How much do board certified veterinarians make

Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

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29-1131 Veterinarians

Diagnose, treat, or research diseases and injuries of animals. Includes veterinarians who conduct research and development, inspect livestock, or care for pets and companion animals.

National estimates for Veterinarians
Industry profile for Veterinarians
Geographic profile for Veterinarians

National estimates for Veterinarians:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Veterinarians:

Employment (1)Employment
RSE (3)Mean hourly
wageMean annual
wage (2)Wage RSE (3)
77,260 1.0 % $ 52.84 $ 109,920 0.7 %

Percentile wage estimates for Veterinarians:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 29.21 $ 37.94 $ 48.26 $ 61.74 $ 79.62
Annual Wage (2) $ 60,760 $ 78,920 $ 100,370 $ 128,410 $ 165,600

Industry profile for Veterinarians:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Veterinarians are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Veterinarians, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Veterinarians:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 71,300 9.35 $ 53.16 $ 110,580
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) 1,180 0.06 $ 47.12 $ 98,000
Social Advocacy Organizations 900 0.40 $ 48.38 $ 100,630
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 670 0.03 $ 46.07 $ 95,830
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 660 0.02 $ 43.39 $ 90,250

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Veterinarians:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 71,300 9.35 $ 53.16 $ 110,580
Social Advocacy Organizations 900 0.40 $ 48.38 $ 100,630
Support Activities for Animal Production 80 0.27 $ 55.82 $ 116,100
Other Personal Services 660 0.22 $ 47.34 $ 98,460
Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions 180 0.14 $ 42.45 $ 88,290

Top paying industries for Veterinarians:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 50 (7) $ 67.53 $ 140,470
Scientific Research and Development Services 390 0.05 $ 65.23 $ 135,670
Spectator Sports 30 0.03 $ 59.02 $ 122,770
Professional and Commercial Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (8) (8) $ 57.14 $ 118,840
Support Activities for Animal Production 80 0.27 $ 55.82 $ 116,100

Geographic profile for Veterinarians:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Veterinarians are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Veterinarians, see the Create Customized Tables function.

States with the highest employment level in Veterinarians:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 7,620 0.46 0.84 $ 60.91 $ 126,690
Texas 5,400 0.44 0.81 $ 54.67 $ 113,720
Florida 4,790 0.56 1.02 $ 52.08 $ 108,320
New York 3,640 0.42 0.77 $ 62.12 $ 129,210
Ohio 3,330 0.64 1.17 $ 47.12 $ 98,010

States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Veterinarians:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Vermont 400 1.40 2.54 $ 48.43 $ 100,730
Montana 550 1.17 2.14 $ 39.46 $ 82,070
New Hampshire 570 0.89 1.63 $ 54.76 $ 113,910
Colorado 2,320 0.89 1.61 $ 47.45 $ 98,690
Maine 510 0.87 1.58 $ 51.73 $ 107,600

Top paying states for Veterinarians:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia 80 0.13 0.23 $ 65.95 $ 137,170
Connecticut 920 0.59 1.07 $ 64.45 $ 134,050
Rhode Island 250 0.55 1.01 $ 62.44 $ 129,880
New York 3,640 0.42 0.77 $ 62.12 $ 129,210
New Jersey 1,770 0.46 0.84 $ 61.23 $ 127,360

Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Veterinarians:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 3,190 0.37 0.67 $ 65.55 $ 136,340
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 2,100 0.37 0.67 $ 58.53 $ 121,750
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 1,860 0.44 0.80 $ 51.42 $ 106,960
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 1,690 0.58 1.05 $ 63.19 $ 131,430
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 1,530 0.43 0.78 $ 55.67 $ 115,790
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 1,410 0.54 0.99 $ 52.63 $ 109,460
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 1,380 0.53 0.97 $ 56.78 $ 118,100
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 1,360 0.51 0.93 $ 60.62 $ 126,090
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 1,220 0.42 0.77 $ 56.72 $ 117,980
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 1,220 0.50 0.90 $ 51.70 $ 107,530

