The middle half of veterinarians in California earned between $125,460 (the 25th percentile) and $211,840 (the 75th percentile). The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $74,850, and the highest-paid 10% earned more than $286,330.
The median in California is 26.0% above the national median of $130,100 for veterinarians. The mean of $169,860 is 19.0% above the national mean of $142,680.
The location quotient is 0.93. BLS calculates it by comparing the occupation's share of local employment with its share of national employment. A value below 1 means veterinarians make up a smaller share of jobs in California than they do nationally.
Veterinarian wages in California, 2025
| Annual wage | California | United States | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median (50th percentile) | $163,920 | $130,100 | +26.0% |
| Mean (average) | $169,860 | $142,680 | +19.0% |
| 10th percentile | $74,850 | $73,920 | +1.3% |
| 25th percentile | $125,460 | $101,460 | +23.7% |
| 75th percentile | $211,840 | $166,120 | +27.5% |
| 90th percentile | $286,330 | $215,700 | +32.7% |
| Employment (jobs) | 9,170 | 83,900 | n/a |
| Location quotient | 0.93 | n/a | n/a |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, occupation "Veterinarians" (SOC 29-1131). The difference column is the area figure against the national figure, in percent. See the BLS occupation profile and the OEWS data tables.
Veterinary technician pay in California
The same BLS release puts the median annual wage for veterinary technicians in California at $60,630, with employment of 11,310. See the veterinary technician salary page for California.
How to read these figures
These are estimates from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, for May 2025. 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. It reports one distribution per occupation and area, and does not separate pay by years of experience, practice type, specialty or ownership. A percentile is the wage below which that share of workers falls: 10% of workers earn less than the 10th percentile wage. Where BLS did not release an estimate, this page says so and leaves the figure out.
We display the figures as BLS published them and retrieved them on November 9, 2026. The only number calculated here is the percent difference from the national figure.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median veterinarian salary in California?
The median annual wage for veterinarians in California was $163,920 in May 2025, according to BLS OEWS estimates. The mean annual wage was $169,860.
How many veterinarians work in California?
BLS estimates that 9,170 veterinarians were employed in California in May 2025. The location quotient for the occupation is 0.93. The estimate covers wage and salary jobs and does not include the self-employed.
How does veterinarian pay in California compare with the national figure?
The $163,920 median in California is 26.0% above the national median of $130,100 for veterinarians in May 2025.
What do the highest-paid and lowest-paid veterinarians in California earn?
In May 2025, the 10th percentile annual wage was $74,850 and the 90th percentile was $286,330. The 25th percentile was $125,460 and the 75th percentile was $211,840.
Where do these figures come from?
Every figure on this page is from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program, May 2025 estimates, for the occupation BLS titles "Veterinarians" (SOC 29-1131). 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 break pay out by years of experience, practice type or ownership.
Related reading
- Associate veterinarian compensation and pay structures
- Careers and CE: guides and news
- Veterinary practices in California
- All veterinary salary pages
Metro areas in California
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $160,080
- 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
Veterinarian salary by state
- United States $130,100
- Alabama $105,630
- Arizona $152,020
- Arkansas $107,710
- 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
Metro pages cover 21 large metropolitan areas, not every area BLS publishes. The full set is in the OEWS data tables.