As of August 01, 2026, the average hourly rate for an Animal Technician, Sr. in the United States is $24, which translates to an annual salary of about $49,685.
However, the hourly wage can vary significantly based on several factors. Here’s a detailed look at the typical pay range per hour:
Animal Technician, Sr. Salaries by Percentile
| Annual Salary |
Monthly Pay |
Weekly Pay |
Hourly Wage |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 75th Percentile | $53,688 | $4,474 | $1,032 | $26 |
| Average | $49,685 | $4,140 | $955 | $24 |
| 25th Percentile | $45,290 | $3,774 | $871 | $22 |
An Animal Technician, Sr.'s salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.
Experience is a primary driver of an Animal Technician, Sr.'s salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:
| Levels | Salary |
|---|---|
| Entry Level Animal Technician, Sr. | $47,717 |
| Intermediate Level Animal Technician, Sr. | $48,045 |
| Senior Level Animal Technician, Sr. | $49,984 |
| Specialist Level Animal Technician, Sr. | $51,657 |
| Expert Level Animal Technician, Sr. | $51,955 |
Demanded Skills for the Role:
| Skills | Demand Percentage |
|---|---|
| Leadership | 10.47% |
| Water Safety | 2.01% |
| Fundraising | 1.09% |
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on an Animal Technician, Sr.'s salary.
| Skill | Salary | Salary % Increase |
|---|---|---|
| Casting | $57,635 | |
| Staff Development | $56,144 | |
| Chemistry | $55,647 |
Animal Technician, Sr. salary potential scales significantly with company size. Data shows that Enterprise companies (5,000+ employees) pay the highest average salary at around $56,382. While startup companies pay approximate $47,844.
| Company Size | Employees | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Startup | 1~50 | $47,844 |
| Growth Stage | 51~500 | $50,559 |
| Established | 501~5000 | $54,484 |
| Enterprise | 5000+ | $56,382 |
Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Animal Technician, Sr. enter the field with a Bachelor's Degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.
According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for an Animal Technician, Sr. with a Bachelor's Degree is between $49,030 and $50,627.
| Typical Education for Animal Technician, Sr. | |
|---|---|
| Degree Level | % of user with this level of education |
| No Diploma | 2.1% |
| High School | 27.8% |
| Associates | 40.2% |
| Bachelors | 26.8% |
| Masters | 2.1% |
| Doctorate | 1.0% |
Understanding how an Animal Technician, Sr.'s annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.
| Annual Salary | Monthly Pay | Weekly Pay | Hourly Wage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 75th Percentile | $53,688 | $4,474 | $1,032 | $26 |
| Average | $49,685 | $4,140 | $955 | $24 |
| 25th Percentile | $45,290 | $3,774 | $871 | $22 |
Salaries for an Animal Technician, Sr. can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $48,909 in 2023 to around $48,572 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Animal Technician, Sr. salary trends, .
| Year | Average Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| 2022 | View More |
| 2023 | $48,909 |
| 2024 | $48,990 |
| 2025 | $48,572 |
| 2026 |
View More
|
| 2027 |
View More
|
Analyze the market and your qualifications to negotiate your salary with confidence.
Search thousands of open positions to find your next opportunity.
Individualize employee pay based on unique job requirements and personal qualifications.
Get the latest market price for benchmark jobs and jobs in your industry.
Provides daily care for research animals of various species. Cleans and disinfects cages and equipment. Monitors the health and well being of the animals, maintains logs of animal diet, behavior, vital signs and other data. Follows standard operating procedures and all biosafety and animal welfare regulations. May perform procedures to collect samples. May transport animals to and from laboratories. Requires a high school diploma. May require Assistant Laboratory Animal Technician (ALAT) certification from the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) or other certification. Typically reports to a supervisor or manager. Works under moderate supervision. Gaining or has attained full proficiency in a specific area of discipline. Typically requires 1-3 years of related experience.
Specify the abilities and skills that a person needs in order to carry out the specified job duties. Each competency has five to ten behavioral assertions that can be observed, each with a corresponding performance level (from one to five) that is required for a particular job.
Leadership: Knowledge of and ability to employ effective strategies that motivate and guide other members within our business to achieve optimum results.
Water Safety: Water safety refers to the procedures, precautions and policies associated with safety in, on, and around bodies of water, where there is a risk of injury or drowning
Fundraising: Fundraising or fund-raising (also known as "development" or "advancement") is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gather money for non-profit organizations, it is sometimes used to refer to the identification and solicitation of investors or other sources of capital for for-profit enterprises. Traditionally, fundraising consisted mostly of asking for donations on the street or at people's doors, and this is experiencing very strong growth in the form of face-to-face fundraising, but new forms of fundraising, such as online fundraising, have emerged in recent years, though these are often based on older methods such as grassroots fundraising.
Salary.com salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third-party data sources. We also provide multiple percentiles of salary information for your reference, click here to know Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial to Getting Pay Equity Right. With more online, real-time compensation data than any other website, Salary.com helps you determine your exact pay target.
Salary.com's CompAnalyst platform offers: