BLS wage data · May 2025

Veterinarian salary in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA

Veterinarians in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area earned a median annual wage of $208,080 in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program, May 2025 estimates. The mean (average) annual wage was $195,160. BLS estimates that 1,350 veterinarians were employed in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area.

A clinician examining a dog's mouth outdoors.
Photo: Judy Beth Morris / Unsplash
$208,080
Median annual wage
$195,160
Mean annual wage
1,350
Employment
1.05
Location quotient

The middle half of veterinarians in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area earned between $138,880 (the 25th percentile) and $243,550 (the 75th percentile). The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $89,130, and the highest-paid 10% earned more than $295,420.

The median in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area is 59.9% above the national median of $130,100 for veterinarians. The mean of $195,160 is 36.8% above the national mean of $142,680.

The location quotient is 1.05. BLS calculates it by comparing the occupation's share of local employment with its share of national employment. A value above 1 means veterinarians make up a larger share of jobs in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area than they do nationally.

Veterinarian wages in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA, 2025

Annual wageMetro areaUnited StatesDifference
Median (50th percentile)$208,080$130,100+59.9%
Mean (average)$195,160$142,680+36.8%
10th percentile$89,130$73,920+20.6%
25th percentile$138,880$101,460+36.9%
75th percentile$243,550$166,120+46.6%
90th percentile$295,420$215,700+37.0%
Employment (jobs)1,35083,900n/a
Location quotient1.05n/an/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 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA

The same BLS release puts the median annual wage for veterinary technicians in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area at $71,090, with employment of 1,220. See the veterinary technician salary page for San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA.

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 the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area?

The median annual wage for veterinarians in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area was $208,080 in May 2025, according to BLS OEWS estimates. The mean annual wage was $195,160.

How many veterinarians work in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area?

BLS estimates that 1,350 veterinarians were employed in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area in May 2025. The location quotient for the occupation is 1.05. The estimate covers wage and salary jobs and does not include the self-employed.

How does veterinarian pay in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area compare with the national figure?

The $208,080 median in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area is 59.9% above the national median of $130,100 for veterinarians in May 2025.

What do the highest-paid and lowest-paid veterinarians in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area earn?

In May 2025, the 10th percentile annual wage was $89,130 and the 90th percentile was $295,420. The 25th percentile was $138,880 and the 75th percentile was $243,550.

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

Statewide figures

Veterinarian salary by state

Veterinarian salary by metro area

Metro pages cover 21 large metropolitan areas, not every area BLS publishes. The full set is in the OEWS data tables.