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Role hub · Animal Scientists

Animal Scientist: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.

The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.

Maid DizdarevicCareer coach · 8x LinkedIn Top Voice
Updated Nov 2, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
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Median percentile pay

Half of animal scientists earn more than this and half earn less.

Annual
$68,940
Hourly
$33.14
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

Animal Scientists conduct research in the genetics, nutrition, reproduction, growth, and development of domestic farm animals. The median pay is $68,940 a year ($33.14 an hour) (BLS, May 2025). The most commonly reported education requirement is a doctoral degree (43% of workers surveyed by O*NET).

Median pay
$68,940
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
3,100
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 5 of 5
extensive preparation
Most common education
Doctoral Degree
43% of workers
Key facts

Animal Scientists at a glance

  • Animal scientists in the United States earned a median annual wage of $68,940 in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

  • In its 2025–35 employment projections, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for animal scientists in the United States.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS projects employment of animal scientists in the United States to grow 5.8% from 2025 to 2035, with about 200 openings a year on average, including replacement openings.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS estimated that 3,100 people were employed as animal scientists in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

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The work

What animal scientists do day to day

Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).

  1. Study nutritional requirements of animals and nutritive values of animal feed materials.
  2. Write up or orally communicate research findings to the scientific community, producers, and the public.
  3. Develop improved practices in feeding, housing, sanitation, or parasite and disease control of animals.
  4. Advise producers about improved products and techniques that could enhance their animal production efforts.
  5. Conduct research concerning animal nutrition, breeding, or management to improve products or processes.
  6. Study effects of management practices, processing methods, feed, or environmental conditions on quality and quantity of animal products, such as eggs and milk.
  7. Research and control animal selection and breeding practices to increase production efficiency and improve animal quality.
Where this career works

Industries that employ it

Data Share of all animal scientist jobs in each industry, 2025 (BLS Employment Matrix).

  1. Professional, scientific, and technical services42.9% of all jobs in this occupation · +10.3% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $78,530
  2. Educational services; state, local, and private21.9% of all jobs in this occupation · +3.4% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $78,430
  3. Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods6.6% of all jobs in this occupation · +1.5% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $135,490
  4. Support activities for agriculture and forestry6.3% of all jobs in this occupation · -11.1% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $75,660
  5. Food manufacturing5.4% of all jobs in this occupation · +10.3% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $125,040
  6. Chemical manufacturing3.9% of all jobs in this occupation · +6.2% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $100,380

Sources: BLS 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (share of the occupation's jobs, projected change) and BLS OEWS May 2025 industry estimates (mean wage). Different industry estimates are not a pay forecast for any person.

Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.

Reading ComprehensioncoreComplex Problem SolvingcoreJudgment and Decision MakingcoreWritingScienceCritical ThinkingActive ListeningSpeakingActive Learning

Knowledge areas: Biology, Mathematics, English Language, Chemistry, Food Production, Education and Training.

Tools and technology

Software animal scientists use

Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.

  • Autodesk AutoCADComputer aided design CAD softwareHot technology
  • ESRI ArcGIS softwareGeographic information systemHot technology
  • SASAnalytical or scientific softwareHot technology
  • Best Linear Unbiased Prediction BLUPAnalytical or scientific software
  • COWGAMEAnalytical or scientific software
  • CowculatorAnalytical or scientific software
  • Deoxyribonucleic acid DNA sequence analysis softwareAnalytical or scientific software
  • FEEDLOT CALCAnalytical or scientific software
  • Master Ration CalculatorAnalytical or scientific software
  • Nutrition Balance Analyzer NUTBALAnalytical or scientific software
  • Oracle HRISHuman resources software
  • VSNi ASRemlAnalytical or scientific software

Also called: Animal Nutrition Consultant, Animal Nutritionist, Beef Cattle Nutritionist, Beef Cattle Specialist, Companion Animal Nutritionist.

Method

How this page is built

Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the cosine similarity of the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level and subtract the average across all occupations, then compare the direction of the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 means unrelated or opposite (negative values are shown as 0). Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.

What this page can't tell you
  • How a specific employer defines the job.
  • Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
Sources
  1. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).

How TryHired builds this data: sources, methods and downloads. Spotted an error? Report a correction.