Agriculture and Natural Resources · Career brief

Animal Breeders

Is it a good career to pursue?

The 30-second read

Animal Breeders at a glance

Six signals to look at before you spend time on the full guide.

1Pay

$51,130

Below the middle on pay

2025 national median. Below the middle of ChooseField careers for pay.

2Demand

Slow projected growth

Projected employment growth for 2025–2035. Near the middle of ChooseField careers for growth.

3Openings

1,000

Low national opening volume

Average openings per year in 2025–2035, including replacement hiring. Bottom quarter for openings among careers on ChooseField.

4Route in

High school

A four-year degree is not the typical entry route

High school diploma or equivalent. Prior related work is not typically required.

5The work

Hands-on

Practical work with tools, systems, or physical environments

Feed and water animals, and clean and disinfect pens, cages, yards, and hutches.

6The catch

Know this first

What could make this a poor fit

This is a small national occupation (6,900 jobs in 2025), so location and employer concentration can matter more than the national median suggests.

ChooseField take

The national benchmarks are mixed, so the work itself and the route in matter more than any standout pay or demand signal. It makes the most sense if hands-on work appeals to you and you are comfortable with a high-school entry path. Main tradeoff: This is a small national occupation (6,900 jobs in 2025), so location and employer concentration can matter more than the national median…

Before choosing, compare:Forest and Conservation Workers Fallers Logging Equipment Operators

National labor-market measures: BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. Work-profile signals: O*NET. See sources and caveats.

Compare Animal Breeders with another field Explore rankings in Agriculture and Natural Resources Open shareable infographic

Want the evidence behind the snapshot?

Market and path

Pay, outlook, and the route in

National median pay (2025)

$51,130

A midpoint for workers nationwide, not a starting salary.

2025–2035 outlook

3%employment growth1,000openings per year

Openings include replacement hiring, not only newly created jobs.

Typical entry route

High school diploma or equivalent; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing

BLS reports the usual education, related experience, and on-the-job training, not a guaranteed minimum for every employer.

2025 employment

6,900

A small national occupation; local availability may be uneven.

Source: BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 occupational projections ↗ · Animal breeders (45-2021).

Actual responsibilities

What you would be trusted to own

Selected O*NET task statements, not a list of traits that applies to almost every career.

Feed and water animals, and clean and disinfect pens, cages, yards, and hutches.
Treat minor injuries and ailments and contact veterinarians to obtain treatment for animals with serious illnesses or injuries.
Purchase and stock supplies of feed and medicines.
Arrange for sale of animals and eggs to hospitals, research centers, pet shops, and food processing plants.

Decision-changing realities

What could make this a poor fit

This is a small national occupation (6,900 jobs in 2025), so location and employer concentration can matter more than the national median suggests.
Errors can seriously affect people, equipment, or operations. Checking and accountability are part of the job, not optional polish.
Long periods of standing are part of the normal workday.

Work profile

What the work emphasizes

O*NET importance scores. Bars are relative to the highest score shown within this chart.

Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events4.1
Performing General Physical Activities4.1
Documenting/Recording Information3.8
Handling and Moving Objects3.8
Getting Information3.6

Interest profile

Career interests

O*NET interest scores describe work someone may enjoy, not personality requirements. Bars are relative to the highest score shown within this chart.

Relative mix of the interest scores below, not percentages of your workday.

Realistic6.4
Conventional3.6
Investigative3.4
Social2.4
Enterprising2.0
Artistic1.5

Preparation

What the training must make you competent at

Subject matter

Sales and Marketing Biology Mathematics Production and Processing

Before choosing the major or training

Run a cheaper test first

Run a small investigation with a written hypothesis, observations or public data, and a conclusion that states what the evidence cannot prove.
Ask an early-career worker which beginner task consumes the most time, what makes new hires quit, and what school or training failed to simulate.

The fuller career guide

How the evidence fits together

Pay and demand: reading the benchmark

The pay and outlook figures describe Animal breeders nationally. They do not establish the salary or number of vacancies available in your area.

Median pay is the middle wage across workers, not a starting offer. Projected openings include replacements as well as growth; neither measure predicts an individual worker's job security.

Before choosing a program

O*NET lists Critical Thinking, Active Learning, Active Listening among this occupation's skills. Ask a program to show the assignments, supervised practice, and assessment that develop these skills. Compare those examples with local job descriptions.

Common questions

Questions people ask about this career

Can I enter this occupation without related work experience?

BLS does not assign a related-experience requirement to the occupation. Employers may still ask for placements, supervised practice, a portfolio, or experience with particular tools. Check entry-level vacancies separately from experienced roles.

What should I check before paying for training?

Get the full prerequisite and completion timeline, total cost, placement arrangements, and any licensing eligibility in writing. Ask local employers whether they hire graduates from the route you are considering and whether paid training is available.

Adjacent options

Compare before committing

The useful question is not whether one field wins overall, but what changes when you choose a nearby path. Explore the full career guides for Forest and Conservation Workers, Fallers, Logging Equipment Operators, Log Graders and Scalers.