Veterinarians

Detailed Occupation

Add Comparison

2020 Workforce

83.7k

Average Age

44.4

Estimated Job Growth

15.9%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$104,691

Average Male Salary

$125,241

Average Female Salary

$93,699

About

Veterinarians are most often employed by the Veterinary services industry. The average yearly wage for Veterinarians was $104,691 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Veterinarians by wage are Information security analysts, Computer network architects, and Other managers.

Veterinarians are part of the Healthcare practitioners & technical occupations, along with Chiropractors, Dentists, Dietitians & nutritionists, Optometrists, Pharmacists, and 37 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Veterinarians are Fort Collins City PUMA, CO, Hoover (North), Vestavia Hills & Homewood Cities PUMA, AL, and Jefferson (West), Boulder (West), Clear Creek & Gilpin Counties PUMA, CO. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Veterinarians are Jefferson (West), Boulder (West), Clear Creek & Gilpin Counties PUMA, CO, Hoover (North), Vestavia Hills & Homewood Cities PUMA, AL, and Severna Park, Arnold & Lake Shore PUMA, MD.

Photo by Army Medicine

Management, business, science, & arts occupations Healthcare practitioners & technical occupations

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Veterinarians and on wages and locations for those in the field. Veterinary services is the industry that employs the most Veterinarians, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Veterinarians, by average wage, is Drugs, sundries, & chemical & allied products merchant wholesalers . Veterinarians are paid most in Crown Heights North & Prospect Heights PUMA, NY but are relatively concentrated in Jefferson (West), Boulder (West), Clear Creek & Gilpin Counties PUMA, CO.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$104,691

AVERAGE SALARY

± $6,725

In 2020, Veterinarians earned an average of $104,691, $48,737 more than than the average national salary of $55,954.

Information security analysts make somewhat more than Veterinarians while Other managers make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Veterinarians as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.357

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Veterinarians had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.357, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Veterinarians (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Veterinarians.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Veterinarians

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Veterinarians.

Industries

Most Common

The most common industries employing Veterinarians, by number of employees, are Veterinary services, Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, Administration of economic programs & space research, Other personal services, General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, Scientific research & development services, Pharmaceutical & medicine manufacturing, Civic, social, advocacy organizations, & grantmaking & giving services, Administration of human resource programs, U. S. Army, and Legal services.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Veterinarians, by average wage, are Drugs, sundries, & chemical & allied products merchant wholesalers , Other health care services, and Pharmaceutical & medicine manufacturing.

Industries by Share

83.7k

2020 Workforce

± 7,100

8.61%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 11.3%

The number of people employed as Veterinarians has been growing at a rate of 8.61%, from 77,054 people in 2019 to 83,688 people in 2020.

This graphic shows the share of Veterinarians employed by various industries. Veterinary services employs the largest share of Veterinarians at 90.4%, followed by Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges with 2.18% and Administration of economic programs & space research with 1.59%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Veterinarians in the US. The average age of male Veterinarians in the workforce is 50.7 and of female Veterinarians is 40.9, and the most common race/ethnicity for Veterinarians is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

29.2k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 4,192

54.5k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 5,732

65.2% of Veterinarians are Female, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Veterinarians.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Veterinarians

White (Non-Hispanic)
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)

87.5% of Veterinarians are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 4.43% of Veterinarians, Asian (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Veterinarians.

Age by Sex

50.7

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 1.91

40.9

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 1.13

The median age of Veterinarians is 44.4, and Male employees are generally 9.79 years older than than their Female counterparts.

Education

Data on higher education choices for Veterinarians from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Veterinarians is Biology but a relatively high number of Veterinarians hold a major in Agriculture.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Veterinarians from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Veterinarians need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension, Active Learning, and Active Listening. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Veterinarians need more than the average amount of Science, Operations Analysis, and Active Learning.

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

Projections

Projections on job growth for Veterinarians from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.71%, but Veterinarians are expected to see a growth of 15.9% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow more than the national average.

Job Growth

15.9%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.71%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Veterinarians. This profession is expected to grow more than than 3.71%, the average rate of national job growth.