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Aquarist salary

Average aquarist salary

$15.68

$32,605 yearly

Entry-level aquarist salary
$22,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025
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Average aquarist salary by state

Highest paying states for aquarists

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1District of Columbia$40,137$19.30
2Minnesota$33,701$16.20
3Idaho$32,646$15.70
4California$36,730$17.66
5West Virginia$35,807$17.21
6Connecticut$34,309$16.49
7North Dakota$36,271$17.44
8Arizona$34,901$16.78
9South Dakota$29,912$14.38
10Maine$34,992$16.82
11Alaska$33,051$15.89
12New Hampshire$33,721$16.21
13Nevada$32,639$15.69
14Massachusetts$32,622$15.68
15Delaware$33,494$16.10
16Iowa$29,466$14.17
17Rhode Island$32,265$15.51
18Nebraska$29,116$14.00
19Oregon$32,065$15.42
20Illinois$30,766$14.79
21Vermont$32,250$15.50
22Wyoming$29,163$14.02
23Colorado$30,213$14.53
24Washington$32,839$15.79
25Oklahoma$30,101$14.47
26Indiana$28,581$13.74
27New York$32,511$15.63
28Georgia$29,812$14.33
29Florida$29,099$13.99
30Maryland$30,142$14.49
31Texas$29,365$14.12
32North Carolina$29,185$14.03
33Wisconsin$28,806$13.85
34Mississippi$29,260$14.07
35Michigan$28,197$13.56
36Kansas$28,431$13.67
37Hawaii$26,918$12.94
38Utah$29,203$14.04
39Louisiana$27,257$13.10
40Missouri$28,428$13.67
41Arkansas$27,756$13.34
42New Jersey$28,465$13.69
43Pennsylvania$25,354$12.19
44Alabama$26,514$12.75
45New Mexico$25,870$12.44
46Montana$26,538$12.76
47Virginia$26,225$12.61
48South Carolina$24,329$11.70
49Ohio$23,171$11.14
50Kentucky$24,727$11.89
51Tennessee$23,752$11.42

Aquarist salary details

An aquarist's salary ranges from $22,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $48,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average aquarist salary graph
Average aquarist salary graph, trends, and summary

What is an aquarist's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$48,000$4,000$23
75th Percentile$40,000$3,333$19
Average$32,605$2,717$16
25th Percentile$26,000$2,167$13
10th Percentile$22,000$1,833$11

Highest paying aquarist jobs

The highest paying types of aquarists are pet care associate, animal shelter worker, and pet groomer.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Pet Groomer$32,139$2,678$15.4563,641
Pet Sitter$25,823$2,152$12.4121,735
Dog Sitter$25,532$2,128$12.2767,682
Dog Walker$30,893$2,574$14.855,474
Kennel Attendant$26,373$2,198$12.6872,239
Animal Attendant$26,394$2,199$12.6953,000

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$34,000$33,600$33,200$32,800$32,400$32,000
MaleFemale

Aquarist salary trends

The average aquarist salary has risen by $8,214 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average aquarist earned $24,391 annually, but today, they earn $32,605 a year. That works out to a 19% change in pay for aquarists over the last decade.

Compare aquarist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average aquarist salary over time

Compare aquarist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Aquarist salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2026$32,600$15.68+5.0%
2025$31,000$14.89+4.1%
2024$29,700$14.28+3.4%
2023$28,700$13.79+4.2%
2022$27,500$13.22+4.5%

Recently added aquarist salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
Loveland Living Planet Aquarium JobsAquarist IDraper, UT05/28/2025$35,479
AzaAquarist, or SR) : Sustainability TeamQuincy, MA05/20/2025$47,208
National AquariumAquaristBaltimore, MD04/29/2025$39,653
AzaAquarist I-IIIAlbuquerque, NM04/17/2025$36,543
City of Albuquerque, NmAquarist I-IIIAlbuquerque, NM04/15/2025$36,543
AzaAquaristKansas City, KS04/13/2025$52,175
Simon Property GroupAquaristLas Vegas, NV03/30/2025$44,224
AzaAquaristBaltimore, MD03/22/2025$39,653
AzaAquaristBranson, MO03/09/2025$37,566
Tennessee AquariumAquarist IIChattanooga, TN02/24/2025$43,827

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