Animal shelter worker vs animal care technician

The differences between animal shelter workers and animal care technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-3 months to become both an animal shelter worker and an animal care technician. Additionally, an animal shelter worker has an average salary of $33,011, which is higher than the $29,617 average annual salary of an animal care technician.

The top three skills for an animal shelter worker include crisis intervention, mental health and direct care. The most important skills for an animal care technician are patients, animal husbandry, and pigs.

Animal shelter worker vs animal care technician overview

	Animal Shelter Worker	Animal Care Technician
Yearly salary	$33,011	$29,617
Hourly rate	$15.87	$14.24
Growth rate	28%	28%
Number of jobs	72,185	96,973
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Average age	32	32
Years of experience	3	3

Animal shelter worker vs animal care technician salary

Animal shelter workers and animal care technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Animal Shelter Worker	Animal Care Technician
Average salary	$33,011	$29,617
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $49,000	Between $21,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	-	South San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	Oregon
Best paying company	-	Emory University
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between animal shelter worker and animal care technician education

There are a few differences between an animal shelter worker and an animal care technician in terms of educational background:

	Animal Shelter Worker	Animal Care Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common major	Psychology	Biology
Most common college	Texas A&M University - Commerce	New York University

Animal shelter worker vs animal care technician demographics

Here are the differences between animal shelter workers' and animal care technicians' demographics:

	Animal Shelter Worker	Animal Care Technician
Average age	32	32
Gender ratio	Male, 30.7% Female, 69.3%	Male, 31.1% Female, 68.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 2.6% White, 68.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 2.7% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between animal shelter worker and animal care technician duties and responsibilities

Animal shelter worker example responsibilities.

Assist in managing shelter for animals and arranging for adoption or euthanasia of confiscate animals.
Maintain an aquatic system of zebrafish and rotifers.
Assist veterinarians, veterinary technicians and veterinary assistants in providing the best care possible for patients.
Milk animals such as cows and goats, by hand or using milking machines.

Animal care technician example responsibilities.

Assist in managing shelter for animals and arranging for adoption or euthanasia of confiscate animals.
Train in safety procedures for blood borne pathogens, GLP and GMP certification, and ISO standards.
Familiarize with the strains of various animal species to include rats, mice, gerbils, guinea pigs.
Interview prospective adopting families while counseling on animal welfare and responsibilities of pet owners.
Maintain knowledge of CPR procedures and evacuation procedures.
Assist with minor emergency procedures, perform CPR.

Animal shelter worker vs animal care technician skills

Common animal shelter worker skills

Crisis Intervention, 15%
Mental Health, 14%
Direct Care, 11%
Emergency Shelter, 10%
Client Intake, 10%
Community Resources, 9%

Common animal care technician skills

Patients, 10%
Animal Husbandry, 9%
Pigs, 5%
Patient Care, 5%
Animal Handling, 5%
GLP, 4%

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Animal Shelter Worker vs Animal Care Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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