AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 33-9011.00
Will AI replace Animal Control Workers?
Animal Control Workers: AI can already handle 1 of 16 tasks; the work mostly needs an efficient-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 16 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Animal Control Workers, from most to least exposed. 1 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Write reports of activities, and maintain files of impoundments and dispositions of animals. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Train police officers in dog handling and training techniques for tracking, crowd control, and narcotics and bomb detection. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Investigate reports of animal attacks or animal cruelty, interviewing witnesses, collecting evidence, and writing reports. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Examine animals for injuries or malnutrition, and arrange for any necessary medical treatment. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Contact animal owners to inform them that their pets are at animal holding facilities. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Educate the public about animal welfare, and animal control laws and regulations. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Remove captured animals from animal-control service vehicles and place animals in shelter cages or other enclosures. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Capture and remove stray, uncontrolled, or abused animals from undesirable conditions, using nets, nooses, or tranquilizer darts as necessary. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Answer inquiries from the public concerning animal control operations. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Prepare for prosecutions related to animal treatment, and give evidence in court. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Supply animals with food, water, and personal care. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Issue warnings or citations in connection with animal-related offenses, or contact police to report violations and request arrests. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Euthanize rabid, unclaimed, or severely injured animals. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Clean facilities and equipment such as dog pens and animal control trucks. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Organize the adoption of unclaimed animals. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Examine animal licenses, and inspect establishments housing animals for compliance with laws. | Estimated | Efficient |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 16 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 16 of 16. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.
The model tier this role needs
An efficient-tier model or lower covers 100% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 100% of the work is something AI can address at some tier.
Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.
Wages, employment and outlook
- US employment
- 12,070
- Median annual wage
- $45,660
- Middle half of earners
- $37,750 to $57,060
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- +3.9%
Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.
Adjacent roles
The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.
- Animal Caretakers 73% skill overlap, about 10 months to move Exposure48
- Animal Trainers 64% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure35
- Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals 64% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure16
- Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers 63% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure32
- Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers 63% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure65
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Animal Control Workers and AI
Will AI replace Animal Control Workers?
AI already handles 1 of the 16 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 34 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears. BLS projects employment to change by +3.9% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Animal Control Workers?
34 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 0 of the 16 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 16 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Animal Control Workers tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Write reports of activities, and maintain files of impoundments and dispositions of animals. It is the only task that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
An efficient-tier model or lower covers 100% of the role's importance-weighted task work. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.
How many people work as Animal Control Workers, and what do they earn?
12,070 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $45,660 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +3.9% from 2024 to 2034.
How to cite
Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.
JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Animal Control Workers. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/animal-control-workers
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