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Veterinarians:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Ames, IA 90 2.13 3.88 $ 32.31 $ 67,210
Corvallis, OR 60 1.68 3.06 $ 49.38 $ 102,710
Burlington-South Burlington, VT 180 1.57 2.86 $ 48.69 $ 101,280
Fort Collins, CO 250 1.54 2.81 $ 44.79 $ 93,160
Dover-Durham, NH-ME 70 1.32 2.41 $ 53.35 $ 110,970
Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA 60 1.26 2.30 $ 52.67 $ 109,540
Santa Rosa, CA 240 1.24 2.26 $ 67.47 $ 140,340
Auburn-Opelika, AL 70 1.22 2.22 $ 48.07 $ 99,990
Lexington-Fayette, KY 310 1.21 2.21 $ 53.26 $ 110,790
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA 110 1.21 2.21 $ 62.56 $ 130,130

Top paying metropolitan areas for Veterinarians:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 1,000 0.45 0.81 $ 69.44 $ 144,440
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 360 0.33 0.61 $ 68.11 $ 141,670
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT 250 0.67 1.23 $ 67.50 $ 140,390
Santa Rosa, CA 240 1.24 2.26 $ 67.47 $ 140,340
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 3,190 0.37 0.67 $ 65.55 $ 136,340
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA 100 0.77 1.40 $ 65.12 $ 135,450
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT 320 0.60 1.09 $ 64.73 $ 134,640
New Haven, CT 140 0.51 0.93 $ 63.87 $ 132,850
Waterbury, CT 40 0.59 1.07 $ 63.55 $ 132,190
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 1,690 0.58 1.05 $ 63.19 $ 131,430

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Veterinarians:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 250 0.68 1.23 $ 46.93 $ 97,610
North Northeastern Ohio nonmetropolitan area (noncontiguous) 240 0.77 1.41 $ 41.79 $ 86,930
South Central Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area 210 1.03 1.89 $ 44.20 $ 91,940
Southeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area 170 0.82 1.50 $ 46.28 $ 96,250
North Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 170 0.65 1.18 $ 48.19 $ 100,240

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Veterinarians:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
West Montana nonmetropolitan area 120 1.62 2.95 $ 41.13 $ 85,550
Northern Vermont nonmetropolitan area 100 1.60 2.91 $ 46.30 $ 96,300
East-Central Montana nonmetropolitan area 100 1.60 2.91 $ 35.65 $ 74,150
Southwest Montana nonmetropolitan area 170 1.22 2.23 $ 39.80 $ 82,780
Southwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area 100 1.20 2.18 $ 49.42 $ 102,790

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Veterinarians:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northern West Virginia nonmetropolitan area 60 0.45 0.83 $ 63.04 $ 131,120
Northwest Alabama nonmetropolitan area 30 0.49 0.89 $ 59.43 $ 123,610
Northern Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area 90 0.60 1.10 $ 57.98 $ 120,590
Capital/Northern New York nonmetropolitan area 140 1.07 1.95 $ 57.41 $ 119,410
Eastern Wyoming nonmetropolitan area 70 0.91 1.65 $ 57.17 $ 118,910

About May 2021 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.

(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.

Other OEWS estimates and related information:

May 2021 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2021 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2021 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2021 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2021 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

Last Modified Date: March 31, 2022

What is the highest paying veterinary specialty?

The highest paid veterinary specialty is: Ophthalmology You'll need to work for those specialties, though — certification requires an additional 2 to 3 years of study on top of vet school at veterinary colleges with accreditation, plus passing an intensive exam.

What is the difference between a vet and a board certified vet?

A board-certified veterinary specialist is a veterinarian who has completed additional training in a specific area of veterinary medicine and has passed an examination that evaluates their knowledge and skills in that specialty area.

Which veterinary course has highest salary?

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What state has the highest vet salary?

Best-paying states for veterinarians.

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