How much does a Zookeeper make?

As of December 01, 2024, the average annual pay of Zookeeper in the United States is $41,206. While Salary.com is seeing that Zookeeper salary in the US can go up to $50,191 or down to $38,325, but most earn between $39,698 and $45,909. Salary ranges can vary widely depending on many important factors, including education, certifications, additional skills, and your experience levels. With more online, real-time compensation data than any other website, Salary.com helps you determine your exact pay target.

View Zookeeper Salary by Hour, Week, Month, Year

Salary.com provides you with accurate and diversified Zookeeper salary data based on specialized databases to help you get a fairer salary. Click the switch button below to see more details about Zookeeper hourly pay, weekly pay, monthly pay and so on.

Zookeeper Salaries by Percentile
Annual
Salary
Monthly
Pay
Weekly
Pay
Hourly
Wage
75th Percentile $45,909 $3,826 $883 $22
Average $41,206 $3,434 $792 $20
25th Percentile $39,698 $3,308 $763 $19
25% $39,698 10% $38,325 90% $50,191 75% $45,909 $41,206 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click
Change Search Criteria
download asset banner
Facing Salary Structure Challenges? Let Our Expert Guide You
The job market is increasingly challenging. Our whitepaper, Navigating the Challenges of Creating Salary Structures, offers guidance on creating salary structures. Provide your phone number and work email to download the full version.
We will handle your contact details in line with our Privacy Policy. If you prefer not to receive marketing emails from Salary.com, you can opt-out out of marketing communications at any time by clicking unsubscribe.

View Zookeeper Salary by Experience Levels

An entry-level Zookeeper with no related experience makes about $41,329. With less than 2 years of experience, a mid-level Zookeeper makes around $41,745. After 2-4 years, the Zookeeper pay rises to about $43,727. Those senior Zookeeper with 5-8 years of experience earn roughly $43,939, and those Zookeeper having 8 years or more experience are expected to earn about $44,081 on average.

Entry Level 0%
Mid Level 1%
Senior Level 6%
Top Level 7%
Experienced 7%
View as Graph

Best Paying States for Zookeeper

The states and districts that pay Zookeeper the highest salary are District of Columbia (around $45,863) , California (around $45,450) , New Jersey (around $45,162) , Alaska (around $44,874) , Massachusetts (around $44,832), Washington (around $44,420), Connecticut (around $44,255).

States Salary
District of Columbia $45,863
California $45,450
New Jersey $45,162
Alaska $44,874
Massachusetts $44,832
Washington $44,420
Connecticut $44,255

Highest Paying Cities for Zookeeper

The metropolitan areas that pay the highest salary in the Zookeeper profession are San Jose,CA, San Francisco,CA, Oakland,CA, New York,NY, Queens Village,NY, Paramus,NJ, Passaic,NJ, Bergenfield,NJ, Stamford,CT, and Huntington,NY.

Best-Paid Skills and Qualifications for Zookeeper

What skills does a Zookeeper need?

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.

1.

Customer Service: Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase. The perception of success of such interactions is dependent on employees "who can adjust themselves to the personality of the guest". Customer service concerns the priority an organization assigns to customer service relative to components such as product innovation and pricing. In this sense, an organization that values good customer service may spend more money in training employees than the average organization or may proactively interview customers for feedback. From the point of view of an overall sales process engineering effort, customer service plays an important role in an organization's ability to generate income and revenue. From that perspective, customer service should be included as part of an overall approach to systematic improvement. One good customer service experience can change the entire perception a customer holds towards the organization.

2.

Animal Welfare: A well-being of non-human animals. Formal standards vary between contexts, but are debated mostly by animal welfare groups, legislators and academics.

3.

Reserve Management: Reserve management is a process that ensures that adequate official public sector foreign assets are readily available to and controlled by the authorities for meeting a defined range of objectives for a country or union.

Customer Service 9.17%
Animal Welfare 1.95%
Reserve Management 1.29%
Others 87.59%
View as Table
What skills can make your compensation higher?
Mastering certain skills can make the compensation of a Zookeeper higher. Salary.com's Real-time Job Posting Salary Data provides you the latest highly compensated skills to help you get a higher pay. For example, if you master Reserve Management, you can get a 42% salary raise. If you are good at Leadership, your salary will increase by 25%. If you are expert in Initiative, your salary will rise by 13%.
Skill Salary Demand
Reserve Management
$58,513
42%
Leadership
$51,508
25%
Initiative
$46,563
13%
Workday
$46,151
12%
Presentation
$45,739
11%
SOP
$44,503
8%
Last Updated on December 01, 2024

View Zookeeper Salary Trends

For those exploring the changing dynamics of Zookeeper salaries, Salary.com offers detailed insights through our Job Trending in CA Labor Market analysis. Our research highlights a notable shift in Zookeeper compensation over the past six years. For instance, the median salary has moved from $44,941 in 2023 to about $44,940 in 2024 (for a comprehensive analysis of Zookeeper salary trends, click here). It's crucial to consider several elements, including geographical location, experience level, industry demand, and economic development, as they play a significant role in influencing salary variations.

Average Annual Salary of Zookeeper Over Time

2020
$???
2021
$???
2022
$???
2023
$44,941
2024
$44,940
2025
$44,466

Zookeeper Salary by Year

Year Average Annual Salary
2020 View More
2021 View More
2022 View More
2023 $44,941
2024 $44,940
2025 $44,466

View Salaries of Jobs Related to Zookeeper

Job Title Average Salary
Head Zookeeper $33,311
Senior Zookeeper $40,913

What are people talking about Zookeeper salaries?

There are no comments yet. Would you like to be the first to submit a comment?

Find Zookeeper Jobs Near You Now

Salary.com job board provides millions of Zookeeper information for you to search for. Click on search button below to see Zookeeper job openings or enter a new job title here.

Job Openings for Zookeeper

Jobs Near You

FAQs Regarding Zookeeper

1. What is the average salary of a Zookeeper?

The average annual salary of Zookeeper is $41,206. In case you are finding an easy salary calculator, the average hourly pay of Zookeeper is $20; the average weekly pay of Zookeeper is $792; the average monthly pay of Zookeeper is $3,434.

2. What does a Zookeeper do?

Zookeeper provides daily care for research animals of various species. Cleans and disinfects cages and equipment. Being a Zookeeper 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. Additionally, Zookeeper may perform procedures to collect samples. May transport animals to and from laboratories. Requires a high school diploma. May require Assistant Laboratory Zookeeper (ALAT) certification from the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) or other certification. Typically reports to a supervisor or manager. The Zookeeper works under the close direction of senior personnel in the functional area. Possesses a moderate understanding of general aspects of the job. May require 0-1 year of general work experience.

3. What’s typical Career Path for Zookeeper?

A career path is a sequence of jobs that leads to your short- and long-term career goals. Some follow a linear career path within one field, while others change fields periodically to achieve career or personal goals.

For Zookeeper, the first career path typically progresses to Animal Technician, Sr..

4. Where can a Zookeeper earn the most?

A Zookeeper's earning potential can vary widely depending on several factors, including location, industry, experience, education, and the specific employer. According to the latest salary data by Salary.com, a Zookeeper earns the most in San Jose, CA, where the annual salary of a Zookeeper is $51,714.

5. What is the highest pay for Zookeeper?

The highest pay for Zookeeper is $50,191.

6. What is the lowest pay for Zookeeper?

The lowest pay for Zookeeper is $38,325.