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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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OEWS OEWS Program Links

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020

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
wage		 Mean annual
wage (2) 		Wage RSE (3)
73,710 1.8 % $ 52.09 $ 108,350 1.1 %

Percentile wage estimates for Veterinarians:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 29.18 $ 38.19 $ 47.72 $ 60.70 $ 79.08
Annual Wage (2) $ 60,690 $ 79,430 $ 99,250 $ 126,260 $ 164,490

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 66,950 9.22 $ 52.43 $ 109,050
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) 1,170 0.06 $ 46.81 $ 97,370
Social Advocacy Organizations 910 0.41 $ 48.68 $ 101,250
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 750 0.02 $ 43.22 $ 89,900
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 690 0.03 $ 45.10 $ 93,810

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 66,950 9.22 $ 52.43 $ 109,050
Social Advocacy Organizations 910 0.41 $ 48.68 $ 101,250
Other Personal Services 440 0.15 $ 48.01 $ 99,860
Support Activities for Animal Production 40 0.12 $ 46.13 $ 95,950
Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing 370 0.12 $ 48.10 $ 100,040

Top paying industries for Veterinarians:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals 30 0.01 $ 74.19 $ 154,310
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services 80 0.01 $ 60.58 $ 126,000
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 30 (7) $ 58.88 $ 122,470
Scientific Research and Development Services 380 0.05 $ 56.97 $ 118,500
Employment Services (8) (8) $ 54.14 $ 112,600

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 7,490 0.46 0.86 $ 55.88 $ 116,220
Texas 5,200 0.43 0.81 $ 58.91 $ 122,530
Florida 4,160 0.49 0.93 $ 54.17 $ 112,680
New York 3,530 0.41 0.77 $ 58.10 $ 120,840
Pennsylvania 3,480 0.63 1.19 $ 53.95 $ 112,210




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)
South Dakota 430 1.05 1.97 $ 42.03 $ 87,420
Montana 460 1.02 1.92 $ 39.39 $ 81,940
New Hampshire 620 1.00 1.88 $ 54.03 $ 112,390
Maine 550 0.96 1.82 $ 48.03 $ 99,910
Vermont 260 0.94 1.77 $ 50.90 $ 105,880




Top paying states for Veterinarians:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New Jersey 1,300 0.34 0.65 $ 61.75 $ 128,430
Maryland 1,450 0.57 1.08 $ 61.60 $ 128,120
District of Columbia 140 0.20 0.37 $ 61.21 $ 127,310
Rhode Island 260 0.59 1.12 $ 60.88 $ 126,630
Oregon 1,560 0.86 1.62 $ 59.06 $ 122,840





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 2,980 0.34 0.64 $ 61.25 $ 127,400
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 1,980 0.34 0.64 $ 55.06 $ 114,520
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 1,710 0.64 1.20 $ 58.63 $ 121,950
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 1,540 0.35 0.67 $ 49.17 $ 102,270
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 1,520 0.50 0.95 $ 70.62 $ 146,900
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 1,280 0.36 0.67 $ 54.97 $ 114,340
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 1,240 0.47 0.89 $ 46.19 $ 96,070
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 1,220 0.41 0.77 $ 81.36 $ 169,220
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA 1,200 0.85 1.61 $ 57.04 $ 118,640
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO 1,130 0.78 1.46 $ 48.93 $ 101,780




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)
Fort Collins, CO 260 1.67 3.14 $ 46.04 $ 95,760
Lexington-Fayette, KY 420 1.61 3.03 $ 45.29 $ 94,200
Punta Gorda, FL 70 1.60 3.02 $ 41.86 $ 87,070
Portsmouth, NH-ME 140 1.57 2.96 $ 48.54 $ 100,960
Ocala, FL 150 1.46 2.76 (8) (8)
Erie, PA 160 1.42 2.68 $ 41.68 $ 86,690
State College, PA 90 1.40 2.65 $ 48.36 $ 100,590
Manhattan, KS 50 1.39 2.63 $ 29.58 $ 61,520
College Station-Bryan, TX 150 1.38 2.61 $ 35.12 $ 73,040
Harrisonburg, VA 90 1.38 2.60 $ 44.72 $ 93,020