Updated
PERM occupation, SOC 39-2021, #350 of 1,410 by filings
Nonfarm Animal Caretakers
- Biggest sponsor
- Cherie DeVaux Racing Inc. · 14% of its filings
- Busiest state
- NY · 23% of its filings
- Major group
- Personal care and service · SOC 39
Weighing an offer for this job?
Where it falls among certified offers, and the four wage levels DOL sets for it by area.
Median wage
$23,442
all PERM $103,272
Filings
81
#350 of 1,410
Approval
49.3%
field 96.8%
Median days
379
98 faster than the field
What it pays
Where its median offer sits among every occupation, then the whole ladder of certified offers by year and by state.
Median offered wage
$23,442above 2%
Approval rate
49.3%ahead of 0.0%
Median days to decision
379 daysahead of 96%
Each bar counts occupations at that value. More
Who files it
The sponsors and firms with the most PERM filings under this code, the places the work sits, and who the workers were.
Sponsors filing it
- Cherie DeVaux Racing Inc. 11 filings
- TODD A. PLETCHER RACING STABLES, INC. 11 filings
- C. R. McGaughey Racing Stable 8 filings
- Kathleen OConnell Racing Stables, Inc. 7 filings
- Damon Dilodovico Racing Stable, LLC 6 filings
- MARY E. EPPLER RACING STABLES, INC. 6 filings
How this is counted
The employers with the most applications under this code. 49 of 81 filings, 60% of the total.
Firms filing it
- Law Offices of Ron Katiraei 26 filings
- William Velie Attorney at Law, PLLC 25 filings
- George E Crimarco PA 11 filings
- Harris Beach, PLLC 3 filings
- PASCUAL LAW, PLLC 2 filings
- LLG Attorney at Law 1 filings
How this is counted
The law firms named on the most applications under this code. 68 of 81 filings, 84% of the total.
Where the jobs are
- New York 19
- Kentucky 18
- Maryland 16
- Florida 15
- California 10
- Michigan 1
How this is counted
The worksite state on the application, which is where the job is and not where the company is headquartered. Volume by state across everyone is on the state map. These 6 states cover 79 of 81 filings.
Where the work is
- Elmont, NY 19
- Lexington, KY 11
- Laurel, MD 9
- Boynton Beach, FL 7
- Baltimore, MD 6
- San Marcos, CA 6
How this is counted
The worksite city on the application, which is where the job is. These 6 cities cover 58 of 81 filings.
- Every sponsor that files it, by state, approval rate, offered wage and time to a decision
- Every filing for it, PERM, wage requests and H-1B, case by case
Who filled these jobs, FY2016 to FY2023
From DOL's old form; the form in use since mid-2023 doesn't carry them. Top six of each.
Country of citizenship
- Mexico 481
- Guatemala 47
- Brazil 25
- Venezuela 15
- Argentina 10
- France 9
Worker's education
- None 628
- High School 25
- Other 11
- Bachelor's 6
- Associate's 3
- Master's 1
Visa held when filed
- H-2B 103
- P-1 49
- NOT IN USA 19
- H-2A 16
- B-2 12
- F-1 9
Schools
- N/A 98
- NA 34
- CONALAP CAMPUS 2
- HIGH SCHOOL 2
- YAMAZAKI COLLEGE OF ANIMAL CARE 2
- BTZ WEILERSTADT 1
Fields of study
- N/A 98
- NA 34
- HIGH SCHOOL 9
- GENERAL 3
- PET GROOMING 3
- ACADEMIC 2
The job itself
What O*NET says the work is, what the market pays it by BLS's survey, its outlook, and DOL's wage levels year by year.
