Average Salary Of A Veterinarian

Veterinarians are doctors that specialize in providing medical care for animals. Most veterinarians focus on  providing pets with medical care, while the others focus on treating zoo animals and ranch and farm animals; there are even those that specialize in treating horses. In order to practice veterinary medicine you will need to obtain a degree in veterinary medicine, in addition to getting a state license. Additionally, in order for you to find a job in the field, it is important that you have some form of formal experience with animals, like doing your internship at an animal hospital.

There are several factors that help to determine the average salary of a veterinarian. It is also important to bear in mind that your salary will vary based on whether you take a job as a veterinary office manager, veterinarian assistant, veterinarian technician or as an actual veterinarian. Some of the factors that help to contribute to your salary include: profit sharing, commission, bonuses, merit, experience and location.

•           Experience – The average salary of a veterinarian will increase based on experience; this is primarily due to the fact that these veterinarians have more experience with different types of medical conditions and types of animals, in addition to having a wider client network. Based on information from PayScale.com, new veterinarians earn between $50,538 and $69,033 annually, while veterinarians who have had at least four years experience can earn between $54,316 and $74,742. With at least five to nine years experience, you can earn between $58,766 and $85,040 annually, while you can earn $60,700 and $90,843 annually if you have at least 10 to 19 years of work experience. With 20 years or more work experience, your salary as a veterinarian can be between $60,738 and $99,911.

•           Employers – Based on the BLS, the biggest employers of professional veterinarians are technical, scientific and professional services, which are inclusive of veterinarians that work in animal hospitals and clinics, and also those that are self-employed. These veterinarians make up for more than 91% of the 54,130 positions that are available, which pay approximately $90,470 annually ($43.50 hourly). The employers that pay veterinarians the most are diagnostic and medical laboratories, which pay approximately $114,590 annually ($55.09 hourly).

•           Geography – The state in the U.S. that has the highest salary for veterinarians is Florida. There are approximately 350 positions available in the state, and the salary is $162,650 annually ($78.20 hourly). California has more available veterinarian positions than Miami, Florida with 5,160 available jobs; however, the average salary of a veterinarian is approximately $99,940 annually ($48.05 hourly). On the other hand, there are only about 1,350 positions available in New Jersey and veterinarians have the potential to earn $117,170 annually ($56.33 hourly).