occupation · 29-1131 · detailed
Veterinarians — wages and employment
Veterinarians earned a median annual wage of $125,510 in the United States in May 2024, with 80,630 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
What stands out
Veterinarians earned a median annual wage of $125,510 in the United States in May 2024, with 80,630 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The lowest-paid tenth earned $70,350 or less, the best-paid tenth $212,890 or more. Since May 2023 the median moved from $119,100 to $125,510, +5.4 %. The best-paying state is California at $158,950; the lowest Puerto Rico at $76,190. Among metropolitan areas, San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA pays the highest median, $187,990. Wages are as published by BLS for May of each year; '≥ $239,200' is BLS's top code. Every value links to its fact record.
United States, year by year
Annual wages at the median, mean and four percentiles; employment is the May estimate.
| Reference | Employment | Median | Mean | 10th | 25th | 75th | 90th | Median hourly | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2024 | 80,630 | $125,510 | $140,270 | $70,350 | $98,420 | $161,610 | $212,890 | $60.34 | evidence → |
| May 2023 | 78,220 | $119,100 | $136,300 | $72,360 | $94,860 | $155,230 | $201,440 | $57.26 | evidence → |
By state
Median annual wage, May 2024, highest first. Each state has its own record with the full series.
| State | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| California | $158,950 | 8,510 |
| Washington | $155,060 | 1,940 |
| District of Columbia | $153,200 | 100 |
| New Jersey | $148,550 | 1,750 |
| West Virginia | $134,290 | 390 |
| Vermont | $134,240 | 340 |
| Arizona | $132,810 | 1,430 |
| Massachusetts | $131,500 | 1,820 |
| New York | $131,330 | 3,200 |
| Florida | $131,170 | 5,480 |
| Connecticut | $130,700 | 890 |
| Pennsylvania | $129,510 | 3,220 |
| New Hampshire | $128,890 | 630 |
| Illinois | $128,290 | 2,950 |
| Rhode Island | $126,860 | 310 |
| South Carolina | $126,720 | 1,330 |
| New Mexico | $126,710 | 350 |
| Tennessee | $125,420 | 1,590 |
| Virginia | $124,110 | 2,560 |
| Maine | $124,070 | 540 |
| North Carolina | $123,430 | 2,950 |
| Ohio | $123,140 | 2,880 |
| Colorado | $122,980 | 2,380 |
| Utah | $121,850 | 620 |
| Nevada | $121,720 | 700 |
| Texas | $121,220 | 5,940 |
| Louisiana | $120,630 | 890 |
| Missouri | $119,640 | 2,020 |
| Indiana | $119,230 | 1,560 |
| Minnesota | $117,340 | 2,060 |
| Georgia | $115,220 | 2,430 |
| Michigan | $112,320 | 2,320 |
| Idaho | $106,080 | 500 |
| Wisconsin | $104,440 | 1,760 |
| Oregon | $102,910 | 1,640 |
| Hawaii | $102,730 | 360 |
| Kansas | $102,510 | 940 |
| Mississippi | $101,300 | 520 |
| Iowa | $100,910 | 1,180 |
| Arkansas | $100,820 | 600 |
| North Dakota | $99,490 | 300 |
| Kentucky | $98,210 | 1,250 |
| Alabama | $98,060 | 1,150 |
| Oklahoma | $96,360 | 980 |
| Wyoming | $95,400 | 180 |
| South Dakota | $89,970 | 240 |
| Nebraska | $83,710 | 750 |
| Montana | $82,340 | 510 |
| Puerto Rico | $76,190 | 140 |
Highest-paying metropolitan areas
Top 20 by median annual wage.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $187,990 | 1,220 |
| Napa, CA | $179,080 | 30 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $175,050 | 340 |
| Salinas, CA | $168,330 | 90 |
| Burlington-South Burlington, VT | $165,060 | 140 |
| Anchorage, AK | $164,220 | 100 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $163,380 | 210 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $162,040 | 270 |
| Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA | $161,880 | 60 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $161,370 | 120 |
| Bakersfield-Delano, CA | $159,600 | 100 |
| St. Joseph, MO-KS | $159,200 | 50 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $159,130 | 1,020 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $158,710 | 660 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | $158,700 | 110 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $158,420 | 850 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $158,260 | 1,000 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $157,860 | 130 |
| Modesto, CA | $157,300 | 130 |
| Yakima, WA | $157,140 | 80 |
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