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.
Also called: Companion Animal Practitioner · Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) · Emergency Veterinarian (Emergency Vet) · Large Animal Veterinarian (Large Animal Vet) · Mixed Animal Veterinarian (Mixed Animal Vet) · Small Animal Veterinarian (Small Animal Vet)
Median pay (national)
$125,510
$70,350–$212,890 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
80,630
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
+9.6%
~3,000 openings/yr
Typical entry
Doctoral or professional degree
What the numbers say
Refit analysis ·Pay for veterinarians shows an unusually wide range: the top 10% earn $212,890 versus $70,350 at the bottom 10% — 3.0x. The median of $125,510 leaves roughly 70% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change +9.6% from 2024 to 2034 — much faster than the 3% average for all occupations. Even so, BLS projects about 3,000 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 49 states with released data, California pays the most for this role (median $158,950, +27% vs the national median), while Puerto Rico sits lowest at $76,190 — a 109% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Active Learning as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list.
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Top skills employers ask for
Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Active Learning
- Speaking
- Science
- Critical Thinking
- Writing
- Monitoring
- Mathematics
- Learning Strategies
What they actually do
Core O*NET tasks for this role.
- Inoculate animals against various diseases, such as rabies or distemper.
- Examine animals to detect and determine the nature of diseases or injuries.
- Educate the public about diseases that can be spread from animals to humans.
- Counsel clients about the deaths of their pets or about euthanasia decisions for their pets.
- Euthanize animals.
- Train or supervise workers who handle or care for animals.
- Perform administrative or business management tasks, such as scheduling appointments, accepting payments from clients, budgeting, or maintaining business records.
- Collect body tissue, feces, blood, urine, or other body fluids for examination and analysis.
- Operate diagnostic equipment, such as radiographic or ultrasound equipment, and interpret the resulting images.
- Advise animal owners regarding sanitary measures, feeding, general care, medical conditions, or treatment options.
Tools & technology
- American Data Systems PAWS Veterinary Practice Management
- Complete Clinic
- Eklin Information Systems VIA
- Henry Schein ImproMed
- IDEXX Laboratories IDEXX Cornerstone
- IDEXX Laboratories IDEXX VPM
- ImproMed Infinity
- InformaVet ALIS-VET
- IntraVet
- Mobile Data Software VetInfo
- Sneakers Software DVMax Practice
- Vetport
- Web browser software
- Adobe Acrobat
- Microsoft Access
- Microsoft Excel
Knowledge areas
- Biology
- Medicine and Dentistry
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Mathematics
- Education and Training
- Chemistry
- Personnel and Human Resources