According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS, 2019), employment of veterinary technologists and technicians is expected to grow by 16 percent from 2019 to 2029. The current national average wage for veterinary technologists and technicians is $35,320.
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The start of your job search may coincide with the beginning of your education. You will make many valuable contacts along the way as you complete a degree from a school that holds accreditation through the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). These contacts are the place to start searching for a job, including but not limited to your final internship.
Once you get an associate’s degree, you will be eligible to take the VTNE (Veterinary Technician National Examination). The exam is three hours long, has 150 questions, and costs $300. Only graduates from an accredited veterinary technician program (including distance education programs) may apply for the VTNE, which is why it is important that you attend an accredited school. The added importance to distance education students is that this is a national examination, and is designed to demonstrate your competency to work in clinics across the country. The passing rate for distance education students compares favorably with rates for students from on-campus programs in all states.
The licensing requirements vary widely between states. In some states, you are qualified to begin work as soon as you pass the VTNE. Other states require licensing by a state board. Some states require that you pass a state board exam and be licensed. Check with your state’s veterinary board for licensure requirements.
Continuing education requirements vary as well. Some states require no continuing education to keep your license. The typical requirement is five to fifteen continuing education credits per year to maintain licensure. Again, consult the veterinary board in your state for its mandates regarding renewal of your license and continuing education.
Top-paying industries in which veterinary techs work, per the BLS, include the federal executive branch; museums, historical sites and similar institutions; general medical and surgical hospitals; colleges, universities and professional schools; and scientific, research and development services.
The BLS notes that salaries for veterinary technicians vary from state to state, and even within states. As of May 2019, veterinary technicians made the following annual mean wages within these states and metropolitan areas:
Alabama (view more Alabama info)
Veterinary technicians working in the state of Alabama in May 2019 earned an annual mean wage of $31,780. Wages for other metropolitan areas in the state include:
- Montgomery: $37,430
- Birmingham-Hoover: $36,430
- Auburn-Opelika: $35,330
Alaska (view more Alaska info)
Veterinary technicians employed in Alaska earned an annual mean wage of $39,200. Those employed in Anchorage averaged $40,330 per year.
Arizona (view more Arizona info)
Arizona’s veterinary technicians brought home an annual mean salary of $35,530. Veterinary technicians in Arizona’s cities earned:
- Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale: $37,210
- Prescott: $35,980
Arkansas (view more Arkansas info)
Veterinary technicians working in the state of Arkansas brought home an annual mean wage of $31,630. Arkansas’ cities paid vet techs the following salaries:
- Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers: $35,330
- Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway: $33,910
California (view more California info)
California has the second-highest employment level of vet techs in the nation, with 9750 of them averaging an annual mean wage of $43,470. Around the Golden State, salaries for veterinary technicians are as follows:
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara: $49,380
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim: $47,150
- Santa Cruz-Watsonville: $47,080
- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward: $46,670
- San Diego-Carlsbad: $45,520
Colorado (view more Colorado info)
Colorado has the second-highest concentration of jobs and location quotients for veterinary technicians. There, they earned an annual mean salary of $37,200. In Colorado’s cities, vet techs earned:
- Greeley: $39,890
- Denver-Aurora-Lakewood: $37,700
- Colorado Springs: $37,210
- Boulder: $37,020
- Fort Collins: $36,140
Connecticut (view more Connecticut info)
Veterinary technicians in Connecticut are the second-highest paid in the nation, making a yearly mean wage of $49,900. Around Connecticut, veterinary technicians earned:
- Norwich-New London-Westerly, CT-RI: $76,660
- Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford: $48,760
- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk: $45,920
District of Columbia (view more District of Columbia info)
The District of Columbia’s vet techs are the highest-paid of veterinary technicians in any state, earning $60,290 as of May 2019 (almost double the national average wage for vet techs). In the Washington-Arlington-Alexandra DC-VA-MD-WV metropolitan area, veterinary technicians averaged an annual salary of $46,770.
