How to read this: BLS does not track dog walkers as their own occupation. These figures cover "Animal Caretakers" (SOC 39-2021), which counts dog walking work alongside related roles, so read them as the band rather than the exact number.
The average dog walker in the United States earns $37,300 a year, and the median, which is the figure that describes a typical worker rather than one dragged around by the top end, is $35,360. That works out at about $17.94 an hour. Where you work moves that a long way: District of Columbia averages $46,510 and Mississippi $28,270. Everything below is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 release, not from job ads or self-reported surveys.
What a dog walker actually does for that money
Animal caretakers covers kennel staff, groomers assistants and shelter workers as well as walkers and sitters, and it is dominated by employed facility work. Almost every professional dog walker is self-employed or on an app, so this figure is a floor rather than a description.
What dog walkers earn, from bottom to top
An average hides the spread, and the spread is what matters when you are deciding whether to enter the trade or what to pay someone. Here is the full range BLS publishes.
| Percentile | Annual | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Bottom 10% | $27,250 | Starting out, or an apprentice rate |
| 25th | $29,820 | Still building speed and a customer base |
| Median | $35,360 | The middle of the trade |
| 75th | $40,050 | Experienced, licensed, in demand |
| Top 10% | $50,060 | Specialists, supervisors and owners |
Dog Walking salary by state
District of Columbia pays the most at $46,510 a year, and Mississippi the least at $28,270. Cost of living explains part of that gap and licensing rules explain a good deal of the rest.
| # | State | Average annual | Median annual | Hourly | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $46,510 | $44,210 | $22.36 | 460 |
| 2 | Washington | $46,160 | $40,570 | $22.19 | 6,620 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $45,080 | $39,650 | $21.67 | 6,900 |
| 4 | Arizona | $44,630 | $38,180 | $21.46 | 6,330 |
| 5 | Hawaii | $44,620 | $40,130 | $21.45 | 570 |
| 6 | California | $42,730 | $38,700 | $20.54 | 25,710 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $42,710 | $37,310 | $20.54 | 3,000 |
| 8 | Rhode Island | $42,010 | $37,120 | $20.20 | 1,020 |
| 9 | Maryland | $41,820 | $36,780 | $20.11 | 5,570 |
| 10 | Colorado | $41,010 | $37,430 | $19.72 | 6,290 |
| 11 | New York | $40,540 | $37,840 | $19.49 | 12,470 |
| 12 | Alaska | $40,460 | $36,640 | $19.45 | 550 |
| 13 | Oregon | $40,380 | $36,580 | $19.42 | 3,470 |
| 14 | New Jersey | $39,940 | $35,850 | $19.20 | 5,890 |
| 15 | Maine | $39,790 | $37,230 | $19.13 | 1,430 |
| 16 | North Dakota | $39,460 | $34,040 | $18.97 | 770 |
| 17 | Illinois | $38,670 | $35,570 | $18.59 | 11,070 |
| 18 | Vermont | $38,460 | $36,090 | $18.49 | 430 |
| 19 | Minnesota | $38,320 | $36,430 | $18.43 | 4,250 |
| 20 | Nebraska | $37,610 | $31,680 | $18.08 | 2,100 |
| 21 | Utah | $37,600 | $34,750 | $18.08 | 2,350 |
| 22 | New Hampshire | $37,160 | $34,790 | $17.86 | 1,810 |
| 23 | Florida | $36,820 | $34,150 | $17.70 | 17,210 |
| 24 | Montana | $36,170 | $34,210 | $17.39 | 1,200 |
| 25 | Virginia | $36,070 | $34,380 | $17.34 | 10,070 |
| 26 | Texas | $35,970 | $32,730 | $17.30 | 20,450 |
| 27 | Delaware | $35,940 | $33,910 | $17.28 | 1,230 |
| 28 | New Mexico | $35,050 | $33,570 | $16.85 | 1,710 |
| 29 | Idaho | $34,970 | $32,170 | $16.81 | 1,760 |
| 30 | Ohio | $34,690 | $30,310 | $16.68 | 9,350 |
| 31 | Missouri | $34,500 | $31,230 | $16.59 | 5,820 |
| 32 | Nevada | $34,400 | $30,320 | $16.54 | 2,470 |
| 33 | Wisconsin | $34,330 | $30,160 | $16.50 | 5,720 |
| 34 | Wyoming | $34,150 | $29,080 | $16.42 | 460 |
| 35 | Kansas | $34,130 | $29,830 | $16.41 | 3,000 |
| 36 | Arkansas | $34,110 | $30,230 | $16.40 | 2,040 |
| 37 | Pennsylvania | $34,110 | $31,360 | $16.40 | 9,910 |
| 38 | Tennessee | $34,110 | $30,550 | $16.40 | 6,110 |
| 39 | Kentucky | $34,070 | $30,720 | $16.38 | 6,140 |
| 40 | North Carolina | $33,870 | $30,870 | $16.29 | 9,730 |
| 41 | Michigan | $33,850 | $30,320 | $16.27 | 6,290 |
| 42 | South Dakota | $33,700 | $30,390 | $16.20 | 1,110 |
| 43 | South Carolina | $33,640 | $31,280 | $16.17 | 4,090 |
| 44 | Iowa | $32,900 | $30,080 | $15.82 | 3,480 |
| 45 | Georgia | $32,250 | $29,860 | $15.51 | 9,110 |
| 46 | Indiana | $31,900 | $29,990 | $15.34 | 6,420 |
| 47 | West Virginia | $31,550 | $28,550 | $15.17 | 1,160 |
| 48 | Alabama | $31,300 | $28,330 | $15.05 | 4,100 |
