State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
Veterinarian Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
Veterinarians earn a median of $130,100 per year ($62.55/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to grow 9.6% through 2034, with about 3,000 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: Doctoral or professional degree.
SOC 29-1131Healthcare Practitioners and TechnicalLast updated August 23, 2026
- Median pay
- $130,100
- Projected growth
- +9.6%
- Openings a year
- 3,000
- Typical education
- Doctorate
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Companion Animal Practitioner, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM), Emergency Veterinarian (Emergency Vet), Large Animal Veterinarian (Large Animal Vet), Mixed Animal Veterinarian (Mixed Animal Vet), Small Animal Veterinarian (Small Animal Vet).
How much do Veterinarians make?
10th percentile$73,920
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$101,460
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$130,100
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$166,120
Upper quartile
90th percentile$215,700
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $130,100 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $62.55/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $142,680 |
| People employed | 83,900 |
Versus all US occupations
At $130,100, Veterinarians earn 155% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $79,120 a year.
Versus healthcare practitioners and technical occupations
Inside the Healthcare Practitioners and Technical group, where the middle occupation pays $97,870, this is 33% above the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $215,700 or more while the bottom 10% earn $73,920, a gap of 2.9×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 91% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
California posts the highest raw median ($163,920), but once local prices are taken into account Maryland leads at $155,461 in national-average dollars.
Which states pay Veterinarians the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $163,920 | $148,049 | 9,170 |
| Maryland | $163,170 | $155,461 | 1,430 |
| Washington | $160,510 | $149,991 | 2,390 |
| New Jersey | $160,140 | $147,181 | 1,910 |
| Arizona | $152,020 | $150,998 | 2,080 |
| Massachusetts | $140,260 | $132,625 | 1,920 |
| District of Columbia | $134,530 | $122,410 | 190 |
| Illinois | $133,580 | $133,636 | 2,330 |
| Pennsylvania | $133,520 | $136,843 | 3,490 |
| Minnesota | $133,110 | $134,971 | 2,140 |
Is Veterinarian a growing career?
Veterinarians9.6%
All US occupations3.1%
+9.6% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
Much faster than average
BLS projects employment of Veterinarians to change 9.6% over 2024–2034, roughly 3.1× the 3.1% projected for all occupations. That is 8,300 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 3,000 openings are projected each year, 3.5% of the 86,400 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Increases in consumers’ pet-related spending, expanding treatment options, and a growing, aging pet population are expected to drive employment growth of veterinarians.
Veterinary medicine has advanced considerably. Today’s veterinarians are able to offer many services that are comparable to healthcare for humans, including more complicated procedures such as cancer treatments and kidney transplants.
How to become a Veterinarian
Veterinarians must have a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from an accredited veterinary college, as well as a state license.
| Typical entry-level education | Doctoral or professional degree |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Considerable preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | None |
| Typical on-the-job training | None |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as veterinarians.
- Doctoral Degree79.2%
- Post-Doctoral Training11.7%
- First Professional Degree9.1%
What does a Veterinarian do?
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.
Veterinarians care for the health of animals and work to protect public health. They diagnose, treat, and research medical conditions and diseases of pets, livestock, and other animals.
Day-to-day tasks
- Treat sick or injured animals by prescribing medication, setting bones, dressing wounds, or performing surgery.
- Examine animals to detect and determine the nature of diseases or injuries.
- Collect body tissue, feces, blood, urine, or other body fluids for examination and analysis.
- Educate the public about diseases that can be spread from animals to humans.
- Euthanize animals.
- Attend lectures, conferences, or continuing education courses.
- Inoculate animals against various diseases, such as rabies or distemper.
- Operate diagnostic equipment, such as radiographic or ultrasound equipment, and interpret the resulting images.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Working conditions and hours
Most veterinarians work full time, often working more than 40 hours per week. Some work nights or weekends, and they may have to respond to emergencies outside of scheduled work hours.
Where the work happens
- Indoors, in a climate-controlled space, every day
Working with people
- Constant contact with other people
- Face-to-face discussions every day
- Dealing with customers or the public is very important
Pressure and stakes
- Meeting strict deadlines at least weekly
- Handling conflict situations at least monthly
- Mistakes carry very serious consequences
Autonomy
- A lot of freedom to make decisions without checking first
Schedules: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–2034 edition. Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey, showing only the signals people in the job report decisively one way or the other.
Where veterinarians work
| Veterinary services | 84% |
|---|---|
| Self-employed workers | 6% |
| Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals | 2% |
| Educational services; state, local, and private | 2% |
| Social advocacy organizations | 2% |
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–2034 edition.
Core skills
- Reading Comprehension4.1/5
- Active Listening4.1/5
- Active Learning4.0/5
- Speaking3.9/5
- Science3.9/5
- Critical Thinking3.9/5
- Writing3.5/5
- Monitoring3.3/5
Transferable skills
- Complex Problem Solving3.9/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.9/5
- Service Orientation3.4/5
- Social Perceptiveness3.3/5
- Time Management3.3/5
- Coordination3.1/5
- Instructing3.0/5
- Systems Evaluation3.0/5
Tools and software
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Document management software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Internet browser software
- Medical software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits a Veterinarian?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realisticprimary6.0
Investigativeprimary6.0
Artistic1.0
Social3.5
Enterprising1.7
Conventionalprimary3.5
Day to day this is work built around hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors, combined with investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data.
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Veterinarian: frequently asked questions
How much do Veterinarians make?
Veterinarians earn a median of $130,100 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). That is 155% above the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $62.55/hr. The middle half earn between $101,460 and $166,120. The top 10% earn $215,700 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Veterinarian?
Yes, and beyond a bachelor's: BLS lists a doctoral or professional degree as the typical entry requirement for Veterinarians. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 79.2% hold doctoral degree.
Is Veterinarian a growing career?
Yes, strongly. Employment is projected to grow 9.6% over 2024–2034, more than double the 3.1% projected for all occupations (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 3,000 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Veterinarian do?
Veterinarians care for the health of animals and work to protect public health. A core O*NET task: treat sick or injured animals by prescribing medication, setting bones, dressing wounds, or performing surgery. Employers most often ask for Data base user interface and query software, Document management software, Electronic mail software.
Which states pay Veterinarians the most?
The highest state medians for Veterinarians are California ($163,920), Maryland ($163,170), Washington ($160,510) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, Maryland moves to the top at $155,461.
What personality type suits a Veterinarian?
O*NET scores Veterinarians highest on the Realistic, Investigative and Conventional interest areas, so the work mixes hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors with investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ISTJ, ISTP. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.