Animal control officer vs animal warden

The differences between animal control officers and animal wardens can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an animal control officer and an animal warden. Additionally, an animal control officer has an average salary of $39,903, which is higher than the $34,337 average annual salary of an animal warden.

The top three skills for an animal control officer include PET, patrol and law enforcement agencies. The most important skills for an animal warden are animal shelter, , and .

Animal control officer vs animal warden overview

	Animal Control Officer	Animal Warden
Yearly salary	$39,903	$34,337
Hourly rate	$19.18	$16.51
Growth rate	-	28%
Number of jobs	87,725	2,106
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 33%	High School Diploma, 38%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Animal control officer vs animal warden salary

Animal control officers and animal wardens have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Animal Control Officer	Animal Warden
Average salary	$39,903	$34,337
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $68,000	Between $22,000 And $51,000
Highest paying City	San Mateo, CA	-
Highest paying state	Alaska	-
Best paying company	Citi	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between animal control officer and animal warden education

There are a few differences between an animal control officer and an animal warden in terms of educational background:

	Animal Control Officer	Animal Warden
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 33%	High School Diploma, 38%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	-

Animal control officer vs animal warden demographics

Here are the differences between animal control officers' and animal wardens' demographics:

	Animal Control Officer	Animal Warden
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 52.4% Female, 47.6%	Male, 69.4% Female, 30.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 7.1% Asian, 1.0% White, 75.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.4%	Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 5.7% Asian, 0.8% White, 81.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.5%
LGBT Percentage	25%	25%

Differences between animal control officer and animal warden duties and responsibilities

Animal control officer example responsibilities.

Write citations pick up neglect and stray animals euthanize sick animals
Train and maintain a certify explosives detector K9.
Examine dog licenses for validity and issue warnings or summonses to delinquent owners.
Perform investigations, including gathering evidence, testifying in court, issuing and reviewing summonses and formal reports.
Field patrol including the collection and euthanasia of sick/unclaim animals.
Educate citizens in a professional and non-confrontational manner on responsible pet ownership.

Animal warden example responsibilities.

Assist in managing shelter for animals and arranging for adoption or euthanasia of confiscate animals.
Reserve police officer responsibilities motorize patrol, preliminary investigations, traffic control, general crowd control at events.
Experience in handling of snakes (both venomous and non-venomous).

Animal control officer vs animal warden skills

Common animal control officer skills

PET, 13%
Patrol, 8%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 8%
County Ordinances, 7%
Wild Animals, 5%
Euthanize, 5%

Common animal warden skills

Animal Shelter, 100%

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Animal Control Officer vs Animal Warden

Updated January 8, 2025

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