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.
Veterinary Technician Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
Veterinary Technologists and Technicians earn a median of $47,380 per year ($22.78/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to grow 9.1% through 2034, with about 14,300 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: Associate's degree.
SOC 29-2056Healthcare Practitioners and TechnicalLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $47,380
- Projected growth
- +9.1%
- Openings a year
- 14,300
- Typical education
- Associate's
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Certified Veterinary Technician (CVT), Emergency Veterinary Technician (Emergency Vet Tech), Internal Medicine Veterinary Technician (Internal Medicine Vet Tech), Licensed Veterinary Technician (LVT), Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT), Veterinarian Technician (Vet Tech).
How much do Veterinary Technologists and Technicians make?
10th percentile$35,710
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$38,910
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$47,380
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$57,650
Upper quartile
90th percentile$63,180
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $47,380 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $22.78/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $49,120 |
| People employed | 129,140 |
Versus all US occupations
At $47,380, Veterinary Technologists and Technicians earn 7% below the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $3,600 a year.
Versus healthcare practitioners and technical occupations
Inside the Healthcare Practitioners and Technical group, where the middle occupation pays $97,870, this is 52% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $63,180 or more while the bottom 10% earn $35,710, a gap of 1.8×. That is a narrow spread, so experience and employer move pay less than in most occupations.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 22% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
District of Columbia posts the highest raw median ($61,270), but once local prices are taken into account Minnesota leads at $58,071 in national-average dollars.
Which states pay Veterinary Technologists and Technicians the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $61,270 | $55,750 | 120 |
| California | $60,630 | $54,760 | 11,310 |
| Washington | $59,740 | $55,825 | 2,290 |
| New York | $59,010 | $54,679 | 5,350 |
| Minnesota | $57,270 | $58,071 | 3,560 |
| Oregon | $55,810 | $53,995 | 1,120 |
| Virginia | $52,090 | $51,521 | 2,790 |
| Connecticut | $50,950 | $49,175 | 1,690 |
| Maine | $50,810 | $52,354 | 910 |
| Nevada | $50,250 | $50,261 | 1,120 |
Is Veterinary Technician a growing career?
Veterinary Technologists and Technicians9.1%
All US occupations3.1%
+9.1% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
Much faster than average
BLS projects employment of Veterinary Technologists and Technicians to change 9.1% over 2024–2034, roughly 2.9× the 3.1% projected for all occupations. That is 12,200 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 14,300 openings are projected each year, 10.7% of the 134,200 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.
As the number of households with pets and spending on pets continue to rise, strong demand is expected for veterinary technologists and technicians. Increased treatment options is also projected to contribute to rising demand for these workers over the projections decade.
How to become a Veterinary Technician
Veterinary technologists and technicians must complete a postsecondary program in veterinary technology. Technologists usually need a 4-year bachelor’s degree, and technicians need a 2-year associate’s degree. Typically, both technologists and technicians must pass a credentialing exam to become registered, licensed, or certified, depending on the requirements of the state in which they work.
| Typical entry-level education | Associate's degree |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Some 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 veterinary technologists and technicians.
- High School Diploma41.3%
- Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)26.4%
- Post-Secondary Certificate14.6%
- Some College Courses7.4%
- Doctoral Degree5.5%
What does a Veterinary Technician do?
Perform medical tests in a laboratory environment for use in the treatment and diagnosis of diseases in animals. Prepare vaccines and serums for prevention of diseases. Prepare tissue samples, take blood samples, and execute laboratory tests, such as urinalysis and blood counts. Clean and sterilize instruments and materials and maintain equipment and machines. May assist a veterinarian during surgery.
Veterinary technologists and technicians, supervised by licensed veterinarians, do medical tests that help diagnose animals’ injuries and illnesses.
Day-to-day tasks
- Prepare and administer medications, vaccines, serums, or treatments, as prescribed by veterinarians.
- Prepare animals for surgery, performing such tasks as shaving surgical areas.
- Clean kennels, animal holding areas, surgery suites, examination rooms, or animal loading or unloading facilities to control the spread of disease.
- Provide assistance with animal euthanasia and the disposal of remains.
- Restrain animals during exams or procedures.
- Perform laboratory tests on blood, urine, or feces, such as urinalyses or blood counts, to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of animal health problems.
- Collect, prepare, and label samples for laboratory testing, culture, or microscopic examination.
- Clean and sterilize instruments, equipment, or materials.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Where veterinary technologists and technicians work
| Veterinary services | 89% |
|---|---|
| Educational services; state, local, and private | 4% |
| Social advocacy organizations | 1% |
| Other personal services | 1% |
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–2034 edition.
Core skills
- Active Listening3.8/5
- Critical Thinking3.8/5
- Reading Comprehension3.6/5
- Speaking3.6/5
- Writing3.3/5
- Monitoring3.3/5
- Active Learning3.1/5
- Learning Strategies3.0/5
Transferable skills
- Complex Problem Solving3.3/5
- Social Perceptiveness3.1/5
- Coordination3.1/5
- Service Orientation3.1/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.1/5
- Time Management3.0/5
- Persuasion2.9/5
- Instructing2.9/5
Tools and software
- Data base user interface and query 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 Veterinary Technician?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realisticprimary6.7
Investigativeprimary5.3
Artistic1.0
Social3.0
Enterprising1.0
Conventionalprimary4.6
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.
Veterinary Technician: frequently asked questions
How much do Veterinary Technologists and Technicians make?
Veterinary Technologists and Technicians earn a median of $47,380 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 7% below the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $22.78/hr. The middle half earn between $38,910 and $57,650. The top 10% earn $63,180 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Veterinary Technician?
Usually a two-year degree rather than a four-year one. BLS lists an associate's degree as the typical entry-level education for Veterinary Technologists and Technicians. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 41.3% hold high school diploma.
Is Veterinary Technician a growing career?
Yes, strongly. Employment is projected to grow 9.1% over 2024–2034, more than double the 3.1% projected for all occupations (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 14,300 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Veterinary Technician do?
Veterinary technologists and technicians, supervised by licensed veterinarians, do medical tests that help diagnose animals’ injuries and illnesses. A core O*NET task: prepare and administer medications, vaccines, serums, or treatments, as prescribed by veterinarians. Employers most often ask for Data base user interface and query software, Electronic mail software, Office suite software.
Which states pay Veterinary Technologists and Technicians the most?
The highest state medians for Veterinary Technologists and Technicians are District of Columbia ($61,270), California ($60,630), Washington ($59,740) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, Minnesota moves to the top at $58,071.
What personality type suits a Veterinary Technician?
O*NET scores Veterinary Technologists and Technicians 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 that lines up most closely with ISTJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.