Animal Scientists Salary in the United States
The median annual wage for animal scientists in the U.S. is $68,940 ($33.14 per hour), according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 estimates.
- Median annual wage
- $68,940
- Mean annual wage
- $88,350
- Median hourly wage
- $33.14
- Employment
- 3,100
3,100 employed
Wage percentiles
| Percentile | Annual wage | Hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $44,350 | $21.32 |
| 25th percentile | $49,770 | $23.93 |
| Median (50th) | $68,940 | $33.14 |
| 75th percentile | $103,300 | $49.67 |
| 90th percentile | $166,000 | $79.81 |
Highest-paying states for animal scientists
| State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | $132,830 | 40 |
| Minnesota | $88,640 | 100 |
| Wisconsin | $84,310 | 280 |
| Washington | $83,160 | 40 |
| Kansas | $80,090 | — |
| Maryland | $77,750 | 190 |
| Pennsylvania | $77,660 | 90 |
| South Dakota | $77,300 | 90 |
| Iowa | $75,290 | 60 |
| North Dakota | $72,100 | 40 |
Lowest-paying states
- Illinois: $47,930 median annual wage
- Nebraska: $55,300 median annual wage
- Michigan: $60,010 median annual wage
- North Dakota: $72,100 median annual wage
- Iowa: $75,290 median annual wage
About this occupation
Conduct research in the genetics, nutrition, reproduction, growth, and development of domestic farm animals.
Typical tasks
- Advise producers about improved products and techniques that could enhance their animal production efforts.
- Research and control animal selection and breeding practices to increase production efficiency and improve animal quality.
- Study effects of management practices, processing methods, feed, or environmental conditions on quality and quantity of animal products, such as eggs and milk.
- Conduct research concerning animal nutrition, breeding, or management to improve products or processes.
- Crossbreed animals with existing strains or cross strains to obtain new combinations of desirable characteristics.
- Study nutritional requirements of animals and nutritive values of animal feed materials.
Education of the current workforce — typical entry: Bachelor's degree
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree | 57.7% |
| Master's degree | 27.0% |
| Doctoral or professional degree | 15.4% |
Occupation profile data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor.
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About this data
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- CareerOneStop Occupation Profiles — data period 2026-08, retrieved August 14, 2026.
Figures are shown exactly as published by the source or derived by the documented formulas on our methodology page. Where a source suppresses an estimate, we show “—” rather than a substitute value.