SOC 39-2021 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Animal Caretakers — Lexington
Lexington-Fayette, KY · 5 metro areas compared
The median wage for Animal Caretakers in Lexington, KY is $34,590 per year, close to the national median of $35,360 for the same occupation.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to grow much faster than average
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- +12.1%
- Openings per year
- 74,600
- Typical entry-level education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.
25.2% of people in this occupation work for themselves.
Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Lexington-Fayette, KY.
Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.
Salary overview
The median wage for Animal Caretakers in Lexington, KY is $34,590 per year, close to the national median of $35,360 for the same occupation. Half of workers earn between $29,100 and $38,690. Beyond that band, the tenth percentile sits at $23,540 and the ninetieth at $47,370.
The area has 2,400 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 8.4 of every thousand jobs. Within the state, Paducah records the highest median at $31,200. Of the 469 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 433rd.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $23,540 | −33.4% |
| 25th | $29,100 | −17.7% |
| Median (50th) | $34,590 | −2.2% |
| 75th | $38,690 | +9.4% |
| 90th | $47,370 | +34.0% |
| Mean | $35,770 | +1.2% |
Other metro areas in Kentucky
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paducah | $31,200 | 60 | |
| 2 | Louisville/Jefferson County | $30,830 | 1,640 | |
| 3 | Elizabethtown | $29,730 | 120 | |
| 4 | Bowling Green | $29,510 | 160 | |
| 5 | Owensboro | $29,070 | 70 |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Lexington run 7.1% below the national average, so the median of $34,590 goes as far as $37,234 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 5.3% above the national median in real terms.
Published median
$34,590as reported by BLSLocal price level
92.9US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$37,234US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $34,590 a year, 2.2% below the national median.
- Published pay spans $23,540 to $47,370 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 2,400 jobs in this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is Paducah, at $31,200.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Animal Caretakers in Lexington, KY?
The median annual wage is $34,590, or $16.63 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.
Is that higher than the national average?
The national median for this occupation is $35,360, so pay in Lexington, KY is 2.2% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.
What do the top earners make?
The top tenth of this occupation in Lexington, KY earns more than $47,370 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $23,540 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.
Which area nearby pays the most?
The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Paducah, at $31,200 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 2,400 jobs in this occupation in Lexington, KY. Self-employed workers are not included.
Source and methodology
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.
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