Animal Caretakers build coordination, judgment and decision making and service orientation skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers (89%).
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Sorted by skill match.
| # | Career | Skill match | Median pay | Pay change | Extra education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers | 89% | $38,150 | +8% | None |
| 2 | Animal Control Workers | 81% | $45,660 | +29% | None |
| 3 | Animal Breeders | 79% | $51,130 | +45% | None |
| 4 | Veterinary Technologists and Technicians | 78% | $47,380 | +34% | Certificate or associate |
| 5 | Nursing Assistants | 77% | $42,260 | +20% | Certificate or associate |
| 6 | Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers | 76% | $33,580 | −5% | None |
| 7 | Locker Room, Coatroom, and Dressing Room Attendants | 75% | $36,300 | +3% | None |
| 8 | Orderlies | 75% | $38,290 | +8% | None |
| 9 | Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 75% | $35,510 | 0% | None |
| 10 | Shampooers | 75% | $32,600 | −8% | None |
Compared with Animal Caretakers, median $35,360. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.
How important each skill is in work as animal caretakers (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).
The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.
Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.
A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.
89% skill match · $38,150 · +8% pay
Operations Analysis · Instructing · Management of Material Resources
81% skill match · $45,660 · +29% pay
Persuasion · Negotiation · Operations Analysis
79% skill match · $51,130 · +45% pay
Operation and Control · Operations Monitoring · Quality Control Analysis
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers (89% skill match, median $38,150), Animal Control Workers (81% skill match, median $45,660) and Animal Breeders (79% skill match, median $51,130), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 16 pay more than animal caretakers at the median. The biggest increases: Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses (+82%, $64,400), Embalmers (+66%, $58,780) and Animal Breeders (+45%, $51,130).
20 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones.
We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.