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K9 Handler Salary in the United States

How much does a K9 Handler make in the United States? The salary range for a K9 Handler job is from $26,308 to $31,596 per year in the United States. Click on the filter to check out K9 Handler job salaries by hourly, weekly, biweekly, semimonthly, monthly, and yearly.

Average base salary
updated at April 01, 2025
$28,337
Per Year
The average salary for a K9 Handler is $28,337
per Year in the United States.
Individually reported data submitted by users of our website

HOW SHOULD YOU USE THIS DATA?

Employees: Use this as a guide for salary expectations, but be aware that responsibilities can change across companies for the same job title, so there may be differences between this data, other free site and our subscription products bought by employers.

Employers: This data could be used as reference point in your market pricing, but not the only source, due to differences across jobs locations, and sizes of companies.Consider additional sources like our Employer reported data.

Base Salary
$26,308
$28,337
Medium
$31,596

Highest Paying Cities for K9 Handler in the United States

K9 Handler salaries in the United States will pay differently by cities. Below following are the eight cities with the highest income for K9 Handler jobs in the United States. The city with the highest salary is San Jose. Click on the K9 Handler salary in cities you are interested in to view detailed job salary information.

States with Higher Salaries for K9 Handler

The five states where K9 Handler jobs get higher salaries in the United States are: District of Columbia, California, Massachusetts, Washington, and New Jersey. Compared with the average salary of a K9 Handler in the United States, the state of District of Columbia with the highest job income for this job. The second and third states are California and Massachusetts respectively. The high or low salary paid to K9 Handler by the US has a greater relationship with the demand for jobs and the cost of living.

How Much Do Similar Professions Get Paid in the United States?

There are some different titles for K9 Handler jobs, and the job title of K9 Handler will vary in different companies. The job title has a lot to do with the department and responsibilities, and the same job title will vary in different departments. The following list is the salary of jobs similar to K9 Handler, start to view K9 Handler-related jobs you are interested in.
K9 Officer
Average salary
United States
$74,993
per Year
Handler
Average salary
United States
$37,768
per Year
Cargo Handler
Average salary
United States
$33,128
per Year
Dog Handler
Average salary
United States
$47,719
per Year
Mail Handler
Average salary
United States
$37,648
per Year
Material Handler
Average salary
United States
$43,988
per Year

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What Does a K9 Handler Do?

Do you understand the commitment, hours, training and home care that are involved with being the K9 handler, have you discussed these with your family, and what was their response.

December 16, 2021

You may need to have several years of experience as a regular police officer before becoming eligible for a K9 handler position in your police department.

December 16, 2021

Spring Hill K9 handler Officer Lance Wipf said to prevent Loki from being put down, the Spring Hill Police Department adopted him as a replacement for K9 Niko.

December 13, 2021

Most police departments prefer K9 handlers to have an associate or bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.

December 11, 2021

Much of the training required for K9 handlers is similar to the training required for other policing jobs.

December 11, 2021

Most Common Benefits for K9 Handler

Social Security
Healthcare
401(k)
Pension
Disability
Time Off (days)

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about salaries for a K9 Handler
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The highest K9 Handler salary is $31,596, while the lowest is $26,308 in the United States.
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