Delaware (view more Delaware info)
As of May 2019, Delaware’s veterinary technicians averaged an annual mean wage of $34,370. Veterinary technicians working in various parts of Delaware earned:
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD: $38,800
- Dover: $32,610
Florida (view more Florida info)
Florida has the third-highest employment level for veterinary technicians of all states. Their 8660 vet techs collected an annual mean wage of $33,360 as of May 2019. Around the state, veterinary technicians earned the following salaries:
- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford: $40,410
- Cape Coral-Fort Myers: $40,150
- North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton: $39,570
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach: $38,080
- Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach: $37,540
- Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island: $35,770
- Punta Gorda: $34,750
- Gainesville: $31,600
- Homosassa Springs: $30,840
Georgia (view more Georgia info)
Vet techs working in Georgia averaged $32,610 annually. In Georgia’s cities, veterinary technicians earned:
- Savannah: $36,950
- Albany: $33,430
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell: $32,260
- Athens-Clarke County: $31,190
Hawaii (view more Hawaii info)
Hawaii’s vet techs earned an annual mean wage of $38,070. Those working in urban Honolulu earned an annual average salary of $37,700.
Idaho (view more Idaho info)
Veterinary technicians employed in Idaho collected an annual mean wage of $32,030. Veterinary technicians working in the following Idaho cities earned:
- Twin Falls: $33,430
- Boise City: $32,760
Illinois (view more Illinois info)
Veterinary technicians in Illinois averaged a salary of $37,130 as of May 2019. In Illinois’ cities, veterinary technicians earned:
- Champaign-Urbana: $38,310
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI: $37,680
- Springfield: $34,800
- Peoria: $33,760
- Rockford: $31,760
Indiana (view more Indiana info)
Indiana’s veterinary technicians earned an annual mean wage of $32,740. Veterinary technicians working in the following Indiana cities made:
- Lafayette-West Lafayette: $38,640
- South Bend-Mishawaka IN-MI: $34,260
- Fort Wayne: $32,400
Iowa (view more Iowa info)
Vet techs employed in Iowa drew an annual mean wage of $33,900. Salaries for vet techs working across Iowa include:
- Ames: $42,200
- Cedar Rapids: $34,640
- Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL: $33,760
- Dubuque: $33,590
Kansas (view more Kansas info)
Veterinary technicians in Kansas earned an annual mean wage of $34,200 in May 2019. Around Kansas, vet techs realized:
- Manhattan: $37,520
- Lawrence: $32,150
- Wichita: $32,060
Kentucky (view more Kentucky info)
Working in Kentucky netted veterinary technicians an annual mean wage of $31,630 as of May 2019. Kentucky’s veterinary technicians working in these cities earned:
- Lexington-Fayette: $39,450
- Bowling Green: $29,100
- Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN: $27,610
Louisiana (view more Louisiana info)
Louisiana’s veterinary technicians brought home an annual mean wage of $26,980. Veterinary technicians working in Louisiana’s cities earned:
- Baton Rouge: $29,960
- Alexandria: $27,590
- Lake Charles: $27,470
- New Orleans-Metairie: $27,260
- Shreveport-Bossier City: $26,190
- Monroe: $25,730
Maine (view more Maine info)
Maine has the fourth-highest concentration of jobs and location quotients for veterinary technicians. In Maine, they average an annual mean wage of $36,530. Vet techs working in Maine’s cities brought home an income of:
- Portland-South Portland: $37,530
- Bangor: $36,840
Maryland (view more Maryland info)
Maryland’s vet techs earned an annual mean wage of $37,770. Around Maryland, veterinary technicians earned:
- Baltimore-Columbia-Towson: $35,980
- Salisbury, MD-DE: $34,730
- Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV: $32,700
Massachusetts (view more Massachusetts info)
Massachusetts’ veterinary technicians earned $42,360 as of May 2019. In Massachusetts’ cities, vet techs earned:
- Pittsfield: $47,540
- Worcester, MA-CT: $46,280
- Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH: $42,560
- New Bedford: $40,080
Michigan (view more Michigan info)
Michigan’s vet techs brought home an annual mean wage of $37,810. Salaries for Michigan’s vet techs working in various cities include:
- Lansing-East Lansing: $46,880
- Detroit-Warren-Dearborn: $39,070
- Saginaw: $38,170
- Jackson: $35,980
- Ann Arbor: $35,140
- Grand Rapids-Wyoming: $33,130
- Flint: $32,830
Minnesota (view more Minnesota info)
Vet techs employed in Minnesota made an annual mean wage of $38,980. Those working in these Minnesota cities earned:
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI: $39,640
- Rochester: $35,960
