Animal Caretakers in Arkansas

Get the information you need to know about working as an Animal Caretaker.

You’re in luck! Jobs for Animal Caretakers in Arkansas are projected to grow and these jobs tend to pay higher than average.

• Projected employment for Animal Caretakers in Arkansas is growing faster than average.

• Animal Caretakers in Arkansas earn lower salaries than the typical U.S. wage earner.

How Many Animal Caretakers Work in Arkansas?

1,600 people worked as Animal Caretakers in 2018 in this state.

There were 1,430 Animal Caretakers employed in this state in 2017.

That’s growth of 170 jobs between 2017 and 2018.

The typical state has 2,350 Animal Caretakers working in it, which means Arkansas has fewer Animal Caretakers than average.

Job Projections for Arkansas

Jobs for Animal Caretakers in this state are growing at a rate of 14.0% which is slower than the nationwide estimated projection of 24.2%.

Arkansas Annual Job Openings

The BLS estimates there will be 400 annual job openings, and 2,600 total jobs in 2026 for Animal Caretakers in this state.

Nationwide, the prediction is 46,200 annual jobs and 300,000 total jobs in 2026.

What do Animal Caretakers Make in Arkansas?

In 2018 wages for Animal Caretakers ranged from $18,640 to $32,890 with $21,190 being the median annual salary.

Broken down to an hourly rate, workers in this field made anywhere from $8.96 to $15.81. The median hourly rate was $10.19.

In 2017 the median pay for this field was $9.53 an hour.

The hourly rate grew by $0.66.

The median salary in Arkansas is higher than the nationwide median salary.

Top Arkansas Metros for Animal Caretakers

The table below shows some of the metros in this state with the most Animal Caretakers.

Metro	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
Memphis, TN-MS-AR	890	$22,410
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR	620	$21,840
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO	350	$22,540
Hot Springs, AR	140	$20,030
Fort Smith, AR-OK	80	$19,890
Jonesboro, AR	50	$20,150

Top States for Animal Caretakers Employment

The table below shows the states where most Animal Caretakers work.

State	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
California	21,430	$26,320
Texas	15,660	$22,030
New York	13,110	$25,830
Florida	12,890	$22,980
Illinois	8,380	$22,660
Pennsylvania	8,140	$21,840
North Carolina	7,340	$22,070
Ohio	7,080	$21,200
Georgia	6,820	$22,440
Virginia	6,390	$22,730
New Jersey	5,570	$23,960
Michigan	5,130	$22,440
Colorado	4,930	$24,050
Massachusetts	4,800	$27,590
Missouri	4,660	$21,460
Washington	4,430	$27,130
Indiana	4,380	$21,370
Wisconsin	3,990	$21,000
Arizona	3,840	$24,330
Maryland	3,810	$25,260

Below are the states where Animal Caretakers get paid the most:

State	Annual Median Salary
District of Columbia	$35,530
Alaska	$28,680
Massachusetts	$27,590
Washington	$27,130
Hawaii	$26,940
California	$26,320
New York	$25,830
Connecticut	$25,490
Maryland	$25,260
Oregon	$24,880

References

• Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• Image Credit: By Corey Hensley under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.