Veterinarian Salary Survey
United States - Below
USA
January 2024 Update
To attract, develop, and retain veterinary professional talent – Vets, Nurses, and Techs – it’s essential that you get compensation and benefits right. Although salary and pay scales are not the sole drivers of recruitment success or job satisfaction, they remain a key element, together with flexible scheduling, a supportive and collaborative team, a genuine commitment to work-life balance, and more.
Our Veterinarian Salary Survey is prepared twice yearly in January and July, and is assembled from a range of publicly available sources together with our own data so as to provide a broad guide to employees and employers as to the overall market and any variance in half-yearly trends. Note that this is “raw data” and does not take into consideration specific variances in qualifications, experience, specialty expertise, or location.
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The ranges presented below are based on General Practice Small Animal Veterinarians with 1 – 4 years of experience. As a guide to more senior roles, you should add a 25%+ factor for 5+ years of experience, 35%+ where there is a significant surgery component, and a 50%+ factor for specialty roles such as Emergency, Referral, Surgical, Medicine, or other specialist veterinarian roles such as Oncology or Ophthalmology.
United States – January 2024
January 2024 Salary Data:
- Low Range – Mid Point: $91,000
- Mid Range – Mid Point: $135,000
- High Range – Mid Point: $173,000
Trend Analysis:
- From January 2022 to January 2024, we observe a notable increase across all salary brackets.
- The low-end salary sees a substantial rise from $65,000 in January 2022 to $91,000 by January 2024, reflecting a significant improvement in the minimum salary offerings in the veterinary field.
- The average salary increases from $104,000 to $135,000 in the same period, indicating a healthy growth trend in compensation for veterinary professionals.
- The high-end salary shows an increase from $156,000 in January 2022 to a peak of $181,000 by January 2023, before slightly decreasing to $173,000 by January 2024.
Potential Expectations for the Next 12 Months:
- Continued Growth in Low and Average Salaries: The substantial increase in low-end salaries suggests a shift in the market to attract and retain talent, possibly due to increased demand for veterinary services or a shortage of professionals. This trend is likely to continue, with both low and average salaries expected to rise as the industry competes for skilled veterinarians.
- High-End Salary Fluctuation: The slight decrease in high-end salaries from July 2023 to January 2024 might indicate a market correction after a peak or a stabilization in the demand for highly specialized or experienced professionals. However, given the overall growth trend, high-end salaries may continue to adjust but remain competitive to attract top talent.
- Market Influences: External factors, such as economic recovery, inflation rates, and changes in pet ownership patterns, could influence salary trends. An increase in demand for veterinary services, driven by continued pet adoption and attention to animal health, may further propel salary growth.
Conclusion:
The veterinarian salary trend in the USA & Canada region from January 2020 to January 2024 showcases a positive trajectory, especially for the low and average salary brackets. The slight adjustment in high-end salaries suggests a dynamic market responding to various factors. For the next 12 months, the expectation is a continued upward trend in salaries, moderated by market demand, economic conditions, and industry developments. Employers in the veterinary field should remain attentive to these trends to ensure competitive compensation packages that reflect the value and expertise of veterinary professionals.
United States – July 2023
United States – January 2023
United States – July 2022
United States – January 2022
United States – July 2021
United States – January 2021
United States – July 2020
United States – January 2020
Methodology
Our Veterinarian Salary analysis is prepared by reviewing publicly available data from multiple Veterinary Salary Survey data sources plus our own data to provide a range of low-range, mid-range, and upper-range tiers as a national benchmark.
Note that this is “raw data” and does not take into consideration variances in qualifications, experience, specialty expertise or location.
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Note: Glassdoor, Indeed, Payscale, Talent.com, and ERI – Economic Research Institute are business entities that publish publicly available information about salary data. We present these publicly available materials in fair use in a single location together with our own data as research to advance the understanding of the range of salary levels for Veterinarians in the United States. These business entities have not endorsed this Veterinarian Salary Survey nor any implication that may or may not be derived from the materials.