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Animal Control Workers

Protective Service · SOC 33-9011

0.0% AI Exposure — Low
$45,660
Median Annual Salary
Average
O*NET Outlook
1,300
Proj. Annual Openings
12,070
Employment (OEWS 2025)
+0.1%/yr
Empl. growth (2019–2025)
100/100
AI Resiliency Score

AI exposure from the Anthropic Economic Index (2025); salary from BLS; skills from O*NET. See /sources.

Decision card

Career Evidence Passport

SOC 33-9011 evidence across exposure, wages, projections, postings, certified LCAs, skills, and transitions.

Proxy / seed data labeledDescriptive-only
SOC exposure
0.0%
Low · Anthropic AEI
Automation friction
53/100
Moderate friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
Wages
$45,660
No H-1B offered-wage row for this SOC.
Projected openings
1,300
BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change +3.9%.
Observed/proxy demand
FY— certified LCAs; 1,543 postings in 2025.

Skill evidence

Active ListeningSpeakingCritical ThinkingReading ComprehensionSocial Perceptiveness

Transition context

  • H-1B values are certified Labor Condition Applications, not visa approvals.
  • Job postings are seed-static / seed-derived; treat as provider-ready proxy coverage until observed provider data is wired in.
  • Transition matches are directional skill-overlap context, not placement guarantees.
  • This release is a FutureGrid broad-SOC seed derived from public BLS ORS requirement concepts and categories, not direct occupation-level ORS survey estimates. It describes job requirements, not worker ability, AI capability, or displacement probability. Automation friction is a FutureGrid derived score and should be read alongside exposure, demand, wage, and projection signals.

AI Exposure Analysis

AI Exposure0.0%
AI Resiliency100/100
Exposure BandLow
Sector Avg. Exposure2.6%

Across AI measures

Multiple exposure lenses for this occupation.

28.1%
Consensus
Actual adoption · Anthropic0%
AI capability · OpenAI35%
AI ability · AIOE49.4%
Automation baseline (2013) · Frey & Osborne21%

AI could do ~35% of this role but only ~0% is currently done with AI — a large capability-vs-adoption gap.

Top Skills

1.Active Listening
2.Speaking
3.Critical Thinking
4.Reading Comprehension
5.Social Perceptiveness

H-1B Visa Sponsorship Demand

View full H-1B trends →

No H-1B certified LCA filings recorded for this occupation in FY2016–FY2025.

O*NET occupation profile

What this work involves

Handle animals for the purpose of investigations of mistreatment, or control of abandoned, dangerous, or unattended animals.

Common titles: ACO (Animal Control Officer), Animal Attendant, Animal Cruelty Investigator, Animal Enforcement Officer, Animal Instructor Officer, Animal Ordinance Enforcement Officer

Representative Tasks

  • Write reports of activities, and maintain files of impoundments and dispositions of animals.
  • Investigate reports of animal attacks or animal cruelty, interviewing witnesses, collecting evidence, and writing reports.
  • Examine animals for injuries or malnutrition, and arrange for any necessary medical treatment.
  • Contact animal owners to inform them that their pets are at animal holding facilities.
  • Educate the public about animal welfare, and animal control laws and regulations.

Detailed Work Activities

  • Examine crime scenes to obtain evidence.
  • Interview people to gather information about criminal activities.
  • Investigate illegal or suspicious activities.
  • Maintain operational records.
  • Write operational reports.

Tools & Technologies

Microsoft Excel · hotMicrosoft Access · hotMicrosoft Outlook · hotMicrosoft PowerPoint · hotAnimal Shelter ManagerARK Software Ark Shelter SoftwareEsri ArcGISGeographic information system GIS softwareGeographic information system GIS systemsTRAX Animal Control and Dog Warden Officer Software

Employment Projections & AI Exposure

15
Occupations Shown
1.7%
Avg AI Exposure
3
Bright Outlook
Horizontal bar chart showing occupations with the highest projected annual openings. Each bar length represents annual projected openings. Color uses a gradient from violet (lower) to cyan (higher). Summary statistics are shown above the chart.

Employment & Wage Trend

BLS OEWS, 2019–2025


Occupation Employment & Wage TrendMulti-year BLS OEWS history for SOC 33-9011: 2019 — employment: 11,980, median wage: $37,590; 2020 — employment: 11,580, median wage: $38,430; 2021 — employment: 11,600, median wage: $39,160; 2022 — employment: 11,490, median wage: $39,320; 2023 — employment: 11,600, median wage: $43,170; 2025 — employment: 12,070, median wage: $45,660.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). See /sources.

Sector Comparison

MetricThis CareerSector Average
AI Exposure0.0%2.6%
OutlookAverage19% Bright
Median Salary$45,660N/A
AI Resiliency100/100N/A