Occupational Therapists
Median $100,330
Occupation · SOC 29-1131
Veterinarians: pay and where the jobs are
What veterinarians earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$130,100 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $142,680
- Median hourly wage
- $62.55
- Mean hourly wage
- $68.60
- Employment
- 83,900
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 29-1131.
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See where your pay falls among veterinarians nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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Use these numbers
How much do veterinarians make?
The median annual wage for veterinarians was $130,100 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $73,920 and the highest-paid 10% more than $215,700. As an hourly rate, the median is $62.55. About 83,900 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in California ($163,920), Maryland ($163,170) and Washington ($160,510). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Arizona.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for veterinarians looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $73,920 | $35.54 | $6,160 | $5,069 |
| 25th percentile | $101,460 | $48.78 | $8,455 | $6,684 |
| Median | $130,100 | $62.55 | $10,842 | $8,349 |
| 75th percentile | $166,120 | $79.87 | $13,843 | $10,401 |
| 90th percentile | $215,700 | $103.70 | $17,975 | $13,225 |
Veterinarians: pay by state
50 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$111,013 take-home in national prices
2
$110,966 take-home in national prices
3
$109,562 take-home in national prices
Where a median veterinarian paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 9,170 | $163,920 | $74,850 | $286,330 | $110,175 | $99,508 |
| Maryland | 1,430 | $163,170 | $104,030 | $214,960 | $114,995 | $109,562 |
| Washington | 2,390 | $160,510 | $97,140 | $265,600 | $118,748 | $110,966 |
| New Jersey | 1,910 | $160,140 | $103,720 | $274,850 | $111,848 | $102,797 |
| Arizona | 2,080 | $152,020 | $81,990 | $262,990 | $111,765 | $111,013 |
| Massachusetts | 1,920 | $140,260 | $96,320 | $260,010 | $99,696 | $94,268 |
| District of Columbia | 190 | $134,530 | $69,990 | $294,160 | $94,751 | $86,215 |
| Illinois | 2,330 | $133,580 | $74,840 | $280,380 | $96,101 | $96,141 |
| Pennsylvania | 3,490 | $133,520 | $79,780 | $268,870 | $98,334 | $100,781 |
| Minnesota | 2,140 | $133,110 | $83,280 | $217,580 | $94,045 | $95,360 |
| New York | 3,390 | $131,830 | $89,130 | $251,000 | $94,191 | $87,278 |
| Vermont | 280 | $131,820 | $91,290 | $213,060 | $95,169 | $97,153 |
| Florida | 5,360 | $131,660 | $62,430 | $209,520 | $101,256 | $97,913 |
| Texas | 6,270 | $131,330 | $76,510 | $203,920 | $101,030 | $104,094 |
| Colorado | 2,340 | $130,840 | $77,710 | $211,930 | $95,071 | $92,255 |
| Maine | 600 | $130,600 | $81,780 | $194,680 | $92,137 | $94,938 |
| Hawaii | 370 | $130,120 | $62,460 | $188,130 | $91,728 | $83,426 |
| New Mexico | 460 | $129,390 | $79,450 | $212,850 | $94,695 | $102,693 |
| North Carolina | 2,940 | $129,240 | $77,650 | $209,340 | $94,954 | $100,665 |
| West Virginia | 390 | $128,990 | $54,830 | $201,910 | $94,412 | $105,492 |
| Oregon | 1,660 | $128,880 | $78,420 | $205,850 | $88,496 | $85,618 |
| New Hampshire | 650 | $128,190 | $74,780 | $283,460 | $98,884 | $94,930 |
| Virginia | 2,700 | $126,730 | $63,350 | $220,170 | $91,413 | $90,415 |
| Georgia | 2,670 | $126,590 | $66,710 | $167,620 | $92,222 | $95,772 |
| Rhode Island | 430 | $126,570 | $106,730 | $196,300 | $92,266 | $90,210 |
| Connecticut | 950 | $126,190 | $46,960 | $218,720 | $90,565 | $87,409 |
| Nevada | 680 | $125,550 | $98,860 | $189,620 | $97,079 | $97,100 |
| Michigan | 2,030 | $125,390 | $75,900 | $192,800 | $91,892 | $95,505 |
| Ohio | 3,430 | $125,060 | $54,050 | $207,190 | $93,742 | $101,043 |
| Iowa | 1,000 | $124,610 | $72,800 | $168,950 | $92,354 | $105,232 |
| Indiana | 1,500 | $124,530 | $63,630 | $173,810 | $92,738 | $99,367 |
| Louisiana | 950 | $124,370 | $64,690 | $165,560 | $92,928 | $105,352 |
| Tennessee | 1,730 | $124,350 | $98,500 | $167,900 | $96,259 | $104,778 |
| Utah | 640 | $123,990 | $75,970 | $215,720 | $90,496 | $91,535 |
| South Carolina | 1,380 | $122,130 | $48,140 | $200,860 | $89,345 | $95,302 |
| Idaho | 540 | $116,170 | $43,290 | $168,840 | $85,507 | $89,542 |
| Missouri | 1,920 | $114,660 | $61,270 | $193,860 | $85,042 | $93,641 |
| Wisconsin | 1,830 | $108,780 | $79,350 | $159,940 | $80,408 | $85,454 |
| Arkansas | 540 | $107,710 | $38,870 | $153,370 | $80,819 | $92,963 |
| Kansas | 1,000 | $107,080 | $71,200 | $177,110 | $78,985 | $87,695 |
| Alabama | 1,020 | $105,630 | $65,430 | $172,290 | $78,820 | $88,738 |
| Mississippi | 480 | $105,370 | $70,050 | $163,040 | $79,475 | $91,400 |
| Kentucky | 1,190 | $104,100 | $44,200 | $169,220 | $78,538 | $87,111 |
| Nebraska | 780 | $103,500 | $60,630 | $165,660 | $77,813 | $86,360 |
| North Dakota | 270 | $102,180 | $81,420 | $153,720 | $79,980 | $89,907 |
| Montana | 510 | $99,390 | $51,390 | $183,190 | $74,496 | $78,711 |
| Oklahoma | 1,150 | $98,090 | $51,710 | $208,000 | $73,968 | $84,205 |
| Wyoming | 140 | $97,240 | $55,420 | $149,070 | $77,238 | $83,329 |
| Puerto Rico | 180 | $89,810 | $58,820 | $157,900 | — | — |
| South Dakota | 280 | $88,650 | $61,640 | $128,920 | $71,195 | $80,369 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 29-1131. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.