Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers
Also called: Animal Care Provider, Animal Caregiver, Certified Veterinary Assistant, Veterinarian Assistant (Vet Assistant)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.
On a phone, press and hold a picture to save it to Photos.
opens your phone's share sheet, where you can save both to Photos
What the data says: AI could halve the time on 4 of its 28 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 9.1% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 3.1% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 7.9 hires for every 10 job openings in professional and business services, which employs about 91% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.7.9 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $35,800 | $29,010 to $37,970 | 1,240 |
| Alaska | $36,490 | $28,230 to $46,760 | 130 |
| Arizona | $38,250 | $37,010 to $45,900 | 3,340 |
| Arkansas | $34,570 | $29,500 to $36,830 | 1,460 |
| California | $46,260 | $39,760 to $49,290 | 16,080 |
| Colorado | $38,900 | $37,020 to $45,030 | 2,910 |
| Connecticut | $44,250 | $36,720 to $51,470 | 1,390 |
| Delaware | $38,610 | $37,070 to $46,850 | not published |
| District of Columbia | $49,080 | $46,960 to $60,700 | 240 |
| Florida | $37,830 | $36,160 to $44,930 | 6,790 |
| Georgia | $35,850 | $33,560 to $38,240 | 4,570 |
| Hawaii | $44,070 | $36,330 to $45,120 | 570 |
| Idaho | $37,530 | $35,360 to $39,160 | 680 |
| Illinois | $37,480 | $35,110 to $43,420 | 3,270 |
| Indiana | $36,420 | $32,340 to $38,470 | 2,810 |
| Iowa | $35,720 | $30,590 to $39,020 | 1,380 |
| Kansas | $35,680 | $30,800 to $38,460 | 1,570 |
| Kentucky | $34,140 | $29,350 to $36,520 | 1,840 |
| Louisiana | $30,480 | $28,880 to $35,830 | 1,230 |
| Maine | $45,510 | $39,640 to $47,260 | 690 |
| Maryland | $44,770 | $39,440 to $49,230 | 2,220 |
| Massachusetts | $46,670 | $37,440 to $59,290 | 2,130 |
| Michigan | $37,960 | $35,720 to $43,930 | 4,420 |
| Minnesota | $45,280 | $38,000 to $46,500 | 1,450 |
| Mississippi | $30,360 | $27,880 to $36,840 | 560 |
| Missouri | $36,660 | $34,150 to $41,650 | 2,010 |
| Montana | $38,340 | $35,680 to $40,270 | 550 |
| Nebraska | $36,100 | $34,130 to $37,750 | 900 |
| Nevada | $36,920 | $36,330 to $42,470 | 1,380 |
| New Hampshire | $36,910 | $31,050 to $44,510 | 770 |
| New Jersey | $46,160 | $39,700 to $48,190 | 3,270 |
| New Mexico | $37,500 | $35,430 to $39,620 | 520 |
| New York | $44,750 | $38,610 to $46,560 | 5,790 |
| North Carolina | $37,070 | $35,250 to $39,080 | 6,910 |
| North Dakota | $37,160 | $35,800 to $43,880 | 270 |
| Ohio | $36,340 | $34,070 to $38,660 | 4,640 |
| Oklahoma | $34,850 | $29,810 to $36,380 | 1,740 |
| Oregon | $44,370 | $38,570 to $46,950 | 3,170 |
| Pennsylvania | $37,140 | $34,940 to $42,990 | 3,760 |
| Puerto Rico | $23,310 | $22,040 to $25,430 | 430 |
| Rhode Island | $49,770 | $37,440 to $49,930 | 380 |
| South Carolina | $36,980 | $30,530 to $40,600 | 1,720 |
| South Dakota | $34,700 | $29,320 to $36,100 | 250 |
| Tennessee | $36,320 | $34,520 to $38,230 | 3,530 |
| Texas | $34,850 | $29,340 to $43,270 | 8,440 |
| Utah | $37,560 | $35,810 to $45,760 | 580 |
| Vermont | $37,290 | $35,670 to $39,250 | 370 |
| Virginia | $37,450 | $35,660 to $45,270 | 4,810 |
| Washington | $44,150 | $39,930 to $47,220 | 4,380 |
| West Virginia | $32,350 | $28,250 to $35,740 | 730 |
| Wisconsin | $36,850 | $35,370 to $38,630 | 2,200 |
| Wyoming | $37,880 | $31,050 to $38,570 | 150 |
Nationally: $38,150. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 4 of its 28 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Hold or restrain animals during veterinary procedures. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean and maintain kennels, animal holding areas, examination or operating rooms, or animal loading or unloading facilities to control the spread of disease. | Not published |
| Not much | Assist veterinarians in examining animals to determine the nature of illnesses or injuries. | Not published |
| Not much | Perform routine laboratory tests or diagnostic tests, such as taking or developing x-rays. | Not published |
| Not much | Monitor animals recovering from surgery and notify veterinarians of any unusual changes or symptoms. | Not published |
| Not much | Provide emergency first aid to sick or injured animals. | Not published |
See all 28 tasks
| Not much | Collect laboratory specimens, such as blood, urine, or feces, for testing. | Not published |
| Not much | Fill medication prescriptions. | Not published |
| Not much | Provide assistance with euthanasia of animals or disposal of corpses. | Not published |
| Not much | Prepare examination or treatment rooms by stocking them with appropriate supplies. | Not published |
| AI alone | Perform office reception duties, such as scheduling appointments or helping customers. | Not published |
| Not much | Prepare feed for animals according to specific instructions, such as diet lists or schedules. | Not published |
| AI alone | Educate or advise clients on animal health care, nutrition, or behavior problems. | Not published |
