Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers
SOC 31-9096 · 2024-2034
Feed, water, and examine pets and other nonfarm animals for signs of illness, disease, or injury in laboratories and animal hospitals and clinics. Clean and disinfect cages and work areas, and sterilize laboratory and surgical equipment. May provide routine postoperative care, administer medication orally or topically, or prepare samples for laboratory examination under the supervision of veterinary or laboratory animal technologists or technicians, veterinarians, or scientists.
How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.
The job this trains for
- Typical pay in California
- $47,432per year
- Projected openings
- 33,120
- Projected change
- +15.2%
- 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.
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Service Orientation
- Monitoring
- Writing
- Reading Comprehension
Pay by region
| Region | Typical pay in California | Projected openings |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA (San Benito and Santa Clara Counties) | $48,285 | 1,220 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo Counties) | $47,945 | 3,400 |
| Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) | $47,866 | 3,040 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma MSA (Sonoma County) | $47,596 | 710 |
| Salinas MSA (Monterey County) | $47,040 | 260 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA (Santa Cruz County) | $46,855 | 370 |
| North Valley-Northern Mountains Region (Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Plumas, Sierra, Siskiyou, Tehama, and Trinity Counties) | $46,763 | 250 |
| San Rafael MD (Marin County) | $46,761 | 350 |
| Vallejo MSA (Solano County) | $46,650 | 310 |
| Napa MSA (Napa County) | $46,567 | 100 |
| Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region (Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Inyo, Mariposa, Mono, and Tuolumne Counties) | $46,526 | 110 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County) | $46,105 | 3,790 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA (Ventura County) | $46,022 | 950 |
| Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD (Orange County) | $45,939 | 3,470 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County) | $45,579 | 6,890 |
| Chico MSA (Butte County) | $44,922 | 200 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles MSA (San Luis Obispo County) | $44,582 | 380 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara MSA (Santa Barbara County) | $43,050 | 420 |
| North Coast Region (Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, and Mendocino Counties) | $42,330 | 220 |
| Merced MSA (Merced County) | $40,232 | 100 |
| Modesto MSA (Stanislaus County) | $40,232 | 440 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties) | $39,461 | 2,370 |
| Yuba City MSA (Sutter and Yuba Counties) | $39,307 | 80 |
| Bakersfield-Delano MSA (Kern County) | $38,957 | 380 |
| Visalia MSA (Tulare County) | $38,690 | 150 |
| Fresno MSA (Fresno and Madera Counties) | $38,659 | 480 |
| Redding MSA (Shasta County) | $38,412 | 160 |
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.
| The job this trains for | Typical pay in California | Projected openings | Projected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Veterinary Technologists and Technicians | $62,327 | 13,220 | +14.8% |
| Animal Caretakers | $39,680 | 68,000 | +12.3% |
| Medical Assistants | $50,918 | 175,850 | +22.7% |
| Paramedics | $76,678 | 3,120 | +15.7% |
| Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses | $81,982 | 81,600 | +15% |
| Phlebotomists | $57,459 | 19,970 | +14.7% |
Leads to — 12
Veterinary Assistant
Animal Behavior College · Valencia · $7,413
Veterinary Assistant Training Program
Animal Behavior · Valencia · $5,630
Veterinary Assistant
Grossmont Adult School · El Cajon · $375
Veterinary Assistant - Ed2Go
Los Medanos College · Pittsburg · $2,495
Veterinary Assistant
Loyola Marymount University - LMU Extension · Los Angeles · $2,715
Veterinary Assisting Certificate
San Joaquin Valley College - Central Administration Office · Visalia · $23,417
Veterinary Assistant (Hybrid)
Animal Behavior College, Inc. · Valencia · $5,630
Veterinary Assistant
SDSU Global Campus · San Diego · $3,047
Veterinary Assistant
American College of Healthcare and Technology · Riverside · $12,995
Veterinary Assistant
Southern California Regional Occupational Center · Torrance · $1,250
Veterinary Assistant Program
Animal Behavior College · Valencia · $5,630
Veterinary Assisting
Animal Behavior College, Inc. · Valencia · $5,630