What Animal Caretakers earn in Jefferson County, WV
If you are weighing a move or a job offer, start with $37,710: the median annual pay for Animal Caretakers in Jefferson County, WV. Spread over a standard 2,080-hour work year, that is $18.13 an hour. Because the wage survey covers the whole Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metropolitan area, the number reflects employers across the region rather than a single town or a single company.
The mean wage is $40,900, which is 8.5% above the median, a sign that a group of high earners lifts the average. The survey counts about 6,590 people working in this occupation across the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metropolitan area, so the estimate rests on a substantial pool of workers. Jefferson County, WV has roughly 59,260 residents, according to the population figures used by the rent data.
The salary range, from entry level to top earners
Pay for Animal Caretakers in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metropolitan area is not one number. The lowest-paid tenth of workers earn up to $30,160 a year ($14.50 an hour), while the highest-paid tenth earn $55,020 or more ($26.45 an hour). That is a gap of $24,860 between the bottom and the top of the scale. The middle half of workers falls between $34,670 at the 25th percentile and $44,420 at the 75th percentile. A top-tier earner makes 1.8 times what someone at the bottom makes, so experience, certification and employer all matter.
What the hourly rate looks like
Employers quote this occupation by the hour or by the year, so here are both: $18.13 an hour or $37,710 a year at the median for Jefferson County, WV. Before any deductions, that is $3,143 a month, $1,450 every two weeks and $725 each week. After taxes the same job pays $15.10 per hour of take-home income, which is the number that actually has to cover rent and groceries.
About this occupation: Animal Caretakers
The U.S. Department of Labor's O*NET database describes the work of Animal Caretakers this way: "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."
Core tasks recorded by O*NET include: "Feed and water animals according to schedules and feeding instructions"; "Answer telephones and schedule appointments"; "Examine and observe animals to detect signs of illness, disease, or injury"; "Respond to questions from patrons, and provide information about animals, such as behavior, habitat, breeding habits, or facility activities".
Job outlook for Animal Caretakers
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects national employment in this occupation to grow from 365,300 jobs in 2025 to 409,400 in 2035, a change of +12.1%, faster than the 3.5% projected for all occupations. The projection counts 62,800 openings a year on average, including positions created by growth and positions left by workers who retire or move to another occupation; that equals 17.2% of current employment each year. About 24.8% of the people in this occupation are self-employed, and wage figures cover wage and salary workers only.
Typical entry-level education: high school diploma or equivalent. Typical on-the-job training to reach competency: short-term on-the-job training. BLS lists a national median annual wage of $35,360 for this occupation; the Jefferson County, WV median of $37,710 is 6.6% above it.
How pay in Jefferson County, WV compares
Compared with the West Virginia average
A worker in this occupation in Jefferson County, WV earns $1,523 more than the West Virginia average of $36,187, a premium of 4.2%. Over a year that premium is worth $1,523 before tax and roughly $1,268 after tax.
Compared with the national average
The national employment-weighted average for Animal Caretakers is $33,969 across the contiguous United States. At $37,710, Jefferson County, WV pays $3,741 more, which is 11.0% above that benchmark. Keep in mind that a higher salary only helps if living costs do not rise faster, which is why the cost sections below matter as much as the headline number.
Where this job ranks in Jefferson County, WV
Among the 618 occupations with published wages in Jefferson County, WV, Animal Caretakers ranks number 589 by median pay, ahead of about 5% of them. The best-paying occupation we track here is Computer and Information Systems Managers at $195,190 a year, which is $157,480 more than the median for Animal Caretakers.
From gross pay to take-home pay
Three separate tax bills sit between the gross salary and the bank account: federal income tax, FICA, and state income tax. For Animal Caretakers earning the Jefferson County, WV median of $37,710, they add up to $6,304. The result is $31,406 of take-home pay a year ($2,617 a month), based on a single filer using the standard deduction.
Put another way, of every $100 earned, about $17 goes to taxes and $83 reaches the paycheck. The overall effective tax rate is 16.7%.