| 49 | Oklahoma | $31,020 | $28,940 | $14.91 | 3,170 |
| 50 | Louisiana | $29,840 | $27,910 | $14.35 | 2,660 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $28,270 | $26,970 | $13.59 | 1,900 |
Where the money is: highest paying metros
State averages flatten out the difference between a city and the rural county next to it. These are the metro areas paying dog walkers the most.
| # | Metro area | Average annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $47,930 | $23.04 |
| 2 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $47,810 | $22.99 |
| 3 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $46,960 | $22.58 |
| 4 | Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | $46,050 | $22.14 |
| 5 | Barnstable Town, MA | $45,910 | $22.07 |
| 6 | Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | $45,760 | $22.00 |
| 7 | Kahului-Wailuku, HI | $45,650 | $21.95 |
| 8 | Yuba City, CA | $45,330 | $21.79 |
| 9 | Kennewick-Richland, WA | $45,270 | $21.76 |
| 10 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $45,240 | $21.75 |
What moves the number
- No license required. Bonding and insurance are what let you hold keys to somebody home, and they are what a serious client asks about first.
- Midday walks are the core and they are steady, but the money is in overnight sitting and holiday coverage when everyone else is away.
- Overnight and holiday pet sitting, puppy and senior care, and building relationships with a handful of buildings all pay well above per-walk rates.
- The bottom ten percent of dog walkers earn under $27,250 and the top ten percent clear $50,060. That gap is the trade telling you where the money is.
- Working for somebody else and working for yourself are different questions. These figures cover employed dog walkers on a payroll, so they exclude the self-employed, and in this trade a large share of the best operators are exactly that.
What you can earn running the business instead
The number above is a wage. Running the business is a different calculation: you take the full ticket rather than an hourly rate, and what you keep depends on how many jobs you fit in a week, how quickly you get paid and how much of your day goes on scheduling, estimates and chasing invoices instead of on the work. That is the part software actually changes. Owners who put scheduling, estimating, invoicing and automated follow-up in one place tend to run more jobs with the same crew, which is where the gap between a dog walker wage and an owner income opens up.
Dog Walking salary FAQs
- How much do dog walkers make a year?
- The median dog walker in the United States earns $35,360 a year and the average is $37,300, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 release. Half the trade earns more than the median and half less.
- How much do dog walkers make an hour?
- The mean hourly wage is $17.94. Annual earnings are usually higher than that rate multiplied by a standard year, because overtime, call-outs and premium work are not in the base rate.
- Which state pays dog walkers the most?
- District of Columbia pays the most at an average of $46,510 a year, followed by Washington at $46,160 and Massachusetts at $45,080. Cost of living accounts for some of that and licensing rules for much of the rest.
- Which cities pay dog walkers the most?
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA tops the list at an average of $47,930 a year, with Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA at $47,810. Metro figures move a lot more than state averages, so the city matters more than the state.
- Can dog walkers earn six figures?
- As an employee it is uncommon: the top ten percent earn $50,060. Owners are a different question, because they are paid on the job rather than on the hour, and owner income is not in these figures.
- Do these figures include self-employed dog walkers?
- No. The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program covers wage and salary workers, so sole proprietors and business owners are excluded. In a trade with as many owner-operators as this one, that matters when you read the number.
- Where does this dog walking salary data come from?
- The US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, for "Animal Caretakers" (SOC 39-2021). It is a survey of employers rather than of workers, which is why it is more reliable than self-reported salary sites.
All wage figures on this page are from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 release. BLS suppresses figures in areas with too few employers to publish safely; those appear as n/a rather than an estimate.
