The 2025 AquariumsHiring.com Jobs Report
Trends and Hiring Data from 508 Job Postings
Published by AquariumsHiring.com · Data period: January 1 – December 31, 2025
We tracked every job posted on AquariumsHiring.com in 2025. This report breaks down what we found: which states are hiring the most, what roles are in highest demand, and what aquariums are paying.
New aquarium jobs posted every week. Subscribe to our newsletter to get them delivered every Monday.
Key Findings at a Glance
- We tracked 508 job postings across 73 aquariums and marine facilities in 2025.
- Aquarist / Animal Keeper roles were the most in-demand positions, with 126 postings in 2025.
- December saw the most job openings with 77 new postings.
- The majority of positions are full-time roles, with part-time opportunities offering flexible ways to gain experience and grow a career in the aquarium field.
- 301 of 508 postings (59%) included salary information, reflecting strong pay transparency across the industry.
- Advertised aquarist pay averaged $20.54/hr.
Hiring Volume & Seasonality
In 2025, AquariumsHiring.com tracked 508 job postings across the aquarium and marine industry. Hiring activity showed notable variation throughout the year, with clear seasonal patterns that job seekers and employers alike can use to their advantage.
December recorded the highest volume of tracked postings (77), capping a steady stream of openings throughout the year. Aquarium hiring runs year-round, with facilities recruiting permanent animal care, operations, and guest-experience staff in every month, alongside seasonal roles that support summer visitor programming.
Aquarium job postings by month, 2025
A note on coverage: these monthly figures reflect both real hiring activity and the growth of our coverage, which expanded over the course of 2025. Early-year totals under-represent actual postings, so the upward slope through the year overstates true seasonality. For comparison, our companion Zoos Hiring report shows the same pronounced December peak and a similar mid-year cadence, but with steady first-quarter hiring — reinforcing that the soft early-2025 aquarium figures reflect our tracking coverage rather than a real market lull. We expect 2026 to provide a cleaner full-year baseline for month-over-month comparison.
Most In-Demand Aquarium Roles
We categorized all 508 job postings into role categories based on title keywords. Note that some jobs may fall into multiple categories, and roles without clear keyword matches are not categorized below.
| Role Category | Postings | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Aquarist / Animal Keeper | 126 | 24.8% |
| Manager | 62 | 12.2% |
| Supervisor / Team Lead | 44 | 8.7% |
| Executive / Director / VP | 39 | 7.7% |
| Curator | 29 | 5.7% |
| Operations / Maintenance | 29 | 5.7% |
| Business & Administration | 28 | 5.5% |
| Veterinarian / Vet Tech | 27 | 5.3% |
| Biologist / Research / Conservation | 27 | 5.3% |
| Life Support / Water Quality | 22 | 4.3% |
| Guest Services / Events | 19 | 3.7% |
| Educator / Interpretation | 18 | 3.5% |
| Coordinator | 16 | 3.1% |
| Diver | 11 | 2.2% |
Role distribution
Leadership and organizational roles span multiple tiers: Executive / Director / VP (39), Managers (62), Supervisors / Team Leads (44), and Coordinators (16), totaling 161 postings across these categories. Aquarist / Animal Keeper, the most in-demand role in the field, came in with 126 postings.
Employment Type Overview
The vast majority of aquarium industry postings are full-time positions, spanning aquarists and animal care specialists, veterinarians and vet techs, curators and directors, life support and water quality technicians, divers, educators, and administrative professionals.
Where the Aquarium Jobs Are
In 2025, tracked aquarium job postings spanned 30+ states, led by Missouri (55), Utah (53), and Nebraska (48). The numbers here reflect postings tracked on AquariumsHiring.com during 2025. While our coverage grew throughout the year, these figures represent a sample of the market rather than a complete count, so state totals are best read as directional.
Top 15 states by job volume
| Rank | State | Jobs Posted |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Missouri | 55 |
| 2 | Utah | 53 |
| 3 | Nebraska | 48 |
| 4 | Illinois | 42 |
| 5 | California | 40 |
| 6 | Florida | 33 |
| 7 | Connecticut | 32 |
| 8 | Ohio | 26 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | 23 |
| 10 | Kentucky | 19 |
| 11 | Tennessee | 18 |
| 12 | Arizona | 17 |
| 13 | Louisiana | 16 |
| 14 | New York | 13 |
| 15 | Georgia | 11 |
No aquarium jobs were posted on AquariumsHiring.com in Alaska, Hawaii, or Puerto Rico during 2025.