- United States266,910 jobs
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJElmont
- Lexington-Fayette, KYLexington
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WVLaurel
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FLBoynton Beach
- Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MDBaltimore
- middle half of pay (BLS)
- median
- 10th to 90th percentile
- DOL's Levels I to IV, left to right
- median PERM offer
| Area | BLS median | Level I | Level II | Level III | Level IV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $35,360 | ||||
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $37,900 | $34,923 | $38,189 | $41,454 | $44,720 |
| Lexington-Fayette, KY | $34,590 | $26,333 | $31,034 | $35,714 | $40,414 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $37,710 | $32,240 | $36,546 | $40,872 | $45,178 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $35,160 | $29,682 | $34,362 | $39,021 | $43,701 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $35,420 | $32,552 | $36,670 | $40,789 | $44,907 |
How these figures fit together
BLS surveys employers on what they pay everyone in a job; DOL builds its four levels from the same survey a year later (the July 2026 wage year uses BLS's May 2025 estimates). DOL publishes levels by area, not nationally, so the United States line has none. Levels are hourly in DOL's tables; here they're shown a year at 2,080 hours, as DOL computes them. The metros are the ones holding the most of this job's PERM filings, placed by Census's county files.
The block is the middle half of what employers report paying everyone in this job, citizen or not; the ticks under it are DOL's four prevailing wage levels for that metro, the floors a PERM or H-1B offer is held to. More
DOL's levels for this job in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ, year by year
Each July DOL resets the four levels from BLS's newest survey. A determination keeps the figures of the year it was issued in.
| Wage year | Level I | Level II | Level III | Level IV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | $34,923 | $38,189 | $41,454 | $44,720 |
| 2025-26 | $33,134 | $36,566 | $39,998 | $43,430 |
| 2024-25 | $31,533 | $35,152 | $38,771 | $42,390 |
| 2023-24 | $29,411 | $33,134 | $36,878 | $40,602 |
| 2022-23 | $27,643 | $31,242 | $34,840 | $38,438 |
| 2021-22 | $24,565 | $28,267 | $31,990 | $35,693 |
What the job is
Feed, water, groom, bathe, exercise, or otherwise provide care to promote and maintain the well-being of pets and other animals that are not raised for consumption, such as dogs, cats, race horses, ornamental fish or birds, zoo animals, and mice. Work in settings such as kennels, animal shelters, zoos, circuses, and aquariums. May keep records of feedings, treatments, and animals received or discharged. May clean, disinfect, and repair cages, pens, or fish tanks.
- Preparation
- Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- O*NET Job Zone 1-2
- DOL's education basis
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Wage year 2026-27
- Jobs, 2025 to 2035
- +12.1%
- About 62,800 openings a year (BLS)
- Typical entry
- High school diploma or equivalent
- BLS
Bright Outlook O*NET OnLine lists this job for rapid growth.
The work, most important first
- Feed and water animals according to schedules and feeding instructions.
- Provide treatment to sick or injured animals, or contact veterinarians to secure treatment.
- Examine and observe animals to detect signs of illness, disease, or injury.
- Mix food, liquid formulas, medications, or food supplements according to instructions, prescriptions, and knowledge of animal species.
- Do facility laundry and clean, organize, maintain, and disinfect animal quarters, such as pens and stables, and equipment, such as saddles and bridles.
- Exercise animals to maintain their physical and mental health.
The education workers in it report
- 10%
Less than a High School Diploma
- 64%
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
- 14%
Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree
- 13%
Bachelor's Degree
Titles people use for it
Aquarist, Dog Groomer, Groomer, Kennel Technician (Kennel Tech), Animal Care Giver (ACG), Dog Bather, Kennel Attendant, Pet Groomer.
Related jobs: Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers, Animal Trainers, Animal Breeders, Veterinary Technologists and Technicians, Animal Control Workers, Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals.
This section includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database and O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. PERM Tracker has modified some of this information (the shares are rounded and only the top tasks are shown); what changed. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.
Against other jobs
Where this sits in the ranking
Ranked 350 of 1,410 by volume: 349 filed at least as many filings, and 1,060 filed no more.
- Just above
- Database Administrators 81 filings
- Just below
- Directors, Religious Activities and Education 80 filings
Other personal care and service roles
Occupations sharing this one's SOC major group, which is carried in the first two digits of the code. More
Occupations sharing this one's SOC major group, which is carried in the first two digits of the code. Wages inside a group still swing hard, because the group holds every seniority level and every metro.
