Animal scientists
SOC Code: 19-1011
Animal scientists carries a 26% AI exposure score (Medium automation risk), with a median annual wage of $79,120 and +5.8% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 2,800 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 26% AI exposure, Animal scientists sits 11 points below the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 18% of them. Most of its core tasks still require human judgment.
Career outlook score
80/100
Animal scientists, weighted across 3 of 3 tracked dimensions
A weighted composite of median wage, projected growth, and AI-automation security (inverted exposure), each benchmarked against every other tracked occupation. It describes this occupation's standing across those three dimensions, not a guarantee of future outcomes.
- Median wage B+ $79,120
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth A- +5.8%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) A- 26% exposure
Lower O*NET task-automability scores lower risk; this dimension scores security, not exposure
Home health and personal care aides is #1 of 832 occupations by employment (4.3M, AI exposure rank #392 at 35%) vs. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks #1 by AI task exposure (95%, employment rank #17 at 1.6M).
Automation-risk inventory
Exclusive cut of 832 occupations by PlainWorkforce automation-risk band. Orthogonal to the continuous AI-exposure distribution chart below and to this occupation's single risk badge, this is the corpus band mix, with Animal scientists in the Medium band.
Credential × growth standing
Bachelor's band with mid-pack BLS pace
Animal scientists shares the Bachelor's gate with 178 peer occupations and lands in Average (378 of 832). Neither the rarest nor the most crowded growth shelf - use wage and AI desks on this page for the differentiator.
Where Animal scientists sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Animal scientists sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
26% Among the lowest lower than 82% of 832 occupations
Occupations, banded by AI-exposure score
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor) · BLS 2024–2034
Source: O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor); AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis. As of BLS 2024–2034.
Animal scientists vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Animal scientists is marked in rose; the top-left corner is the most future-proof.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 (growth) and O*NET (AI-exposure analysis by PlainWorkforce).
Employment Projections
Where This Score Comes From
Animal scientists's Medium automation-risk tier is computed from O*NET Database 30.0 task-level analysis, where each documented task the occupation performs is evaluated against current generative AI, robotic process automation, and machine-learning capabilities. A score below 40% reflects tasks anchored in physical dexterity, unstructured environments, or high-touch human interaction that current AI cannot reliably replicate.
The employment, wage, and education figures above come from a second, separate federal source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034, matched to the O*NET task data by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 19-1011) code, with the wage figure cross-validated against the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 survey. BLS figures are presented exactly as published, with no adjustment on our part; the SOC-code match is what lets Animal scientists be compared directly against every other tracked occupation on the same basis, not just roles that happen to share a job title.
For career planners, this profile should be read alongside the task, skill, and knowledge breakdowns below and the list of employers whose workforce composition includes Animal scientists. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Study nutritional requirements of animals and nutritive values of animal feed materials.
- 2. Write up or orally communicate research findings to the scientific community, producers, and the public.
- 3. Develop improved practices in feeding, housing, sanitation, or parasite and disease control of animals.
- 4. Advise producers about improved products and techniques that could enhance their animal production efforts.
- 5. Conduct research concerning animal nutrition, breeding, or management to improve products or processes.
- 6. Study effects of management practices, processing methods, feed, or environmental conditions on quality and quantity of animal products, such as eggs and milk.
- 7. Research and control animal selection and breeding practices to increase production efficiency and improve animal quality.
- 8. Determine genetic composition of animal populations and heritability of traits, using principles of genetics.
- 9. Crossbreed animals with existing strains or cross strains to obtain new combinations of desirable characteristics.
Key Skills Required
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
- Science
- Critical Thinking
- Complex Problem Solving
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Active Learning
- Monitoring
Knowledge Areas
- Biology
- Mathematics
- English Language
- Chemistry
- Food Production
- Education and Training
- Customer and Personal Service
- Computers and Electronics
- Sales and Marketing
- Administration and Management
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Animal scientists?
Animal scientists has an AI exposure score of 26%, indicating a medium level of automation risk. The majority of tasks in this role require human judgment, creativity, or physical presence that AI cannot easily replicate.
What is the job outlook for Animal scientists?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Animal scientists is projected to grow by 5.8% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 2,800 workers.
What skills are needed for Animal scientists?
Key skills for Animal scientists include Reading Comprehension, Writing, Science, and others. Typical entry-level education is Bachelor's degree.
How much do Animal scientists earn?
The median annual wage for Animal scientists is $79,120, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024). Actual earnings vary by location, experience, industry, and employer. The BLS publishes detailed wage percentiles by region in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
What education is required for Animal scientists?
The typical entry-level education for Animal scientists is Bachelor's degree. Employers generally expect None of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves None. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Animal scientists?
Animal scientists roles exist across many industries and employers. Workforce composition is estimated from BLS industry-occupation employment distributions matched to SEC-registered public companies.
AI Exposure Rating
Medium automation risk based on 9 analyzed tasks. Most tasks require human judgment and are resistant to automation.
Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles
Two data-derived peer sets for Animal scientists: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (26% here).
- Ambulance drivers and attendants, except emergency medical technicians · AI exposure 26%
- Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary · AI exposure 26%
- Forest and conservation technicians · AI exposure 26%
- Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers · AI exposure 26%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (+5.8% here).
- Biochemists and biophysicists · growth +5.8%
- Buyers and purchasing agents · growth +5.8%
- Lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers · growth +5.8%
- Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines · growth +5.8%
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on published BLS + O*NET metrics among occupations with ≥10,000 workers in 2024; corpus ranks above sort the full tracked set.
Related Occupations
Showing 6 of 30 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Animal scientists' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Animal scientists side by side against another occupation on wage, growth, and AI exposure. Workforce comparison tool
- Understand how the AI exposure score above is actually calculated before treating it as a verdict. Reading AI exposure scores
- See the full ranked list of occupations with the lowest automation exposure nationwide. Safest occupations from AI
AI exposure scores estimate task automatability from O*NET data; they are not a certainty of job loss, and BLS growth projections are estimates, not guarantees.
Data sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024–2034 and O*NET Database 30.0. Employment figures are rounded. Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (OES).