Animal behaviorist vs behavior technician

The differences between animal behaviorists and behavior technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a behavior technician has an average salary of $38,026, which is higher than the $33,264 average annual salary of an animal behaviorist.

The top three skills for an animal behaviorist include PET, customer service and . The most important skills for a behavior technician are autism, applied behavior analysis, and behavior analysis.

Animal behaviorist vs behavior technician overview

	Animal Behaviorist	Behavior Technician
Yearly salary	$33,264	$38,026
Hourly rate	$15.99	$18.28
Growth rate	8%	9%
Number of jobs	2,088	47,541
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age	40	34
Years of experience	4	-

Animal behaviorist vs behavior technician salary

Animal behaviorists and behavior technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Animal Behaviorist	Behavior Technician
Average salary	$33,264	$38,026
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $49,000	Between $29,000 And $49,000
Highest paying City	-	Urban Honolulu, HI
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	Ernst & Young
Best paying industry	-	Education

Differences between animal behaviorist and behavior technician education

There are a few differences between an animal behaviorist and a behavior technician in terms of educational background:

	Animal Behaviorist	Behavior Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common major	Biology	Psychology
Most common college	Cornell University	Northwestern University

Animal behaviorist vs behavior technician demographics

Here are the differences between animal behaviorists' and behavior technicians' demographics:

	Animal Behaviorist	Behavior Technician
Average age	40	34
Gender ratio	Male, 18.2% Female, 81.8%	Male, 26.5% Female, 73.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 2.7% Hispanic or Latino, 5.9% Asian, 9.4% White, 78.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 14.3% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 6.4% White, 51.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	19%	15%

Differences between animal behaviorist and behavior technician duties and responsibilities

Animal behaviorist example responsibilities.

Assist in managing shelter for animals and arranging for adoption or euthanasia of confiscate animals.
Assist veterinarians, veterinary technicians and veterinary assistants in providing the best care possible for patients.
Clean enclosures of several reptile and amphibian species including snakes and toads.

Behavior technician example responsibilities.

Manage and target behaviors using the ESDM, ABA, PRT and SCERTS model.
Teach family members and teachers different ways to achieve cooperation with child and transfer skills to ensure an efficient learning environment.
Have RBT credential from the BACB.
Work with kids with autism * run programs apply individually for each child
Provide ABA services to adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities.
Facilitate intensive in-home ABA services to children with developmental and intellectual disabilities.

Animal behaviorist vs behavior technician skills

Common animal behaviorist skills

PET, 51%
Customer Service, 49%

Common behavior technician skills

Autism, 25%
Applied Behavior Analysis, 19%
Behavior Analysis, 8%
BCBA, 5%
Developmental Disabilities, 4%
Social Work, 4%

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Animal Behaviorist
Animal Behaviorist vs Behavior Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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