How to read this: BLS publishes no occupation for poop scooping. The closest comparable work it does track is "Animal Caretakers" (SOC 39-2021), so treat these figures as a reference point rather than a measurement of this trade.
The average pet waste technician 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 pet waste technician actually does for that money
There is no occupation for pet waste removal; animal caretakers is the closest counted work. This is an owner-operator trade almost without exception, and the economics are subscription revenue and route density rather than an hourly wage.
What pet waste technicians 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 |
Poop Scooping 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 pet waste technicians 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
- Unlicensed, with waste disposal rules set locally. Insurance matters because the work happens in other people yards.
- Recurring weekly service makes this one of the most predictable subscription incomes in home services, with a large spring cleanup spike after snowmelt.
- Commercial pet waste station servicing for apartments and HOAs pays far steadier than residential yards and scales without more driving.
- The bottom ten percent of pet waste technicians 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 pet waste technicians 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 pet waste technician wage and an owner income opens up.
Poop Scooping salary FAQs
- How much do pet waste technicians make a year?
- The median pet waste technician 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 pet waste technicians 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 pet waste technicians 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 pet waste technicians 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 pet waste technicians 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 pet waste technicians?
- 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 poop scooping 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.
