Occupations · Farming, Fishing, and Forestry
Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals
Attend to live farm, ranch, open range or aquacultural animals that may include cattle, sheep, swine, goats, horses and other equines, poultry, rabbits, finfish, shellfish, and bees. Attend to animals produced for animal products, such as meat, fur, skins, feathers, eggs, milk, and honey. Duties may include feeding, watering, herding, grazing, milking, castrating, branding, de-beaking, weighing, catching, and loading animals. May maintain records on animals; examine animals to detect diseases and injuries; assist in birth deliveries; and administer medications, vaccinations, or insecticides as appropriate. May clean and maintain animal housing areas. Includes workers who shear wool from sheep and collect eggs in hatcheries.
O*NET 30.3 Database (USDOL/ETA) · occupation code 45-2093.00
What it pays
A single “average salary” hides the spread. This is the whole distribution — the gap between the bottom and top bar is usually the number that matters.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 · national, cross-industry · annual wage
Pay over time
Median up 114% between 2003 and 2024, before inflation. The band shows the 10th to 90th percentile.
BLS OEWS, one release per year. Before May 2011 only national estimates were published, so geography detail starts there.
Where the jobs are
| Metro area | Median wage | Employed |
|---|---|---|
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | $41,830 | 680 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $35,270 | 660 |
| Kansas City, MO-KS | $38,640 | 620 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $45,370 | 410 |
| Lancaster, PA | $41,190 | 370 |
| Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO | $37,950 | 370 |
| Madison, WI | $36,370 | 350 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | $46,010 | 350 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA | $47,440 | 320 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $45,130 | 310 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ | $38,030 | 300 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad, CA | $39,020 | 290 |
BLS OEWS May 2024, metropolitan estimates · the 12 areas with the most people in this occupation
Typical education to enter: No formal educational credential · BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
What people in this job actually do
Ordered by how important the work is rated.
- Feed and water livestock and monitor food and water supplies.
- Herd livestock to pastures for grazing or to scales, trucks, or other enclosures.
- Examine animals to detect illness, injury, or disease, and to check physical characteristics, such as rate of weight gain.
- Provide medical treatment, such as administering medications and vaccinations, or arrange for veterinarians to provide more extensive treatment.
- Mix feed, additives, and medicines in prescribed portions.
- Shift animals between grazing areas to ensure that they have sufficient access to food.
- Protect herds from predators, using trained dogs.
- Mark livestock to identify ownership and grade, using brands, tags, paint, or tattoos.
- Order food for animals, and arrange for its delivery.
- Perform duties related to livestock reproduction, such as breeding animals within appropriate timeframes, performing artificial inseminations, and helping with animal births.
- Patrol grazing lands on horseback or using all-terrain vehicles.
- Inspect, maintain, and repair equipment, machinery, buildings, pens, yards, and fences.
O*NET 30.3 task ratings, importance scale
Skills that matter most
Importance, rated 1 to 5.
O*NET 30.3 skills, importance scale
Software and tools
A dot marks what O*NET flags as in demand.
O*NET 30.3 software skills · hot-technology flag
What this work is actually like
Conditions rated against the average across all occupations — only what makes this job different is listed.
O*NET 30.3 Job Zones
Working conditions that stand out
O*NET 30.3 work context, frequency scale · observed 2019-08
How people actually get in
Share of workers by the education they hold.
O*NET 30.2 education, training and experience · observed 2019-08
What kind of person the work suits
Occupational interest profile, rated 1 to 7.
O*NET 30.2 occupational interests (RIASEC)
What you take with you
Skills rated for how well they transfer into other occupations.
O*NET 30.3 transferable skills, importance scale
Knowledge the work draws on
Abilities it leans on
O*NET 30.3 abilities and knowledge, importance scale
How this job is advertised
The same work is posted under many titles — this is what to search for.
O*NET 30.3 job titles reported for this occupation
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What changed since 2015
Comparing O*NET release 20.1 (2015-10-01) with 30.3 (2026-05-01). Signs, not colour alone, carry the meaning.
Now listed 5
No longer listed 1
Diff across the O*NET releases held here in full since October 2015, following occupations through merges and retirements. O*NET re-surveys occupations on a rolling cycle, so “no change” can also mean “not re-surveyed”.
Related jobs
O*NET 30.3 related occupations
Also called
O*NET 30.3 alternative titles
The same work in Europe
| ESCO occupation | ISCO | Match |
|---|---|---|
| pig breeder | 6121.4 | broader |
| poultry breeder | 6122.1 | broader |
| aquaculture hatchery worker | 6221.5 | broader |
| aquaculture husbandry worker | 6221.7 | broader |
| cattle pedicure | 5164.5 | broader |
| water-based aquaculture worker | 9216.4 | broader |
Official ESCO ↔ O*NET crosswalk (ESCO Secretariat with USDOL/ETA)
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