Aquarium Salary Snapshot
We extracted salary information from 301 postings that included compensation data in their descriptions. The table below shows salary ranges by role category, normalized to annual figures (hourly rates converted at 2,080 hours/year).
| Role | Sample Size | Low End | High End | Avg. Midpoint |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aquarist / Animal Keeper | 69 | $30,680 | $70,782 | $43,194 |
| Manager | 44 | $36,791 | $180,960 | $75,088 |
| Executive / Director / VP | 27 | $62,000 | $280,000 | $129,711 |
| Curator | 19 | $34,936 | $100,000 | $67,479 |
| Supervisor / Team Lead | 18 | $35,360 | $119,000 | $55,670 |
| Business & Administration | 18 | $38,480 | $137,000 | $67,399 |
| Biologist / Research / Conservation | 17 | $31,200 | $119,000 | $57,230 |
| Life Support / Water Quality | 14 | $37,440 | $83,387 | $50,226 |
| Operations / Maintenance | 14 | $35,360 | $81,994 | $52,616 |
| Educator / Interpretation | 14 | $31,200 | $84,157 | $47,227 |
| Coordinator | 13 | $33,280 | $66,560 | $47,208 |
| Veterinarian / Vet Tech | 11 | $41,600 | $96,279 | $68,813 |
| Guest Services / Events | 9 | $35,360 | $63,000 | $51,478 |
| Diver | 5 | $33,280 | $52,000 | $45,392 |
Hourly rate samples
Of the 301 postings with salary data, 153 listed hourly rates. Hourly rates ranged from $8.50/hr to $40.09/hr.
| Role | Postings | Hourly Range | Avg. Hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aquarist / Animal Keeper | 64 | $14.75 – $34.03 | $20.54 |
| Supervisor / Team Lead | 14 | $17.00 – $37.78 | $24.30 |
| Operations / Maintenance | 13 | $17.00 – $39.42 | $24.57 |
| Life Support / Water Quality | 11 | $18.00 – $40.09 | $23.28 |
| Educator / Interpretation | 9 | $15.00 – $23.00 | $18.77 |
| Coordinator | 7 | $16.00 – $32.00 | $21.96 |
| Biologist / Research / Conservation | 7 | $15.00 – $37.12 | $23.37 |
| Manager | 4 | $20.00 – $30.43 | $22.61 |
| Veterinarian / Vet Tech | 4 | $20.00 – $28.00 | $22.57 |
| Guest Services / Events | 4 | $17.00 – $30.00 | $21.25 |
| Business & Administration | 4 | $18.50 – $28.37 | $22.04 |
| Diver | 2 | $16.00 – $20.00 | $18.50 |
| Curator | 1 | $34.81 – $34.81 | $34.81 |
Note: Salary data is based on postings that included compensation information in their descriptions. Many postings do not list salary, so these figures represent a subset of the market. Actual compensation may vary based on experience, location, and institution type.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many aquarium jobs were posted in 2025?
AquariumsHiring.com tracked 508 aquarium job postings across 73 facilities in 2025. December was the busiest month with 77 new postings.
What is the most in-demand aquarium job?
Aquarist and animal keeper roles were the most in-demand, accounting for 126 postings, or 24.8% of all aquarium jobs posted on AquariumsHiring.com in 2025.
How much do aquarists make?
Across 69 aquarist postings on AquariumsHiring.com that listed pay, the average midpoint was $43,194 per year. Hourly aquarist rates averaged $20.54, ranging from $14.75 to $34.03. These figures reflect advertised pay on this job board rather than the wider aquarium labor market.
Which states have the most aquarium jobs?
Among jobs posted on AquariumsHiring.com in 2025, Missouri led with 55 postings, followed by Utah with 53 and Nebraska with 48. Tracked postings spanned more than 30 states.
Do aquarium job postings include salary information?
301 of the 508 postings tracked on AquariumsHiring.com in 2025 included salary information, roughly 59% of listings.
Methodology
This report is based on 508 job postings tracked on AquariumsHiring.com between January 1 and December 31, 2025, across 73 aquariums and marine facilities. Role categories are assigned by keyword matching on job titles, and some postings could reasonably fall into more than one category.
Salary figures are drawn from the 301 postings that stated compensation in the listing text. Hourly rates are annualized at 2,080 hours per year for comparison against salaried roles. Because many employers do not publish pay, these figures describe advertised compensation on this job board rather than the aquarium labor market as a whole. Our coverage expanded over the course of 2025, so monthly and state totals are best read as directional rather than as a complete census of the market.
Questions about the data: info@aquariumshiring.com
Next Steps
Browse live aquarist jobs updated daily on AquariumsHiring.
New to the field? Read our aquarist career path guide (education, skills, and how to get hired).
Looking for early experience? See summer aquarium internships or browse aquarium internships.
Want to be featured in the 2026 report? Post your jobs with us.
New aquarium jobs posted every week. Subscribe to our newsletter to get them delivered every Monday.
Prefer a printable version? Download the full report as a PDF.