Federal income tax
After the $15,750 standard deduction, taxable income is $21,960. Federal brackets are marginal, so only the slice of income above each threshold is taxed at the higher rate; the last dollars of this salary fall in the 12% bracket. The resulting federal income tax is $2,397, an effective 6.4% of gross pay, well below the 12% marginal rate because the lower brackets are cheaper.
Social Security and Medicare (FICA)
Payroll taxes are a flat percentage of wages. Social Security takes 6.2% up to a wage base of $176,100, which costs $2,338 on this salary. Medicare takes 1.45%, or $547. FICA totals $2,885, which is 7.7% of gross pay.
State income tax in West Virginia
West Virginia income tax on this salary is $1,023 a year, or 2.7% of gross pay, after the state's own deductions and exemptions are applied. That is 43% of the federal income tax bill, and it comes out to $85 a month. Local taxes such as county or city income taxes are not included, so a few jurisdictions may withhold slightly more.
A cross-check with IRS data for Jefferson County, WV
IRS Statistics of Income data for Jefferson County, WV show an average adjusted gross income of $89,395 per return and an average effective federal income tax rate of 12.2% across all filers. Filers in the $25,000 to under $50,000 bracket, where this salary falls, paid an average of 5.3%, compared with the 6.4% estimated here for a single filer taking the standard deduction. Gaps between the two reflect filing status, dependents, credits and other income, none of which a single-person wage estimate includes.
Cost of living in Jefferson County, WV
Take-home pay only means something next to what life costs. We price four basics for one adult in Jefferson County, WV: a one-bedroom apartment, food, home energy and gasoline. All of them are converted to annual figures first, then compared with the $31,406 of take-home pay.
Rent
Housing is the largest line in most budgets. For Jefferson County, WV, HUD sets the Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom unit at $1,052 a month ($12,624 a year), and at $1,376 for two bedrooms. For Animal Caretakers, a one-bedroom absorbs 40.2% of take-home pay and 33.5% of gross pay.
Food
The USDA Thrifty Food Plan (August 2026) puts the cost of a nutritious home-cooked diet for an adult at about $3,436 a year, which is $286 a month or $66.07 a week. That equals 9.1% of gross pay for Animal Caretakers in Jefferson County, WV. It is a thrifty budget with no restaurant meals, so treat it as a floor.
Energy and gasoline
Using West Virginia residential prices from the Energy Information Administration and national household averages for consumption, electricity costs about $1,593 a year and other home energy such as natural gas about $577, for $2,169 in total. Gasoline in West Virginia averages $3.33 per gallon; at about 463 gallons a year (11,106 miles at 24 miles per gallon) fuel adds $1,543.
What is left over
Rent, food, energy and gasoline cost $19,772 a year in Jefferson County, WV. Subtract that from $31,406 of take-home pay and $11,634 remains, which is $969 a month of breathing room. That margin equals 30.9% of gross pay, a comfortable cushion by common budgeting rules.
Local housing and commute data for Jefferson County, WV
The budget above covers rent, food, energy and gasoline. Three more local facts shape what a paycheck buys in Jefferson County, WV: property taxes, housing prices and the daily commute. The figures below are exact U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates for Jefferson County, WV, set beside the West Virginia and national medians.
Property taxes in Jefferson County, WV
Homeowners in Jefferson County, WV pay a median of $1,857 a year in real estate taxes, 115% above the West Virginia median of $865 and 40% below the U.S. median of $3,119. Against a median home value of $350,800, the median tax bill is 0.53% of that value (the ratio of the two county medians). For a worker paid the local Animal Caretakers median of $37,710, a tax bill of that size would equal 4.9% of gross pay, which matters for anyone planning to buy rather than rent.
