355 | $34,369 |
| Missouri | 440 | $41,760 | $31,300 | $58,840 | $34,709 | $38,218 |
| Kansas | 190 | $39,520 | $35,010 | $53,620 | $32,529 | $36,116 |
| Georgia | 430 | $39,500 | $33,060 | $51,760 | $32,696 | $33,954 |
| South Carolina | 180 | $38,790 | $28,800 | $47,470 | $32,874 | $35,066 |
| Louisiana | 120 | $38,020 | $28,090 | $56,240 | $31,975 | $36,250 |
| New Mexico | 260 | $37,800 | $31,250 | $46,380 | $31,894 | $34,588 |
| Oklahoma | 380 | $37,450 | $27,300 | $49,940 | $31,131 | $35,440 |
| Wisconsin | 120 | $37,380 | $29,840 | $69,790 | $31,260 | $33,222 |
| Alabama | 290 | $37,340 | $27,880 | $54,060 | $30,671 | $34,530 |
| Kentucky | 190 | $35,360 | $27,600 | $47,580 | $29,472 | $32,689 |
| West Virginia | 90 | $35,120 | $27,660 | $41,590 | $29,510 | $32,973 |
| Mississippi | 160 | $34,890 | $27,390 | $47,940 | $29,551 | $33,984 |
| Arkansas | 180 | $34,410 | $24,390 | $43,890 | $29,043 | $33,407 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 33-9011. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.