Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, aged to 2026 using compounded market movement. State selections show BLS state-level figures where published. Actual pay varies with experience, industry, and organization size.
Animal Trainer is a professional role in the Personal Care and Service job family, focused on Animal Trainer work. Pay for this title reflects both its level and its scope; see our Title Level and Organization Responsibility guides for how WePayFairly defines them.
What Animal Trainers do
Typical education: High School Diploma
Cue or signal animals during performances.
Talk to or interact with animals to familiarize them to human voices or contact.
Conduct training programs to develop or maintain desired animal behaviors for competition, entertainment, obedience, security, riding, or related purposes.
Feed or exercise animals or provide other general care, such as cleaning or maintaining holding or performance areas.
Observe animals' physical conditions to detect illness or unhealthy conditions requiring medical care.
Top skills:InstructingSpeakingLearning StrategiesCritical ThinkingActive LearningMonitoring
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
Animal Trainer pay by experience level
Entry level$30,500
Typical starting pay (about the 10th percentile)
Early career$35,000
A few years in (about the 25th percentile)
Experienced$41,500
Mid-career median pay
Senior$55,500
Seasoned professionals (about the 75th percentile)
Top earners$78,000
Highest earners (about the 90th percentile)
Experience tiers are derived from the BLS wage percentile distribution for this occupation, aged to 2026. Actual pay varies by employer, location, and specialization.
Job outlook
+5.1%
projected change in jobs, 2024–2034
7,100
projected openings per year
Growing about as fast as average
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program (2024–2034). Openings include growth and replacement needs.
Animal Trainer salary by industry
Personal and Laundry Services
9,090 workers
$47,500
Other Personal Services
9,090 workers
$47,500
Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Miscellaneous Retailers
3,330 workers
$38,000
Other Miscellaneous Retailers
3,320 workers
$38,000
Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries
1,890 workers
$54,500
Spectator Sports
1,780 workers
$53,500
Support Activities for Agriculture and Forestry
1,430 workers
$50,000
Support Activities for Animal Production
1,430 workers
$50,000
Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations
570 workers
$61,500
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
430 workers
$52,500
National sector-level figures, BLS OEWS May 2025, aged to 2026.
How this role compares
Animal Trainer pays 2% above the average across 33 roles in the Personal Care and Service job family (family average $47,500).
