Veterinarians

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2019 Workforce

85.1k

Average Age

44.3

Estimated Job Growth

18.8%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$98,827

Average Male Salary

$118,338

Average Female Salary

$89,337

About

Veterinarians are most often employed by the Veterinary services industry. The average yearly wage for Veterinarians was $98,827 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Veterinarians by wage are Firstline supervisors of fire fighting & prevention workers, Computer network architects, and Magnetic resonance imaging technologists.

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 Eastern Plains Region PUMA, CO. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Veterinarians are Eastern Plains Region PUMA, CO.

Photo by Army Medicine

Management, business, science, & arts occupations Healthcare practitioners & technical 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 General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals. Veterinarians are paid most in Olney, Damascus, Clarksburg & Darnestown PUMA, MD but are relatively concentrated in Eastern Plains Region PUMA, CO.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$98,827

AVERAGE SALARY

± $5,688

In 2019, Veterinarians earned an average of $98,827, $43,303 more than than the average national salary of $55,524.

Firstline supervisors of fire fighting & prevention workers make somewhat more than Veterinarians while Computer network architects make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Veterinarians as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.378

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Veterinarians had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.378, 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, Other personal services, and Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Veterinarians, by average wage, are Scientific research & development services, Scientific research & development services, Hospitals, Scientific research & development services, Administration of economic programs & space research, Pharmaceutical & medicine manufacturing, Pharmaceutical & medicine manufacturing, General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, Veterinary services, Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, Administration of human resource programs, Veterinary services, Administration of economic programs & space research, Administration of economic programs & space research, Veterinary services, and Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges.

Industries by Share

85.1k

2019 Workforce

± 7,159

2.01%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 11.7%

The number of people employed as Veterinarians has been growing at a rate of 2.01%, from 83,394 people in 2018 to 85,069 people in 2019.

This graphic shows the share of Veterinarians employed by various industries. Veterinary services employs the largest share of Veterinarians at 90.2%, followed by Other personal services with 1.6% and Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges with 1.54%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Veterinarians in the US. The average age of male Veterinarians in the workforce is 51.5 and of female Veterinarians is 40.8, and the most common race/ethnicity for Veterinarians is White (Non-Hispanic).

Gender Composition

27.8k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 4,096

57.2k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 5,872

67.3% of Veterinarians are Female, making them the more common gender in the occupation. This chart shows the gender breakdown of Veterinarians.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Veterinarians

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

89.1% of Veterinarians are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 4.23% 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 Gender

51.5

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 2.05

40.8

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 1.12

The median age of Veterinarians is 44.3, and Male employees are generally 10.6 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

Growth Projections

Projections on wages and job growth for Veterinarians from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The ten-year national workforce is projected to grow 6.85%, but Veterinarians are expected to see a growth of 18.8% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow higher than the national average.

Job Growth

18.8%

ESTIMATED GROWTH

6.85%

NATIONAL AVERAGE

This line chart shows the 10-year projected employment growth (from 2018 to 2028) for Veterinarians. This profession is expected to grow faster than 6.85%, the average rate of national job growth.