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Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers in California

Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers in California

Get the information you need to know about working as a Veterinary Assistant or Laboratory Animal Caretaker.

21.0% Jobs Projection
$30,740 Median Salary
2,240 Job Openings

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

  • Projected employment for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers in California is growing faster than average.

  • Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers in California earn lower salaries than the typical U.S. wage earner.

How Many Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers Work in California?

In California, there were 12,410 people working as Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers in the year 2018.

There were 11,410 Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers employed in this state in 2017.

That’s growth of 1,000 jobs between 2017 and 2018.

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The typical state has 1,395 Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers working in it, which means California has more Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers than average.

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Job Projections for California

Jobs for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers in this state are growing at a rate of 21.0% which is faster than the nationwide estimated projection of 19.3%.

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California Annual Job Openings

The BLS estimates 2,240 annual job openings, and a total of 14,400 jobs for California Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers in 2026.

Nationwide, the prediction is 15,500 annual jobs and 100,000 total jobs in 2026.

What do Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers Make in California?

In 2018 wages for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers ranged from $23,980 to $44,470 with $30,740 being the median annual salary.

Broken down to an hourly rate, workers in this field made anywhere from $11.53 to $21.38. The median hourly rate was $14.78.

In 2017 the median pay for this field was $14.08 an hour.

The hourly rate grew by $0.70.

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

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Top California Metros for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers

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

Metro Number Employed Annual Median Salary
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 4,060 $29,680
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA 1,370 $31,300
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 1,350 $33,300
Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade, CA 1,100 $31,030
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 1,090 $30,590
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 780 $40,360
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA 480 $31,210
Modesto, CA 220 $25,430
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA 210 $33,050
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA 200 $29,190
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA 130 $30,430
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA 120 $30,970
Chico, CA 110 $27,510
Salinas, CA 90 $30,760
Redding, CA 60 $29,100
Yuba City, CA 50 $27,320
Napa, CA 40 $30,040
Visalia-Porterville, CA 40 $25,330

Top States for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers Employment

View the list below to see where most Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers work.

State Number Employed Annual Median Salary
California 12,410 $30,740
Texas 5,440 $25,020
Florida 4,970 $25,650
New York 4,030 $30,140
Virginia 3,850 $26,350
Washington 3,650 $30,260
Michigan 3,510 $26,010
North Carolina 3,500 $28,200
Ohio 2,900 $25,120
Arizona 2,780 $28,760
Pennsylvania 2,600 $27,440
Tennessee 2,480 $23,800
Illinois 2,470 $26,180
Missouri 2,300 $26,950
Indiana 2,110 $28,270
Kentucky 1,960 $24,810
New Jersey 1,820 $25,570
Oregon 1,710 $30,700
Louisiana 1,650 $23,070
Georgia 1,560 $24,540

Below are the states where Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers get paid the most:

State Annual Median Salary
Massachusetts $34,860
Maine $32,690
Alaska $32,020
California $30,740
Oregon $30,700
Washington $30,260
New York $30,140
Connecticut $29,790
Colorado $29,720
Vermont $29,600

Discover similar careers:

Occupation California Employment Total
Medical Assistants 92,960
Dental Assistants 53,110
Healthcare Support Workers 12,680
Phlebotomists 12,190
Pharmacy Aides 9,480
Medical Equipment Preparers 6,300
Medical Transcriptionists 4,920

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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