- Duluth, MN-WI: $35,860
- St. Cloud: $31,290
Mississippi (view more Mississippi info)
Veterinary technicians working in Mississippi earned an annual mean wage of $35,890. Mississippi veterinary technicians working in the following metropolitan areas in the state earned:
- Hattiesburg: $48,000
- Jackson: $38,890
- Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula: $25,980
Missouri (view more Missouri info)
Missouri’s vet techs collected a yearly mean wage of $32,670. Salaries for veterinary technicians working in Missouri’s cities include:
- St. Louis, MO-IL: $35,690
- St. Joseph, MO-KS: $34,970
- Kansas City, MO-KS: $33,070
- Joplin: $33,080
Montana (view more Montana info)
Montanans working as veterinary technicians averaged an annual mean wage of $33,460. Wages for vet techs in the metropolitan areas of Montana include:
- Missoula: $36,460
- Billings: $30,660
Nebraska (view more Nebraska info)
Nebraska’s veterinary technicians brought home an annual mean wage of $35,010. Veterinary technicians working in Nebraska cities made:
- Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA: $37,270
- Lincoln: $34,360
Nevada (view more Nevada info)
Vet techs in Nevada are the third-highest paid in the country, averaging a yearly mean salary of $49,320. The following Nevada cities paid its veterinary techs salaries of:
- Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise: $50,100
- Reno: $46,600
New Hampshire (view more New Hampshire info)
New Hampshire has the fifth-highest concentration of jobs and location quotients for vet techs in the nation. There, they earned a yearly mean wage of $36,840. Those working in the following New Hampshire cities earned:
- Portsmouth, NH-ME: $36,920
- Manchester: $36,570
- Dover-Durham, NH-ME: $35,880
New Jersey (view more New Jersey info)
Veterinary technicians employed in New Jersey averaged a yearly mean salary of $38,520. Vet techs working in New Jersey’s metropolitan areas brought home average wages of:
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD: $38,800
- Trenton: $38,050
- Atlantic City-Hammonton: $34,210
New Mexico (view more New Mexico info)
New Mexico’s veterinary technicians earned an annual mean wage of $35,750. Vet techs employed in cities across New Mexico averaged wages of:
- Santa Fe: $37,760
- Albuquerque: $35,820
- Las Cruces: $30,480
New York (view more New York info)
New York’s vet techs make the fifth-highest salary of veterinary technicians in all states, earning $43,700 as of May 2019. They also employ the fifth-highest level of vet techs, with 5020 of them working in the state. Those working in the following New York cities earned:
- Ithaca: $46,920
- Kingston: $46,620
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA: $42,960
- Albany-Schenectady-Troy: $42,340
North Carolina (view more North Carolina info)
North Carolina’s veterinary technicians brought home an annual mean salary of $34,520 as of May 2019. Those employed in these North Carolina cities earned:
- Durham-Chapel Hill: $40,140
- Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton: $37,230
- Raleigh: $35,970
- Greensboro-High Point: $34,860
North Dakota (view more North Dakota info)
Veterinary technicians working in North Dakota earned an annual mean wage of $34,090. Vet techs working in the Fargo area earned an average of $33,180.
Ohio (view more Ohio info)
Ohio’s vet techs averaged a yearly mean salary of $34,660. Veterinary technicians working across Ohio in the following cities earned:
- Columbus: $37,690
- Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN: $37,240
- Dayton: $35,640
- Cleveland-Elyria: $34,830
Oklahoma (view more Oklahoma info)
Veterinary technicians employed in Oklahoma earned an annual mean wage of $32,250. Those working in the following Ohio cities made:
- Tulsa: $34,720
- Oklahoma City: $30,810
Oregon (view more Oregon info)
Oregon’s vet techs brought home an annual mean salary of $36,620. Veterinary technicians working in these Oregon cities earned:
- Corvallis: $42,840
- Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA: $38,101
- Salem: $34,760
- Medford: $34,730
- Eugene: $32,610
Pennsylvania (view more Pennsylvania info)
Pennsylvania has the fourth-highest employment level for vet techs of any state, with 5250 of them employed. They averaged a yearly mean wage of $37,050. Veterinary technicians employed in Pennsylvania’s cities earned:
- Harrisburg-Carlisle: $57,740
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD: $38,800
- Scranton–Wilkes-Barre—Hazleton: $38,260
- Lebanon: $37,130
Rhode Island (view more Rhode Island info)
Rhode Island has the third-highest concentration of jobs and location quotients for vet techs in the country. There, they earned a yearly mean salary of $37,150. Those working in the Providence-Warwick metropolitan area averaged$37,340 annually.
