Dog Groomer Statistics 2026: Job Market, Pay, Demand & Workforce

GroomerHires had 3,282 open dog groomer listings from 41 employers on November 14, 2026.

155 were first posted in the previous 14 days and 461 in the previous 30 days.

At least 25% of dog groomer listings were part-time on November 14, 2026.

Listings that name no schedule are counted as full-time, so the real part-time share is likely higher.

The benefit dog groomer listings named most often on November 14, 2026 was health insurance, in 89% of listings, followed by paid time off (71.1%).

A listing that does not mention a benefit may still offer it.

To browse the openings themselves, see all dog groomer listings.

BLS publishes no dog groomer-only wage, so the figure here is for animal caretakers (SOC 39-2021, includes groomers), the broader BLS occupation that counts groomers together with bathers, kennel and daycare staff, pet sitters, dog walkers and zookeepers, for payroll employees only.

The median wage for that occupation was $35,360 a year in May 2025 (BLS OEWS, Animal Caretakers (SOC 39-2021), national, all industries, May 2025).

The middle half of workers in that occupation earned $29,820 to $40,050 a year.

For pay by state, percentile and experience, see the dog groomer salary guide.

Texas had the most open dog groomer listings on November 14, 2026, with 312 (9.5% of the national total).

Florida followed with 215 (6.6%).

To browse the openings in one state, start with dog groomer openings in Texas.

41 employers had open dog groomer listings on GroomerHires on November 14, 2026, and the five largest posted 94.1% of them.

16 employers (39%) had exactly one open dog groomer listing.

The largest single employer, PetSmart, posted 46.5% of all dog groomer listings, so this sample leans toward large employers.

Employers in all industries reported 266,910 animal caretakers (SOC 39-2021, the BLS occupation that includes groomers) on payroll in May 2025, at a median of $17.00 an hour ($35,360 a year); the count leaves out the self-employed (BLS OEWS May 2025).

BLS has no groomer-only occupation: O*NET lists Dog Groomer, Groomer, Pet Groomer and Pet Stylist among the reported job titles of animal caretakers, an occupation that also counts kennel attendants and zookeepers (O*NET OnLine, 39-2021.00).

BLS projects employment of animal caretakers (includes groomers) to grow 12.1% from 2025 to 2035, from 365,300 to 409,400 jobs, with about 62,800 openings a year; these projection counts include the self-employed, so they run above the payroll count (BLS Employment Projections 2025–35).

24.8% of animal caretakers (includes groomers) were self-employed in 2025, and self-employed workers are not in the OEWS wage figures (BLS Employment Projections 2025–35).

Other personal services (NAICS 812900, the industry group that contains pet care services such as grooming salons, boarding and daycare) employed 146,190 of the 266,910 animal caretakers on payroll in May 2025, at a median of $16.92 an hour ($35,190 a year) (BLS OEWS May 2025 industry estimates).

The highest state median wage for animal caretakers (includes groomers) in May 2025 was in the District of Columbia ($21.25 an hour), followed by Washington ($19.51) and Hawaii ($19.29), and the lowest was in Mississippi ($12.97), not adjusted for cost of living (BLS OEWS May 2025 state estimates).

The Treasury list of occupations that customarily received tips, used for the federal no-tax-on-tips deduction, includes pet and show animal caretakers (code 506), with pet groomer named as an example (IRS, 2026).

For how to enter the field, see the dog groomer career guide.

Listing figures are computed from every active, paid dog groomer listing on GroomerHires at the time shown, and refreshed every six hours.

Listings on a job board are not a random sample of all dog groomer jobs, so read them as a picture of current hiring, not of total employment.

This page is published only while the live sample has at least 300 listings from 25 employers.

Advertised pay is the midpoint of the range an employer posts, or its single figure, and hourly and annual postings are never converted into each other.

The headline is the employer median: each employer’s own median, then the median across employers, so a group posting hundreds of openings counts once.

A pay figure needs at least 30 listings from 10 employers and is withheld when one employer posted more than half of them.

Federal figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the other sources listed below, quoted as published, with the year in each sentence.

Cat groomer, mobile groomer, show groomer and grooming apprentice listings are counted with this role. The BLS figures are for animal caretakers (SOC 39-2021) in all industries, the broader occupation that includes groomers; BLS publishes no groomer-only wage or count, and OEWS leaves out self-employed groomers and salon owners. Commission and tips are often part of groomer pay, so a posted hourly figure may not be total earnings.