Veterinary pay

Veterinary technician salary

The median veterinary technician in the United States earned $47,380 a year, or $22.78 an hour. The lowest ten percent earned less than $35,710 and the highest ten percent earned more than $63,180. Those are Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 figures for veterinary technologists and technicians, occupation code 29-2056.

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$47,380Median a year

$22.78Median an hour

+9%Projected 2025 to 2035

What moves this number

Credentialed technicians (CVT, RVT or LVT depending on your state) are paid differently from uncredentialed staff doing adjacent work, and the title is not protected everywhere.
A Veterinary Technician Specialist qualification in an area such as emergency and critical care or anaesthesia is the clearest credential-based step up.
Emergency, overnight and on-call differentials are a large part of real take-home in this role and never appear in a published median.
Practice type matters: specialty and referral centres, universities and research sites pay on different scales from general practice.

This section is BEGHR's read from recruiting the role, not Bureau of Labor Statistics data. The figures above are BLS. This part is us.

What the single figure hides

Credentialing requirements and title protection vary by state, so the same job can carry a different title and a different pay scale depending on where it is. The national figure averages across all of that.

Credentials

An accredited programme plus the VTNE and state credentialing. Check your own state board, because what the credential is called and what it legally allows you to do both change at the state line.

The source

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, May 2025 estimates for veterinary technologists and technicians (occupation code 29-2056). Employment 131,400 in 2025. Projected change 9 percent, 2025 to 2035, which BLS labels “Much faster than average”. That BLS page was last modified August 27, 2026.

View the BLS page for this occupation

Common questions

What is the median veterinary technician salary?

$47,380 a year, or $22.78 an hour, in the United States. That is the Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 figure for veterinary technologists and technicians, occupation code 29-2056. Median means half earned more and half earned less.

What is the range?

BLS reports that the lowest ten percent earned less than $35,710 and the highest ten percent earned more than $63,180. Those are not a minimum and a maximum, they are the points where the bottom and top tenth of the occupation sit.

Is this figure veterinary-specific?

Yes. BLS publishes veterinary technologists and technicians as its own occupation, code 29-2056.

What is the job outlook?

BLS projects 9 percent growth from 2025 to 2035, which it labels "Much faster than average". Employment was 131,400 in 2025.

Does BEGHR charge me to find a role?

No. The employer pays the placement fee. BEGHR never charges a candidate at any stage.

Other veterinary roles

Veterinarian

Median $130,100 a year.

Veterinary assistant

Median $38,150 a year.

Veterinary receptionist

Median $38,010 a year.

All four roles side by side

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