MANCHESTER, NH – New Hampshire is the second best state in the US for working with animals, according to a study.
On the surface, animal-related jobs in New Hampshire appear to pay relatively well, with an average salary of $53,818, according to the study. But that includes everything from vets to dog walkers, with vet salaries driving the numbers up. The average base salary for a vet in New Hampshire is $117,601, according to Indeed, while the average vet tech makes $35,000. Those who work in animal shelters or as dog walkers often earn much less.
Personal finance experts at DollarGeek organization analyzed janitor, veterinarian, and trainer salaries, average employment in the jobs, and number of job openings in the industry to create their ranking. The ranking also included how much of the salary is spent on housing, especially rent.
Maine took first place with a slightly lower median salary, but less of which is paid for rent, and more people employed in pet care jobs than New Hampshire.
New Hampshire scored 92.40 out of 100 in the study. Important statistics are:
- The median salary for those who work with animals is $53,818
- 25.53 percent of the salary goes towards rent
- The location quotient is 1.35, meaning that the Granite State has 1.35 times as many people working with animals as the national average
- At the time of the study, there were 111 animal-related job openings per 10,000 in New Hampshire
New Hampshire wasn’t the best in any category, but a mix of decent finishes in each category brought it to second place.
Maine’s number one spot was spurred by having the lowest salary for rent of any ranked state and the highest location quotient. Maine had an average salary of $53,748, of which 19.49 percent was rent, a location quotient of 1.59, and 93 animal-related job listings per 10,000.
“Many people’s dream job is to work with animals in some way, whether it’s a veterinarian or a zoo, so it’s fascinating to see which areas in the US offer the best opportunities for a career in this field,” said a Speaker of DollarGeek. “The states in the top 10 are also spread across the country, which reflects America’s love of animals.”
The top 10 after New Hampshire are Kentucky, Oregon, North Carolina, Montana, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware and Florida. The worst state is Hawaii, followed by New Jersey and Nebraska.
The study, conducted by journoresearch.org for DollerGeek, used employment and salary data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics and job posting data from Indeed.