Rents, home prices and household income in Jefferson County, WV
Renters in Jefferson County, WV pay a median gross rent of $1,108 a month in the Census survey, 27% above the West Virginia median of $872. HUD's Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom apartment, which this site uses in the budget, is $1,052 a month; the two measures differ because the Census figure covers units of every size that renters already occupy, while the HUD figure is a one-bedroom benchmark. The median value of an owner-occupied home is $350,800, 116% above the West Virginia median of $162,600. Median household income is $98,806, 66% above the West Virginia median of $59,608, so a year of one-bedroom Fair Market Rent equals 12.8% of that income.
Commuting in Jefferson County, WV
Workers in Jefferson County, WV who travel to a workplace spend an average of 37.1 minutes each way, 39% above the West Virginia average of 26.6. For someone who commutes five days a week, that is 6.2 hours of round-trip travel every week, a cost the budget does not price. 17.3% of workers in Jefferson County, WV work from home, compared with 15.1% nationally, which removes the commute for them.
Can Animal Caretakers afford to live in Jefferson County, WV?
The 30% rent guideline
A common rule of thumb says rent should stay under 30% of gross income. For a gross salary of $37,710 that ceiling is $943 a month. The one-bedroom Fair Market Rent of $1,052 is $109 over it, so rent breaks the guideline. Put as a wage, covering a one-bedroom at the 30% guideline takes $20.23 an hour; the median for Animal Caretakers is $18.13, which is 10% below that mark. Another way to see it: at $15.10 of take-home pay an hour, a one-bedroom takes about 16.1 working hours every week.
Splitting a two-bedroom
Sharing a two-bedroom at $1,376 a month means $688 each. Compared with renting a one-bedroom alone, that saves $4,368 a year. With a roommate, the yearly margin after the basics becomes $16,002.
How fast you can save
At $969 a month of margin, building a $10,000 emergency fund would take about 11 months. Setting aside half of the margin stretches the same goal to about 22 months. These figures ignore interest, raises and any spending beyond the four basics.
Frequently asked questions about Animal Caretakers pay in Jefferson County, WV
How much do Animal Caretakers make per hour in Jefferson County, WV?
The median is $18.13 per hour, based on $37,710 a year over 2,080 hours. Hourly pay runs from about $14.50 at the 10th percentile to $26.45 at the 90th percentile.
How much do Animal Caretakers take home after taxes in Jefferson County, WV?
After federal income tax, FICA and state income tax, the median salary of $37,710 becomes $31,406 a year. That is $2,617 a month, $1,208 every two weeks or $604 a week.
How much tax do Animal Caretakers pay in Jefferson County, WV?
Total taxes are $6,304 a year, an effective rate of 16.7%: $2,397 federal income tax, $2,885 FICA and $1,023 West Virginia income tax.
Do Animal Caretakers earn more in Jefferson County, WV than elsewhere in West Virginia?
Yes. The local median of $37,710 is +4.2% versus the West Virginia average of $36,187, a difference of $1,523 a year.
Can Animal Caretakers afford a one-bedroom apartment in Jefferson County, WV?
A one-bedroom costs $1,052 a month against take-home pay of $2,617, which is 40.2% of take-home pay. That does not meet the 30%-of-gross guideline, which allows up to $943 a month.
What is the monthly budget margin for Animal Caretakers in Jefferson County, WV?
About $969 a month ($11,634 a year) remains after a one-bedroom apartment, food, home energy and gasoline, which together cost $19,772 a year.
What hourly wage covers a one-bedroom in Jefferson County, WV at the 30% guideline?
$20.23 an hour for a full-time schedule, calculated as the $12,624 annual rent divided by 0.30 and by 2,080 hours. The median for Animal Caretakers is $18.13.
How we calculated these numbers
Wages are May 2025 medians from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metropolitan area; hourly-only values are annualized at 2,080 hours. Rents are HUD Fair Market Rents, food costs come from the USDA Thrifty Food Plan, and energy prices come from the Energy Information Administration. County-level tax statistics come from the IRS Statistics of Income.
Taxes use tax-year 2025 federal brackets, FICA rates and the West Virginia rules for a single filer with wage income only. Figures are estimates for planning and comparison, not tax or financial advice, and they exclude local income taxes, benefits, retirement contributions and individual circumstances.