Average Zoo Keeper Salary in Dallas, United States for 2026

In this article, we will look at the average Zoo Keeper salary for 2026 in Dallas and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the United States dollar. To keep things simple, we are using the USD currency code instead of the currency symbol $.

How Much Does a Zoo Keeper Make in Dallas?

A Zoo Keeper working in Dallas will typically earn around 86,100 USD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 46,300 USD to the highest average salary of 132,000 USD.

Average Annual Salary86,100 USD
Average Monthly Salary7,175 USD
Average Lowest Salary46,300 USD
Lowest Monthly Salary3,858 USD
Average Highest Salary132,000 USD
Highest Monthly Salary11,000 USD

These are average salaries for a Zoo Keeper in Dallas and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Zoo Keeper to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Zoo Keeper salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Zoo Keeper Salaries in Dallas

So we've looked at the average salaries a Zoo Keeper will earn in Dallas. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Zoo Keeper can earn between 46,300 USD and 132,000 USD on average in Dallas. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Zoo Keeper in Dallas is 84,500 USD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 84,500 USD, and 50% of the population earn more than 84,500 USD.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Zoo Keeper salary in Dallas, 25% of the population are earning less than 57,400 USD while 75% of the population earn more than 57,400 USD.

75% of the population earn less than 105,200 USD, and 25% of the population earn more than 105,200 USD.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Zoo Keeper Salary by Experience Level in Dallas

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average Zoo Keeper salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Zoo Keeper in Dallas that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 52,600 USD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Zoo Keeper salary would increase to 68,400 USD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Zoo Keeper, the average salary would be 91,000 USD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 109,700 USD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Zoo Keeper with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 118,900 USD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Zoo Keeper with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 123,800 USD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years-
52,600 USD
2-5 Years+34%
68,400 USD
5-10 Years+30%
91,000 USD
10-15 Years+21%
109,700 USD
15-20 Years+9%
118,900 USD
20+ Years+5%
123,800 USD

Zoo Keeper Salary by Education Level in Dallas

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Zoo Keeper in Dallas based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • High School. A Zoo Keeper in Dallas with a high school education can earn an average salary of 62,500 USD.
  • Certificate or Diploma. A Zoo Keeper in Dallas with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 85,800 USD.
  • Bachelor's Degree. A Zoo Keeper in Dallas with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 121,800 USD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School-
62,500 USD
Certificate or Diploma+43%
85,800 USD
Bachelor's Degree+38%
121,800 USD

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in United States is around 39,500 to 118,000 USD and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Zoo Keeper Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In Dallas, a male zoo keeper will earn an average of 77,000 USD, while a female zoo keeper will earn around 73,100 USD.

This means that a male zoo keeper earns approximately 5% more than a female zoo keeper for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Dallas

Male-
77,000 USD
Female-5%
73,100 USD

Zoo Keeper Average Pay Raise in Dallas

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Zoo Keeper in Dallas is around 11% every 18 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in United States is around 8% every 16 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 11 ÷ 18 ) × 12  = 7%

What this means is that a Zoo Keeper in Dallas can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 7% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Dallas for 2026

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in United States.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking-
4%
Energy-
8%
Information Technology-
3%
Healthcare-
7%
Travel-
2%
Construction-
6%
Education-
1%

Zoo Keeper Bonus and Incentive Rates in Dallas

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Zoo Keeper is a low bonus based job, with 33% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

67% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4%.

Received Bonus-
33%
No Bonus-
67%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in United States earn approximately 6% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector-
98,800 USD
Private Sector-6%
93,100 USD

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Zoo Keeper

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Zoo Keeper in Dallas.

Job TitleCategorySalary
Animal BreederPet Care90,900 USD
Animal Care WorkerPet Care60,200 USD
Animal CaretakerPet Care57,100 USD
Animal Control OfficerPet Care63,800 USD
Animal Health TechnicianPet Care66,200 USD
Animal KeeperPet Care66,100 USD
Animal ScientistPet Care128,400 USD
Kennel AttendantPet Care57,100 USD
Kennel TechnicianPet Care51,900 USD
Pet SitterPet Care47,600 USD
VeterinarianPet Care109,000 USD
Veterinary AssistantPet Care81,400 USD
Veterinary Office ManagerPet Care125,400 USD
Veterinary ReceptionistPet Care55,200 USD
Veterinary TechnicianPet Care75,900 USD
Zoo VeterinarianPet Care114,300 USD

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in United States, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

CityAverage Salary
Atlanta69,700 USD
Austin79,600 USD
Baltimore74,700 USD
Boston80,800 USD
Bristol61,200 USD
Chicago92,300 USD
Cincinnati62,600 USD
Cleveland68,200 USD
Denver76,000 USD
Detroit77,000 USD
Honolulu61,700 USD
Houston84,800 USD
Indianapolis83,800 USD
Iowa City58,200 USD
Jacksonville78,400 USD
Kansas City68,800 USD
Kent64,300 USD
Las Vegas75,500 USD
Long Beach69,400 USD
Los Angeles92,500 USD
Memphis74,900 USD
Miami70,000 USD
Minneapolis71,200 USD
New Orleans67,000 USD
New York83,900 USD
Oakland71,100 USD
Oklahoma City76,000 USD
Orlando64,800 USD
Philadelphia83,800 USD
Phoenix88,700 USD
Sacramento77,300 USD
San Antonio87,200 USD
San Diego83,300 USD
San Francisco78,100 USD
San Jose83,700 USD
Seattle76,000 USD
Tampa68,500 USD
Vancouver60,800 USD
Washington D.C.79,800 USD

Salary Comparison by State

The table below includes links to the average salary for each state in United States.

StateAverage Salary
Alabama75,000 USD
Alaska65,700 USD
Arizona83,200 USD
Arkansas72,700 USD
California84,300 USD
Colorado71,400 USD
Connecticut73,500 USD
Delaware70,700 USD
District of Columbia65,900 USD
Florida85,400 USD
Georgia79,000 USD
Hawaii68,200 USD
Idaho72,700 USD
Illinois80,400 USD
Indiana78,700 USD
Iowa78,200 USD
Kansas72,700 USD
Kentucky78,500 USD
Louisiana74,100 USD
Maine70,900 USD
Maryland83,700 USD
Massachusetts76,900 USD
Michigan84,900 USD
Minnesota73,500 USD
Mississippi72,700 USD
Missouri80,000 USD
Montana67,500 USD
Nebraska70,500 USD
Nevada68,800 USD
New Hampshire70,800 USD
New Jersey83,000 USD
New Mexico70,900 USD
New York86,400 USD
North Carolina78,200 USD
North Dakota67,600 USD
Ohio83,000 USD
Oklahoma72,700 USD
Oregon77,000 USD
Pennsylvania86,300 USD
Rhode Island68,900 USD
South Carolina78,900 USD
South Dakota65,100 USD
Tennessee79,600 USD
Texas89,300 USD
Utah68,500 USD
Vermont67,300 USD
Virginia78,500 USD
Washington79,000 USD
West Virginia72,700 USD
Wisconsin74,700 USD
Wyoming66,400 USD

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