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Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers: apprenticeship hours and pay
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Approved apprenticeship titles
One apprenticeship title on the Department of Labor's approved list fall under Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers, trained competency-based, hybrid, time-based. The shortest approved term is 2,000 hours, for Veterinary/Lab Animal Tech (Alternate Title: Animal Care Specialist) (competency-based).
| Title | RAPIDS code | Approach and term |
|---|---|---|
| Veterinary/Lab Animal Tech (Alternate Title: Animal Care Specialist) | 1112 | Competency-Based: 2,000 hours Hybrid: 2,000 to 2,500 hours Time-Based: 2,000 hours |
Time-based programs count hours on the job; competency-based programs move on when the apprentice shows the skills; hybrid programs use both, within a range of hours (29 CFR 29.5(b)(2)). Each registered program sets its own term inside what the approved title allows.
What veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers earn, by state
Rhode Island has the highest state median for veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers ($49,770) and Puerto Rico the lowest ($23,310), across the 52 states with a published figure.
| State | Median pay | Hourly | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island | $49,770 | $23.93 | 380 |
| District of Columbia | $49,080 | $23.60 | 240 |
| Massachusetts | $46,670 | $22.44 | 2,130 |
| California | $46,260 | $22.24 | 16,080 |
| New Jersey | $46,160 | $22.19 | 3,270 |
| Maine | $45,510 | $21.88 | 690 |
| Minnesota | $45,280 | $21.77 | 1,450 |
| Maryland | $44,770 | $21.52 | 2,220 |
| New York | $44,750 | $21.52 | 5,790 |
| Oregon | $44,370 | $21.33 | 3,170 |
| Connecticut | $44,250 | $21.28 | 1,390 |
| Washington | $44,150 | $21.23 | 4,380 |
| Hawaii | $44,070 | $21.19 | 570 |
| Colorado | $38,900 | $18.70 | 2,910 |
| Delaware | $38,610 | $18.56 | Not published |
| Montana | $38,340 | $18.43 | 550 |
| Arizona | $38,250 | $18.39 | 3,340 |
| Michigan | $37,960 | $18.25 | 4,420 |
| Wyoming | $37,880 | $18.21 | 150 |
| Florida | $37,830 | $18.19 | 6,790 |
| Utah | $37,560 | $18.06 | 580 |
| Idaho | $37,530 | $18.04 | 680 |
| New Mexico | $37,500 | $18.03 | 520 |
| Illinois | $37,480 | $18.02 | 3,270 |
| Virginia | $37,450 | $18.01 | 4,810 |
| Vermont | $37,290 | $17.93 | 370 |
| North Dakota | $37,160 | $17.87 | 270 |
| Pennsylvania | $37,140 | $17.86 | 3,760 |
| North Carolina | $37,070 | $17.82 | 6,910 |
| South Carolina | $36,980 | $17.78 | 1,720 |
| Nevada | $36,920 | $17.75 | 1,380 |
| New Hampshire | $36,910 | $17.74 | 770 |
| Wisconsin | $36,850 | $17.71 | 2,200 |
| Missouri | $36,660 | $17.62 | 2,010 |
| Alaska | $36,490 | $17.54 | 130 |
| Indiana | $36,420 | $17.51 | 2,810 |
| Ohio | $36,340 | $17.47 | 4,640 |
| Tennessee | $36,320 | $17.46 | 3,530 |
| Nebraska | $36,100 | $17.36 | 900 |
| Georgia | $35,850 | $17.24 | 4,570 |
| Alabama | $35,800 | $17.21 | 1,240 |
| Iowa | $35,720 | $17.18 | 1,380 |
| Kansas | $35,680 | $17.16 | 1,570 |
| Oklahoma | $34,850 | $16.76 | 1,740 |
| Texas | $34,850 | $16.75 | 8,440 |
| South Dakota | $34,700 | $16.68 | 250 |
| Arkansas | $34,570 | $16.62 | 1,460 |
| Kentucky | $34,140 | $16.41 | 1,840 |
| West Virginia | $32,350 | $15.55 | 730 |
| Louisiana | $30,480 | $14.65 | 1,230 |
| Mississippi | $30,360 | $14.60 | 560 |
| Puerto Rico | $23,310 | $11.21 | 430 |
Finding a program
The public sponsor file names the organizations that run registered apprenticeships but not the occupations each one trains, so this guide names no sponsor. Search apprenticeship.gov's Apprenticeship Finder for this title, or ask your American Job Center which local programs train it.
Apprenticeship sponsors by state (25,633) · All approved occupations
Sources: apprenticeship.gov approved occupations list (Last-Modified October 8, 2026); BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (all industries; blanks are figures BLS does not publish).