| Not much | Examine animals to detect behavioral changes or clinical symptoms that could indicate illness or injury. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Administer medication, immunizations, or blood plasma to animals as prescribed by veterinarians. | Not published |
| AI alone | Record information relating to animal genealogy, feeding schedules, appearance, behavior, or breeding. | Not published |
| Not much | Perform hygiene-related duties, such as clipping animals' claws or cleaning and polishing teeth. | Not published |
| Not much | Exercise animals or provide them with companionship. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean, maintain, and sterilize instruments or equipment. | Not published |
| Not much | Prepare surgical equipment and pass instruments or materials to veterinarians during surgical procedures. | Not published |
| AI alone | Write reports, maintain research information, or perform clerical duties. | Not published |
| Not much | Administer anesthetics during surgery and monitor the effects on animals. | Not published |
| Not much | Perform accounting duties, such as bookkeeping, billing customers for services, or maintaining inventories. | Not published |
| Not much | Sell pet food or supplies to customers. | Not published |
| Not much | Dust, spray, or bathe animals to control insect pests. | Not published |
| Not much | Perform enemas, catheterizations, ear flushes, intravenous feedings, or gavages. | Not published |
| Not much | Place orders to restock inventory of hospital or laboratory supplies. | Not published |
| Not much | Groom, trim, or clip animals' coats. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 1 of the 28 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 28 tasks fall under 23 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #30 Perform administrative or clerical activities
- #36 Purchase goods or services
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assist individuals with special needs | |||
| Administer basic health care or medical treatments | |||
| Assist healthcare practitioners during medical procedures | |||
| Perform administrative or clerical activities | |||
| Monitor health conditions of humans or animals | |||
| Prepare medical equipment or work areas for use | |||
| Purchase goods or services | |||
| Execute financial transactions |
Show all 23 activities
| Schedule appointments | |||
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Dispose of waste or debris | |||
| Sell products or services | |||
| Evaluate patient or client condition or treatment options | |||
| Prepare health or medical documents | |||
| Monitor resources or inventories | |||
| Train others on health or medical topics | |||
| Stock supplies or products | |||
| Collect environmental or biological samples | |||
| Maintain health or medical records | |||
| Maintain medical equipment or instruments | |||
| Clean medical equipment or facilities | |||
| Prescribe medical treatments or devices | |||
| Administer diagnostic tests to assess patient health |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- Advice or a recommendation53%
- An explanation or answer24%
- An analysis or summary9%
- A document or report2%
- An email or message2%
How they worked with Claude
10% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 15,493 moves out
- 1 Veterinary Technologists and Technicians Moderate +9.4% 6%
- 2 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 5%
- 3 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 4%
- 4 Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians 3%
- 5 Office Clerks, General Very high -6.0% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 9,912 moves in
- 1 Animal Caretakers Moderate +12.1% 6%
- 2 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 5%
- 3 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 5%
- 4 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 4%
- 5 Veterinary Technologists and Technicians Moderate +9.4% 4%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 6% less than high school
- 78% high school
- 11% postsecondary certificate
- 4% some college
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 20 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 3% less than high school
- 20% high school
- 33% some college
- 12% associate's
- 29% bachelor's
- 1% master's
- 1% professional degree
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 887 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
2 programs: Veterinary/Animal Health Technology/Technician and Veterinary Assistant and Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians, Other.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
19.9% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a certification | 1.8% | 5.8% |
| an educational certificate | <0.5% | 2.8% |
| a license | not published |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 1 registered apprenticeship in this occupation (Veterinary/Lab Animal Tech (Alternate Title: Animal Care Specialist)). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/31-9096.00