- #355 First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers 79 filings · 2 denied
- #339 Amusement and Recreation Attendants 83 filings · 2 denied
- #383 Manicurists and Pedicurists 71 filings · 12 denied
- #398 Skincare Specialists 66 filings · 3 denied
- #269 Personal Care Aides 128 filings · 42 denied
- #439 Animal Trainers 56 filings · 6 denied
The same job on H-1B
2 certified H-1B labor condition applications for this occupation since FY2020, offering a median of $29,796 a year; the middle half ran $29,458 to $30,134. By state and year in the salary explorer.
Notes on these numbers
Reading the wage
A floor, not a salary survey: every level and metro mixed. DOL's four wage levels for this job, by area.
What the median is
The median wage employers committed to in federal filings for this occupation. It mixes every experience level and every metro, and it's a floor: the employer must offer at least the prevailing wage DOL determines for the occupation, level and county. Across all PERM filings the middle half of offered wages runs $45,178 to $141,357, so a figure inside that band is unremarkable whichever occupation it belongs to. The levels page reads DOL's OFLC wage search live.
What these numbers don't say
4 notes
- The code is the identity
- This one is SOC 39-2021. Two SOC codes can carry the same job title, so a title that looks duplicated on the ranking is two different occupations. Match on the code when you're checking a specific filing.
- A median isn’t an offer
- It's the middle of all 81 wages committed to for this occupation across the country, entry level and principal alike. The same role's medians swing hard by worksite, which the state map shows directly.
- Approval isn’t about the occupation
- The denial rate moves with what happened in the filing rather than with the job title, so nothing here is a property of Nonfarm Animal Caretakers. The measured factors are on the denial risk page, published as separate rates.
- Nothing here is pending
- All 81 counted here carry a decision date, because every case in DOL's disclosure files does, so a case still waiting is in none of them. The largest filer of this occupation is Cherie DeVaux Racing Inc.. Where the queue stands today is on the processing times page.
The window these figures cover: DOL's PERM disclosure files for fiscal years 2024 to 2026, through the third quarter of 2026, 373,939 decided cases. Nothing pending is counted here. How each figure is built
Weighing an offer?
Compare it against this median, then check the state map, where the same occupation's medians swing hard by worksite.
Setting one?
All 1,410 occupations sort together on the wages page, and denial rates show how outcome moves with the offered wage.
Filings newer than DOL's last published file can't be attributed to this occupation until DOL publishes them. The live list on the case search page carries them by employer.
Case data: DOL quarterly disclosure files (flag.dol.gov) · data through Jun 30, 2026 · quarterly
Employers and firms: Derived from DOL's disclosure files · data through Jun 30, 2026 · rebuilt with each quarterly load
O*NET occupation data: O*NET Database, USDOL/ETA (onetcenter.org) · data through Aug 16, 2026 · twice a year
BLS market pay: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (bls.gov) · data through May 31, 2025 · yearly, each spring
BLS employment projections: BLS Employment Projections (bls.gov) · data through Dec 31, 2025 · yearly, each autumn
DOL wage tables: DOL OFLC wage data downloads (flag.dol.gov) · data through Jul 1, 2026 · yearly, each july
What each source includes
Case data: Decided PERM cases only. A case still waiting isn't in here, so counts and durations describe finished cases.
Employers and firms: Employers, law firms and occupations ranked from decided cases only.
O*NET occupation data: What O*NET says each occupation is and takes: its description, tasks, Job Zone and the education workers report. A description of the job everywhere, not of any one employer's opening.
BLS market pay: What employers report paying everyone in each job, nationally, by state and by metro, from BLS's yearly survey (May of the year named). Citizens and immigrants alike; not PERM offers.
BLS employment projections: BLS's ten-year projection of each job's employment and yearly openings, and the entry education it calls typical. A projection, not a count.
DOL wage tables: The four prevailing wage levels DOL publishes for every job in every area, each wage year from 2021-22, as DOL's own tables print them. The floors an offer is held to, not what anyone was paid.
Cite this page
Waiting on a PERM case?
- When it'll likely be decided
- An email when DOL moves it