South Carolina (view more South Carolina info)
Veterinary technicians employed in South Carolina earned an annual mean wage of $33,410. Working in the following South Carolina cities netted vet techs the below-listed wages:
- Columbia: $36,670
- Charleston-North Charleston: $34,950
- Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin: $34,750
- Spartanburg: $32,910
- Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort: $32,830
South Dakota (view more South Dakota info)
South Dakota’s vet techs averaged a yearly mean wage of $35,170. Those employed in the following metropolitan areas of the state earned:
- Sioux Falls: $36,230
- Rapid City: $36,080
Tennessee (view more Tennessee info)
Veterinary technicians employed in Tennessee brought home a yearly mean salary of $31,920. Vet techs working in these Tennessee cities earned:
- Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro—Franklin: $38,540
- Chattanooga: $33,560
- Knoxville: $30,250
- Memphis, TN-MS-AR: $28,150
Texas (view more Texas info)
Texas has the highest employment level of vet techs of any state, with 12,280 earning an annual mean wage of $32,700. Around the state of Texas, vet techs made the following wages:
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $36,340
- College Station-Bryan: $35,840
- Brownsville-Harlingen: $34,910
- San Antonio-New Braunfels: $34,580
- Sherman-Denison: $32,680
- Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land: $30,580
Utah (view more Utah info)
Utah’s veterinary technicians earned an annual mean salary of $30,610 as of May 2019. Cities in Utah paid their veterinary technicians the following salaries:
- Salt Lake City: $32,080
- St. George: $29,810
- Ogden-Clearfield: $29,480
- Provo-Orem: $27,700
Vermont (view more Vermont info)
Vermont has the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients for veterinary technicians. They earned an annual mean wage of $34,020. Those working in the Burlington-South Burlington metropolitan area earned $34,360 annually.
Virginia (view more Virginia info)
Vet techs employed in Virginia are the fourth-highest paid in the nation. They bring home an annual mean wage of $43,820. Veterinary technicians working in Virginia’s cities earned:
- Charlottesville: $42,720
- Richmond: $40,580
- Staunton-Waynesboro: $38,800
- Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford: $38,390
- Roanoke: $36,990
- Harrisonburg: $36,970
Washington (view more Washington info)
Veterinary technicians in Washington state earned a yearly mean salary of $39,950. Vet techs working in these metropolitan areas of Washington made:
- Bellingham: $44,970
- Olympia-Tumwater: $44,660
- Bremerton-Silverdale: $42,750
- Mount Vernon-Anacortes: $42,590
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue: $40,790
- Yakima: $37,510
West Virginia (view more West Virginia info)
West Virginia’s veterinary technicians brought home an annual mean wage of $30,580. Those working in the following parts of West Virginia earned:
- Morgantown: $37,540
- Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH: $31,970
Wisconsin (view more Wisconsin info)
Veterinary technicians working in Wisconsin earned a yearly mean wage of $34,730. Vet techs working in these cities in Wisconsin brought home:
- Madison: $40,200
- Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis: $35,990
- Eau Claire: $35,030
- Racine: $34,410
Wyoming (view more Wyoming info)
Wyoming’s veterinary technicians earned an annual mean wage of $31,200 as of May 2019. Those working in the eastern Wyoming nonmetropolitan area earned slightly higher average salaries of $31,210.
Find Vet Tech Salary Info For Your State
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Sources:
“Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2019. 29-2056: Veterinary Technologists and Technicians. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 10 February 21 at https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes292056.htm.
“Veterinary Technologists and Technicians Occupational Outlook Handbook.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. May 2019. Accessed 10 February 2021 at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/veterinary-technologists-and-technicians.htm.
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