National snapshot, May 2025
| Occupation | Median | Mean | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Veterinarians | $130,100 | $142,680 | $73,920 | $215,700 | 83,900 |
| Veterinary technicians | $47,380 | $49,120 | $35,710 | $63,180 | 129,140 |
| Veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers | $38,150 | $40,340 | $30,120 | $49,150 | 126,580 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Annual wages for the United States. See the OEWS data tables.
Veterinarian salary by state
Nationally, the median annual wage for veterinarians was $130,100 in May 2025, with 83,900 employed. BLS titles the occupation "Veterinarians" (SOC 29-1131). The national veterinarian salary page has the full distribution and the highest-paying states. BLS did not release veterinarian wage estimates for Alaska and Delaware, so those states are not listed.
- Alabama $105,630
- Arizona $152,020
- Arkansas $107,710
- California $163,920
- Colorado $130,840
- Connecticut $126,190
- District of Columbia $134,530
- Florida $131,660
- Georgia $126,590
- Hawaii $130,120
- Idaho $116,170
- Illinois $133,580
- Indiana $124,530
- Iowa $124,610
- Kansas $107,080
- Kentucky $104,100
- Louisiana $124,370
- Maine $130,600
- Maryland $163,170
- Massachusetts $140,260
- Michigan $125,390
- Minnesota $133,110
- Mississippi $105,370
- Missouri $114,660
- Montana $99,390
- Nebraska $103,500
- Nevada $125,550
- New Hampshire $128,190
- New Jersey $160,140
- New Mexico $129,390
- New York $131,830
- North Carolina $129,240
- North Dakota $102,180
- Ohio $125,060
- Oklahoma $98,090
- Oregon $128,880
- Pennsylvania $133,520
- Rhode Island $126,570
- South Carolina $122,130
- South Dakota $88,650
- Tennessee $124,350
- Texas $131,330
- Utah $123,990
- Vermont $131,820
- Virginia $126,730
- Washington $160,510
- West Virginia $128,990
- Wisconsin $108,780
- Wyoming $97,240
Veterinarian salary by metro area
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA $128,980
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH $138,900
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN $148,730
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX $133,550
- Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO $135,090
- Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI $129,730
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX $132,280
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $160,080
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL $129,890
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI $158,200
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ $156,150
- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL $132,440
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD $139,810
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ $161,060
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA $165,260
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA $159,750
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $208,080
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $192,160
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA $163,810
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL $131,190
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV $154,350
Veterinary technician salary by state
Nationally, the median annual wage for veterinary technicians was $47,380 in May 2025, with 129,140 employed. BLS titles the occupation "Veterinary Technologists and Technicians" (SOC 29-2056). The national veterinary technician salary page has the full distribution and the highest-paying states.
- Alabama $36,590
- Alaska $46,480
- Arizona $46,300
- Arkansas $38,360
- California $60,630
- Colorado $49,650
- Connecticut $50,950
- Delaware $48,370
- District of Columbia $61,270
- Florida $46,380
- Georgia $43,060
- Hawaii $48,550
- Idaho $42,120
- Illinois $46,440
- Indiana $48,720
- Iowa $45,560
- Kansas $45,810
- Kentucky $39,590
- Louisiana $35,530
- Maine $50,810
- Maryland $47,350
- Massachusetts $49,540
- Michigan $49,710
- Minnesota $57,270
- Mississippi $36,380
- Missouri $43,520
- Montana $41,170
- Nebraska $43,680
- Nevada $50,250
- New Hampshire $48,780
- New Jersey $49,050
- New Mexico $44,790
- New York $59,010
- North Carolina $47,620
- North Dakota $48,790
- Ohio $47,990
- Oklahoma $39,100
- Oregon $55,810
- Pennsylvania $46,430
- Rhode Island $45,310
- South Carolina $39,020
- South Dakota $45,300
- Tennessee $42,810
- Texas $39,410
- Utah $40,560
- Vermont $49,490
- Virginia $52,090
- Washington $59,740
- West Virginia $37,700
- Wisconsin $47,020
- Wyoming $38,650
Veterinary technician salary by metro area
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA $44,740
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH $50,970
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN $47,820
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX $44,360
- Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO $56,580
- Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI $53,100
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX $44,110
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $60,670
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL $47,620
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI $59,090
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ $59,680
- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL $45,090
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD $48,340
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ $46,390
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA $60,970
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA $60,280
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $71,090
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $67,280
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA $61,260
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL $47,100
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV $57,630
About the data
OEWS is an employer survey of wage and salary jobs. It does not include the self-employed, so practice owners who are not on a payroll are not counted, and it does not separate pay by experience, practice type or ownership. The figures were retrieved from BLS on November 9, 2026 and are displayed as published. The only number these pages calculate is the percent difference between an area and the nation. Metro pages cover 21 large metropolitan areas, not every area BLS publishes.
For how pay is structured, including salary, production and blended models, see associate veterinarian compensation and pay structures. For credentialing and the technician career ladder, see veterinary technician utilization, pay and career path and the VTNE hub. More career reference is in Careers and CE.