Veterinarians pay in the U.S.
$142,680avg. a year
$68.60 an hour · 83,900 employed
Veterinarians in the U.S. earn an average of $142,680 a year and a median of $130,100. Pay is highest in Arizona ($187,410) and lowest in South Dakota ($93,990).
$130,100Median pay
$68.60Average hourly
+32%Avg. pay since 2020
83,900Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for veterinarians
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
12,080 jobs
Arizona
$187,410
$90.10 an hour
29,170 jobs
California
$169,860
$81.66 an hour
31,910 jobs
New Jersey
$166,170
$79.89 an hour
41,430 jobs
Maryland
$163,830
$78.76 an hour
52,390 jobs
Washington
$163,010
$78.37 an hour
6190 jobs
District of Columbia
$160,520
$77.17 an hour
71,920 jobs
Massachusetts
$157,520
$75.73 an hour
83,490 jobs
Pennsylvania
$154,440
$74.25 an hour
92,330 jobs
Illinois
$153,810
$73.95 an hour
103,390 jobs
New York
$151,530
$72.85 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Veterinarians pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
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Under $124k$124k–$134k$134k–$145k$145k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Anchorage, AK | $215,060 | $103.40 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $195,160 | $93.83 |
| Tucson, AZ | $193,390 | $92.98 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $192,030 | $92.32 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | $186,840 | $89.83 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $177,250 | $85.22 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $171,160 | $82.29 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $170,430 | $81.94 |
Related jobs
- Registered Nurses$101,420
- Physicians, All Other$262,040
- Nurse Practitioners$137,300
- Pharmacists$140,920
- Physical Therapists$105,280
- Dental Hygienists$98,990
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Veterinarians pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $120,170 | $105,630 | 1,020 |
| Arizona | $187,410 | $152,020 | 2,080 |
| Arkansas | $108,100 | $107,710 | 540 |
| California | $169,860 | $163,920 | 9,170 |
| Colorado | $137,190 | $130,840 | 2,340 |
| Connecticut | $139,290 | $126,190 | 950 |
| District of Columbia | $160,520 | $134,530 | 190 |
| Florida | $139,760 | $131,660 | 5,360 |
| Georgia | $127,920 | $126,590 | 2,670 |
| Hawaii | $128,820 | $130,120 | 370 |
| Idaho | $118,000 | $116,170 | 540 |
| Illinois | $153,810 | $133,580 | 2,330 |
| Indiana | $127,060 | $124,530 | 1,500 |
| Iowa | $122,200 | $124,610 | 1,000 |
| Kansas | $117,620 | $107,080 | 1,000 |
| Kentucky | $112,730 | $104,100 | 1,190 |
| Louisiana | $125,270 | $124,370 | 950 |
| Maine | $136,620 | $130,600 | 600 |
| Maryland | $163,830 | $163,170 | 1,430 |
| Massachusetts | $157,520 | $140,260 | 1,920 |
| Michigan | $128,100 | $125,390 | 2,030 |
| Minnesota | $146,230 | $133,110 | 2,140 |
| Mississippi | $114,370 | $105,370 | 480 |
| Missouri | $125,720 | $114,660 | 1,920 |
| Montana | $112,730 | $99,390 | 510 |
| Nebraska | $123,810 | $103,500 | 780 |
| Nevada | $140,600 | $125,550 | 680 |
| New Hampshire | $144,960 | $128,190 | 650 |
| New Jersey | $166,170 | $160,140 | 1,910 |
| New Mexico | $138,880 | $129,390 | 460 |
| New York | $151,530 | $131,830 | 3,390 |
| North Carolina | $136,200 | $129,240 | 2,940 |
| North Dakota | $108,300 | $102,180 | 270 |
| Ohio | $129,890 | $125,060 | 3,430 |
| Oklahoma | $123,820 | $98,090 | 1,150 |
| Oregon | $133,560 | $128,880 | 1,660 |
| Pennsylvania | $154,440 | $133,520 | 3,490 |
| Rhode Island | $133,850 | $126,570 | 430 |
| South Carolina | $126,280 | $122,130 | 1,380 |
| South Dakota | $93,990 | $88,650 | 280 |
| Tennessee | $129,660 | $124,350 | 1,730 |
| Texas | $138,150 | $131,330 | 6,270 |
| Utah | $139,770 | $123,990 | 640 |
| Vermont | $145,030 | $131,820 | 280 |
| Virginia | $143,080 | $126,730 | 2,700 |
| Washington | $163,010 | $160,510 | 2,390 |
| West Virginia | $127,520 | $128,990 | 390 |
| Wisconsin | $118,890 | $108,780 | 1,830 |
| Wyoming | $105,200 | $97,240 | 140 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$166,290
3,150 jobsLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
$164,460
2,740 jobsPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
$161,960
1,790 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
$144,100
1,760 jobsWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
$163,670
1,740 jobsAtlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
$133,940
1,610 jobsBoston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
$160,220
1,540 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
$162,730
1,530 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do veterinarians make?
The average is $142,680 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $130,100 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $68.60, and the median is $62.55 an hour.
Which state pays veterinarians the most?
Arizona, with an average of $187,410 a year. The best-paying metro area is Anchorage, AK at $215,060.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $73,920 a year, and the top 10% earn over $215,700.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 29-1131. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.