Career
Animal breeders
Breed animals for traits that matter.
$51,130
Median pay
+3.0%
Job growth, 2025–35
1,000
Openings a year
High school diploma or equivalent
Typical education
None required
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Feed and water animals, and clean and disinfect pens, cages, yards, and hutches.
- Observe animals in heat to detect approach of estrus and exercise animals to induce or hasten estrus, if necessary.
- Treat minor injuries and ailments and contact veterinarians to obtain treatment for animals with serious illnesses or injuries.
- Purchase and stock supplies of feed and medicines.
- Select animals to be bred, and semen specimens to be used, according to knowledge of animals, genealogies, traits, and desired offspring characteristics.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on objects & tools, then information & systems?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Feed and water animals, and clean and disinfect pens, cages, yards, and hutches.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Critical Thinking, Speaking, Active Listening, Monitoring.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
No degree beyond high school, though short-term on-the-job training is typical, for a median of $51,130 a year and 1,000 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Animal/Livestock Husbandry and ProductionCIP 01.0302
- Horse Husbandry/Equine Science and ManagementCIP 01.0307
- ApicultureCIP 01.0310
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals$36,670 · -3.2%
- Animal Caretakers$35,360 · +12.1%
- Animal Trainers$39,990 · +4.2%
- Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers$38,150 · +9.1%
- Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers$89,900 · -3.4%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.