Veterinarians Salary: $172,853 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 80,630 veterinarians nationally earn a mean of $172,853. Employment in the series shown rose about 11% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 3.9% annual growth.
Key Statistics
Veterinarians: what the data shows
Common questions about veterinarians careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a veterinarians?
Veterinarians is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 29-1131.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 80,630 workers.
What does a veterinarians do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Getting Information, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Documenting/Recording Information, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a veterinarians make?
BLS national median annual wage: $125,510 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $172,853 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $81,876 |
| 25th percentile | $125,983 |
| Median (50th) | $163,270 |
| 75th percentile | $212,872 |
What education do you need?
For Veterinarians, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Active Learning, Judgment and Decision Making, Complex Problem Solving, Speaking, and knowledge areas including Biology, Medicine and Dentistry, Customer and Personal Service, English Language. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is veterinarians in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 3.9% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 20.8%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 46.0%.
Current U.S. headcount: 80,630.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do veterinarianss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 80,630 | 16.8% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 77,670 | 16.2% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 73,060 | 15.3% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 73,060 | 15.3% |
| Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 72,460 | 15.1% |
| Veterinary Services | 72,200 | 15.1% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Veterinarians in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Genetic Counselors | 3,510 | $98,910 |
| Soil and Plant Scientists | 16,600 | $71,410 |
| Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists | — | — |
| Biochemists and Biophysicists | 34,520 | $103,650 |
| Dietitians and Nutritionists | 76,570 | $73,850 |
| Biological Scientists, All Other | 59,710 | $93,330 |
| Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary | 74,250 | $79,940 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Veterinarians workforce.
Employment Over Time
80,630 Workforce in 2023
The Veterinarians workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Veterinarians.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$172,853 Average Wage
In 2023, Veterinarians earned an average of $172,853.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Veterinarians.
Salary distribution for Veterinarians.
Employment Growth Projections
3.9% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
40,913 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 20.8%
49,437 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 46.0%
This occupation is projected to grow at 3.9% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Veterinarians.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Veterinarians and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Veterinarians employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Veterinarians.
Wage Trends by Industry
6.5% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Veterinarians.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Veterinarians.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 8,510 employees, $168,280 avg wage
- TX: 5,940 employees, $130,770 avg wage
- FL: 5,480 employees, $142,040 avg wage
- PA: 3,220 employees, $140,390 avg wage
- NY: 3,200 employees, $149,360 avg wage
- NC: 2,950 employees, $129,440 avg wage
- IL: 2,950 employees, $157,950 avg wage
- OH: 2,880 employees, $130,370 avg wage
- VA: 2,560 employees, $133,020 avg wage
- GA: 2,430 employees, $124,960 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Veterinarians.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 2,930 employees, $161,160 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 2,470 employees, $159,330 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 2,070 employees, $167,210 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 1,660 employees, $152,660 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 1,600 employees, $139,400 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 1,530 employees, $186,930 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 1,510 employees, $162,030 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 1,440 employees, $130,640 avg wage
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI: 1,410 employees, $126,250 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 1,320 employees, $137,470 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Veterinarians.
Diversity
Demographic information on Veterinarians in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Veterinarians in 2023 was 80,630 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Veterinarians.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Veterinarians.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Veterinarians.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Veterinarians in 2023 were Business Administration, Biology, Chemistry.
Common majors for Veterinarians.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Veterinarians workers.
Education level distribution for Veterinarians.
Skills
Veterinarians need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Active Learning, Judgment and Decision Making, Complex Problem Solving.
Required skills for Veterinarians.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Veterinarians.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Veterinarians include Biology, Medicine and Dentistry, Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Mathematics.
Knowledge areas required for Veterinarians.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Veterinarians include Written Comprehension, Oral Comprehension, Oral Expression, Problem Sensitivity, Near Vision.
Required abilities for Veterinarians.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Veterinarians.
Daily Activities
Veterinarians spend their time on activities such as Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Getting Information, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Documenting/Recording Information.
Most important work activities for Veterinarians.
About
Veterinarians
The average yearly wage for Veterinarians was $172,853 in 2023.
SOC Code
29-1131 - Veterinarians
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Veterinarians reports an average salary of $172,853, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 80,630 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 3.9%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.