Occupation salary profile

Animal Breeders

SOC 45-2021 BLS OEWS May 2025

Select and breed animals according to their genealogy, characteristics, and offspring. May require knowledge of artificial insemination techniques and equipment use. May involve keeping records on heats, birth intervals, or pedigree. Excludes “Animal Scientists” (19-1011) whose primary function is research and “Animal Caretakers” (39-2021) who may occasionally breed animals as part of their other caretaking duties.

National median · BLS
$51,130
▼ -1.67% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
—
Too few H-1B filings
Average salary · BLS
$57,010
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
1,330
Jobs (BLS)
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Pay range for Animal Breeders

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation.

Percentile All U.S. workers (BLS)
10th — entry pay$38,480
25th$44,320
Median (50th)$51,130
75th$62,080
90th — top pay$90,550

Hourly ⇄ annual pay

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Based on hrs/week × weeks/year = 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Animal Breeders

BLS projects employment of animal breeders to grow 3% from 2025 to 2035, slower than the 3.5% average for all occupations. About 1,000 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
6,900 → 7,100
+200 jobs
Projected change
+3%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
1,000
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
Self-employed
3.5% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 2)
Very Little to Some Preparation Needed. Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Fastest-growing jobs → Best-paying jobs that need a high school diploma →

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035 · BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook →

Skills & tools

Skills needed for Animal Breeders

How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.

Top skills
  • Critical Thinking3.3
  • Active Learning3.0
  • Active Listening3.0
  • Complex Problem Solving3.0
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.0
  • Monitoring3.0
  • Science3.0
  • Speaking3.0
  • Operations Monitoring2.9
  • Reading Comprehension2.9
Top knowledge areas
  • Customer and Personal Service4.2
  • Sales and Marketing3.9
  • Administration and Management3.5
  • Biology3.3
  • Mathematics3.2
  • Administrative3.1
  • Production and Processing2.9
  • English Language2.8
Software and technology used
Adobe AcrobatAdobe Creative Cloud softwareAdobe IllustratorAdobe InDesignAdobe PhotoshopMicrosoft AccessMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft SharePointMicrosoft WindowsMicrosoft WordBreedtrakEmail softwareKinTraksMicrosoft Internet ExplorerQuestionmark PerceptionRespondus

Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

About the job

What animal breeders do

  • Feed and water animals, and clean and disinfect pens, cages, yards, and hutches.
  • Observe animals in heat to detect approach of estrus and exercise animals to induce or hasten estrus, if necessary.
  • Treat minor injuries and ailments and contact veterinarians to obtain treatment for animals with serious illnesses or injuries.
  • Purchase and stock supplies of feed and medicines.
  • Select animals to be bred, and semen specimens to be used, according to knowledge of animals, genealogies, traits, and desired offspring characteristics.
  • Examine animals to detect symptoms of illness or injury.
  • Build hutches, pens, and fenced yards.
  • Record animal characteristics such as weights, growth patterns, and diets.
Also called
Animal TechnicianArtificial Insemination Technician (AI Technician)BreederDog BreederArtificial InseminatorLarge Herd Specialist
More job titles for this occupation (23)
Animal BreederAnimal HusbandmanAnimal Husbandry TechnicianAviculturistBee BreederCanary BreederCat BreederChicken FancierDairy HusbandmanDairy Husbandry WorkerEquine BreederFur FarmerHorse BreederHusbandry TechnicianLarge Animal Husbandry TechnicianLivestock BreederPigeon FancierPoultry BreederPoultry HusbandmanPoultry Husbandry WorkerPoultry InseminatorRabbit FancierRat Culturist

Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.