SOC 39-2021 · Personal Care and Service Occupations · May 2025

How much do Animal Caretakers make in Dubuque, IA?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Animal Caretakers in Dubuque, IA is $29,420. The 10th percentile is $23,040 and the 90th percentile is $37,070. Employment is 80.

Median annual wage

$29,420

10th percentile
$23,040
25th percentile
$23,690
Median
$29,420
75th percentile
$31,280
90th percentile
$37,070
Mean
$30,660

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

An electrician connecting a generator to a home electrical panel
An electrician at a home electrical panel. Photograph by editor B. Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0

Percentile spread

For Animal Caretakers, the published 10th percentile is $23,040 and the 90th percentile is $37,070. The difference is $14,030, which is 47.7% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $23,690 to the 75th at $31,280, covers $7,590.

The mean annual wage is $30,660, which sits above the median of $29,420. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Dubuque, IA median is 16.8% lower than the national median of $35,360 for Animal Caretakers. In 2024 national prices the local median is $33,689, which is 4.7% lower than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 2.2% lower than the Iowa median of $30,080.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Dubuque, IA is 87.328, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $29,420 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Animal Caretakers at $33,689 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

25 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Animal Caretakers. Dubuque, IA ranks 23rd of 26 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

  • Cedar Rapids, IA is 46 miles away, with a median of $29,190 and employment of 340. That median is 0.8% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $32,811, against $33,689 here.
  • Iowa City, IA is 76 miles away, with a median of $33,510 and employment of 300. That median is 13.9% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $36,619, against $33,689 here.
  • Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL is 77 miles away, with a median of $31,200 and employment of 290. That median is 6.1% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $35,025, against $33,689 here.

Employment share

Animal Caretakers accounts for 0.14% of wage-and-salary employment in Dubuque, IA (80 of 58,470). Nationally the occupation is 0.17% of employment (266,910 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.80 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.

Highest-paying jobs in Dubuque, IA · Animal Caretakers by metro · How to read these percentiles · Median and mean · When a wage is not published · How the figures are made · Compare this wage after prices

Questions this page answers

How much do Animal Caretakers make in Dubuque, IA?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Animal Caretakers in Dubuque, IA is $29,420. The 10th percentile is $23,040 and the 90th percentile is $37,070. Employment is 80.

How does that compare with the national median for Animal Caretakers?

The local median is 16.8% lower than the national median of $35,360.

What is Animal Caretakers pay in Dubuque, IA after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Dubuque, IA is 87.328, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $29,420 is $33,689. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does Dubuque, IA compare with nearby metros for Animal Caretakers?

Cedar Rapids, IA is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 46 miles away, at $29,190. Dubuque, IA ranks 23rd of 26 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.