SOC 33-9011 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Animal Control Workers — West Virginia
West Virginia
The median wage for Animal Control Workers in West Virginia is $35,120 per year, 23.1% below the national median of $45,660.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to grow about as fast as average
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- +3.9%
- Openings per year
- 1,300
- Typical entry-level education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.
Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for West Virginia.
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 Control Workers in West Virginia is $35,120 per year, 23.1% below the national median of $45,660. Half of workers earn between $31,170 and $39,450. Beyond that band, the tenth percentile sits at $27,660 and the ninetieth at $41,590.
Employment stands at 90, or 0.1 jobs per thousand held locally. West Virginia ranks number 42nd out of 44 states by median pay for this occupation. Of the 618 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 531st.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $27,660 | −39.4% |
| 25th | $31,170 | −31.7% |
| Median (50th) | $35,120 | −23.1% |
| 75th | $39,450 | −13.6% |
| 90th | $41,590 | −8.9% |
| Mean | $35,070 | −23.2% |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in West Virginia run 10.5% below the national average, so the median of $35,120 goes as far as $39,240 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 14.1% below the national median in real terms.
Published median
$35,120as reported by BLSLocal price level
89.5US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$39,240US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $35,120 a year, 23.1% below the national median.
- Published pay spans $27,660 to $41,590 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 90 jobs in this occupation.
- It ranks 42nd of 44 states for this occupation.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Animal Control Workers in West Virginia?
The median annual wage is $35,120, or $16.89 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 $45,660, so pay in West Virginia is 23.1% 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 West Virginia earns more than $41,590 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $27,660 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.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 90 jobs in this occupation in West Virginia. 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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