Animal Trainers
SOC 39-2011 · 2024-2034
Train animals for riding, harness, security, performance, or obedience, or for assisting persons with disabilities. Accustom animals to human voice and contact, and condition animals to respond to commands. Train animals according to prescribed standards for show or competition. May train animals to carry pack loads or work as part of pack team.
How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.
What California expects of this job
- Typical pay in California
- $50,303per year
- Projected openings
- 7,160
- Projected change
- +8.7%
- Usually needs
- High school diploma or equivalent
Bright Outlook — a U.S. Department of Labor designation
Rapid Growth
The Department's own designation, made from its national projections. It is not this project's assessment and it is not California's: every other figure on this page comes from California's projection, which can point the other way and for some occupations does.
Skills this work uses most
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, rates how important each of these is to this work, and they are listed in that order, most important first. The ratings themselves are not shown, because the data carries the number without the scale it was measured on. The names are as published, in English.
- Instructing
- Learning Strategies
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Active Learning
- Active Listening
Pay by region
| Region | Typical pay in California | Projected openings |
|---|---|---|
| San Rafael MD (Marin County) | $63,291 | 210 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara MSA (Santa Barbara County) | $62,107 | 130 |
| San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD (San Francisco and San Mateo Counties) | $53,753 | 450 |
| Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) | $53,616 | 450 |
| Napa MSA (Napa County) | $50,465 | 30 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County) | $50,023 | 1,570 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA (San Benito and Santa Clara Counties) | $48,953 | 210 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County) | $48,110 | 760 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma MSA (Sonoma County) | $48,110 | 110 |
| Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD (Orange County) | $48,012 | 580 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA (Ventura County) | $47,143 | 190 |
| Bakersfield-Delano MSA (Kern County) | $46,403 | 140 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles MSA (San Luis Obispo County) | $45,868 | 160 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA (Santa Cruz County) | $44,439 | 70 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo Counties) | $44,130 | 340 |
| Visalia MSA (Tulare County) | $43,513 | 280 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties) | $43,420 | 770 |
| Modesto MSA (Stanislaus County) | $42,680 | 150 |
| Fresno MSA (Fresno and Madera Counties) | $39,574 | 260 |
| Stockton-Lodi MSA (San Joaquin County) | $37,918 | 130 |
What the pay actually ranges across
- The lowest-paid tenth earn under
- $38,245
- A quarter earn under
- $40,736
- Half earn under
- $50,303
- Three quarters earn under
- $65,908
- The highest-paid tenth earn over
- $80,765
A median is one point. These are the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for California, and they say how far apart the people doing this job actually are. Read them as the spread across everyone already in the work — not as a starting wage and not as a promise about where anyone lands.
Similar work
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, names these as occupations involving work similar to this one — its own reading of the job, not a grouping by code. They keep O*NET's order, and only those California publishes a projection for are shown.
| Occupation | Typical pay in California | Projected openings | Projected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Animal Caretakers | $39,680 | 68,000 | +12.3% |
| Animal Control Workers | $64,216 | 1,350 | +8.3% |
| Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers | $47,432 | 33,120 | +15.2% |
| Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors | $59,459 | 105,200 | +16.7% |
| Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals | $39,687 | 26,520 | +0.6% |
| Veterinary Technologists and Technicians | $62,327 | 13,220 | +14.8% |
Programs that train for this job — 4
Dog Obedience Instructor Program
Animal Behavior College · Valencia · $7,218
Dog Obedience Program
Animal Behavior · Valencia · $5,648
Dog Obedience Instructor (Hybrid)
Animal Behavior College, Inc. · Valencia · $5,647
Dog Obedience Instructor Program
Animal Behavior College, Inc. · Valencia · $5,647