Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers

Detailed Occupation

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2020 Workforce

60.8k

Average Age

31.5

Estimated Job Growth

15.8%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$28,111

Average Male Salary

$43,407

Average Female Salary

$25,160

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 $28,111 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers by wage are Preschool & kindergarten teachers, Mail clerks & mail machine operators, except postal service, and Taxi drivers.

Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers are part of the Healthcare Support Occupations, along with Home health aides, Personal care aides, Nursing assistants, Orderlies and psychiatric aides, Occupational therapy assistants & aides, and 9 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers are Windsor Town, Healdsburg & Sonoma Cities PUMA, CA, Carson City, Lyon, Douglas & Storey Counties PUMA, NV, and Bellingham City PUMA, WA. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers are Windsor Town, Healdsburg & Sonoma Cities PUMA, CA, Carson City, Lyon, Douglas & Storey Counties PUMA, NV, and Clarke CountyAthens City PUMA, GA.

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers and on wages and locations 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 Pharmaceutical & medicine manufacturing. Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers are paid most in Cutler Bay Town & Palmetto Bay Village PUMA, FL but are relatively concentrated in Windsor Town, Healdsburg & Sonoma Cities PUMA, CA.

Yearly Wage

$28,111

AVERAGE SALARY

± $3,464

In 2020, Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers earned an average of $28,111, $27,843 less than than the average national salary of $55,954.

Preschool & kindergarten teachers make somewhat more than Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers while Mail clerks & mail machine operators, except postal service make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.37

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.37, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. 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).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers.

Most Common

The most common industries employing Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers, by number of employees, are Veterinary services, Other personal services, Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, Scientific research & development services, Animal production & aquaculture, General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, Civic, social, advocacy organizations, & grantmaking & giving services, Management, scientific & technical consulting services, Pharmaceutical & medicine manufacturing, Other health care services, and Miscellaneous retail stores.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers, by average wage, are Pharmaceutical & medicine manufacturing, Administration of economic programs & space research, and Management, scientific & technical consulting services.

Industries by Share

60.8k

2020 Workforce

± 6,051

8.14%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 13.3%

The number of people employed as Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers has been growing at a rate of 8.14%, from 56,189 people in 2019 to 60,764 people in 2020.

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 92.2%, followed by Other personal services with 1.38% and Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges with 1.3%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers in the US. The average age of male Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers in the workforce is 33.4 and of female Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers is 31.1, and the most common race/ethnicity for Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

9.83k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 2,434

50.9k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 5,540

83.8% of Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers are Female, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers

White (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)
Black (Non-Hispanic)

75% of Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 8.92% of Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers, White (Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers.

Age by Sex

33.4

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 3.17

31.1

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 1.31

The median age of Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers is 31.5, and Male employees are generally 2.27 years older than than their Female counterparts.

Education

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 a relatively high number of Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers hold a major in Agriculture.

Majors

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

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Skills

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, and Critical Thinking. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers need more than the average amount of Science, Management of Material Resources, and Management of Financial Resources.

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

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 3.71%, but Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers are expected to see a growth of 15.8% 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.

15.8%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.71%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers. This profession is expected to grow more than than 3.71%, the average rate of national job growth.