Animal Caretaking
Drawn directly from OPM FedScope (June 2026), this page tracks headcount, average salary, tenure, and pay comparison for the Animal Caretaking occupation series (code 5048).
The verdict
Animal Caretaking is a smaller, specialized federal occupation: 307 employees (0.0% of the federal civilian workforce) in the Plant and Animal Work Family family. At an average salary of $58,156 it pays below the federal average of $117,339, and headcount declined 4.7% from the prior period.
- Employees
- 307
- Share of workforce
- 0.0%
- Avg salary
- $58,156
- Avg tenure
- 8.7 yrs
What the Numbers Say About Animal Caretaking
Federal agencies employ 307 people in the Animal Caretaking occupation (OPM code 5048), accounting for 0.0% of the total federal civilian workforce of 1,953,300 for the June 2026 reporting window. Headcount in this occupation moved down by -4.7% versus the prior period, though at this small a headcount, year-to-year swings can reflect a handful of hires or departures rather than a broad hiring trend.
Average tenure in Animal Caretaking runs 8.7 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career. Pay averages $58,156 per year, up 0.0% from the prior period, a small shift, within the range of normal year-to-year rounding rather than a broad pay-table change.
Animal Caretaking sits inside the Plant and Animal Work Family family (code 50), which contains 7 related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Animal Caretaking postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Plant and Animal Work Family family.
Within the Plant and Animal Work Family family, Animal Caretaking is one of the top 7 occupations by headcount (#2), accounting for 20.9% of the family's combined 1,470 employees.
Salary context · lean-pay series
How Animal Caretaking pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$58,156
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-50.4%
Where Animal Caretaking ranks on lean federal pay
Its average salary of $58,156 is higher than 12% of federal occupation series (63 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Animal Caretaking sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Animal Caretaking ranks higher than 12%.
Related Occupations in Plant and Animal Work Family
6 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gardening | 465 | $67,401 | 11.9 yrs |
| Pest Controlling | 289 | $72,091 | 13 yrs |
| Miscellaneous Plant and Animal Work | 249 | $68,338 | 9.3 yrs |
| Insects Production Working | 97 | $55,565 | 8.6 yrs |
| Tree Trimming and Removing | 62 | $75,736 | 10 yrs |
| Farming | 1 | $71,083 | 28.5 yrs |
Nationwide occupation series with similar scale or pay
Two peer sets for Animal Caretaking outside the Plant and Animal Work Family family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (307 here).
Similar lean average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($58,156 here).
Key takeaways
- Animal Caretaking pays below the federal average by 50.4% ($58,156 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 12th percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 307 employees, 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 4.7% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Animal Caretaking ranks #362 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Within the Plant and Animal Work Family family, Animal Caretaking is one of the top 7 occupations by headcount (#2), accounting for 20.9% of the family's combined 1,470 employees.
OPM FedScope and Federal Workforce Data figures are federal civilian headcounts, average salaries, and length-of-service statistics - not job-quality scores, hiring advice, or a live vacancy listing. A larger or higher-paid agency is not a better employer.