25 of the Highest Paying Veterinary Jobs in 2026

The best Veterinary jobs can pay up to $287,000 per year.

High Paying Veterinary Jobs

• Veterinary Radiologist

  Salary range: $92,000 - $287,000

  Veterinary radiologists use diagnostic imaging and other techniques to assess animal injuries and diseases. As a veterinary radiologist, you evaluate CT, ultrasound, and MRI scans to develop the best course of treatment. Many veterinary radiologists specialize in a specific area of the field. For example, a radiation oncologist develops cancer treatment plans. Additional duties include overseeing diagnostic equipment, providing consultations to general practitioners, and writing up case reports. Strong communication skills are vital as you interact with other veterinarians and clients on a regular basis.

• Emergency Veterinarian

  Salary range: $176,500 - $219,500

  An emergency veterinarian typically works at an animal hospital, but they may respond to emergency calls from a farm. As an emergency veterinarian, your job duties include assessing, diagnosing, and providing critical care for an animal in a medical emergency, such as after a traumatic injury or sudden onset of a condition. You operate on animals and oversee other veterinary staff. You are also part of the recovery process, helping pet owners to understand medicine and recovery strategies. Qualifications for this career include obtaining a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree and becoming a board certified vet. This educational path entails completing a residency program to learn the necessary skills and gain clinical experience.

• Veterinarian

  Salary range: $112,000 - $218,000

  Veterinarians provide medical care to animals, including diagnosing diseases, treating any ailments or injuries, advising owners on proper care, and conducting regular check-ups on the health and well-being of these animals. A career as a veterinarian is a great choice for people who have a passion for science and animals.

• Associate Veterinarian

  Salary range: $102,500 - $165,500

  An associate veterinarian is a physician who provides medical care to animals. Unlike veterinarians who are practice owners, associate veterinarians typically work full-time or part-time as employees for other veterinary clinics, often enjoying more flexibility in their schedules. As an associate veterinarian, your responsibilities include performing veterinary medical, surgical, and dental procedures, along with maintaining patient medical records. You may also work closely with and supervise veterinary technicians as part of your duties. To become an associate veterinarian, you must earn a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree and become licensed in the state you wish to practice. Once you get job experience and refine your skills, you may also pursue certification in a specialty to gain a competitive edge in your career.

• Small Animal Veterinarian

  Salary range: $85,000 - $126,500

  Small animal veterinarians provide medical care to pets and other small, domesticated animals. As a small animal veterinarian, you use your skills and education to diagnose and treat illnesses in a variety of domesticated animals. Your job duties include administering vaccines or necessary medicines to animals, dressing wounds and resetting fractures, and advising owners on how to properly care for their small animals or domestic pets. You typically work with dogs and cats, but you should also be able to work with birds, reptiles, and rabbits. Small animal veterinarians also conduct research to solve health problems in animals, and in severe cases, you might perform surgery and euthanize sick animals.

• Veterinary Medical Officer

  Salary range: $69,500 - $98,500

  A veterinary medical officer monitors diseases found in animals within a region and develops ways to prevent these diseases from spreading. As a veterinary medical officer, you typically work for a government agency or the military, and you enforce food handling and distribution guidelines. Other job duties may include coordinating food inspections, investigating foodborne illnesses that have passed from animals to humans, and leading disease control programs.

• Veterinary Inspector

  Salary range: $98,500 - $98,500

  The majority of Veterinary Inspector salaries across the United States currently range between $98,500 (25th percentile) and $98,500 (75th percentile) annually. Most people working in this role make similar salaries regardless of skill level, location and years of experience. Based on recent job posting activity on ZipRecruiter, the Veterinary Inspector job market in the United States is not very active as few companies are currently hiring for this role. You can try exploring related titles to find jobs with more active opportunities.

• Veterinary Surgery Technician

  Salary range: $40,000 - $93,000

  The majority of Veterinary Surgery Technician salaries across the United States currently range between $40,000 (25th percentile) and $93,000 (75th percentile) annually. This large range of salary potential suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay depending on skill level, location and years of experience. Based on recent job postings on ZipRecruiter, the Veterinary Surgery Technician job market in the United States is somewhat active, with a few companies hiring.

• Veterinary Practice Manager

  Salary range: $56,000 - $83,500

  A veterinary practice manager is responsible for the daily operations and staff management of a veterinarian’s office or animal hospital. As a veterinary practice manager, your primary duties include scheduling, taking inventory of supplies, and basic bookkeeping. You may have the additional responsibilities of training staff, implementing clinic policies, and updating animal medical records. You need excellent organizational and communication skills and a passion for animal care to succeed in a veterinary practice management career.

• Veterinary Manager

  Salary range: $43,500 - $68,000

  A veterinary manager oversees various aspects of a veterinary practice. Your duties and responsibilities in this career vary depending on the type of facility in which you work and the department you manage. As a veterinary office manager, you manage the administrative and customer services aspects of the practice. You oversee administrative support and receptionist staff, take care of hiring, train new support staff, and schedule employees. A veterinary practice manager also manages the team, but in this role, you may perform more detailed finance, marketing, and human resources tasks, such as reviewing salaries and benefits for veterinarians and verifying the quality of the services of the doctors.

• Veterinary Technologist

  Salary range: $52,500 - $57,500

  A veterinary technologist, also called a veterinary technician, works with a veterinarian to examine animals, diagnose illnesses and injuries, and provide animals with veterinary health care and treatment. As a veterinary technologist, you handle animal intake evaluations for clients’ pets, document animals’ vital signs, collect and test specimens, vaccinate animals, educate pet owners about proper care, and assist the veterinarian with procedures like spays, neuters, and dental cleanings. You may also perform grooming tasks for animals, such as clipping nails, cutting and brushing their fur, and bathing them.

• Animal Laboratory Technician

  Salary range: $38,000 - $57,500

  The majority of Animal Laboratory Technician salaries across the United States currently range between $38,000 (25th percentile) and $57,500 (75th percentile) annually. This moderate range of salaries suggests pay in this role will be consistent, regardless skill level, location and years of experience, though some advancement is possible. Based on recent job posting activity on ZipRecruiter, the Animal Laboratory Technician job market in the United States is not very active as few companies are currently hiring for this role. You can try exploring related titles to find jobs with more active opportunities.

• Animal Health Technician

  Salary range: $42,000 - $57,000

  An animal health technician provides medical care to animals that may be sick or injured. In this career, your job duties include examining animals that are brought into the vet hospital, treating wounds on the animal, and performing preventative veterinary care for the animals. The qualifications needed for a career as an animal health technician include a bachelor’s degree in veterinary medicine. You also need strong critical thinking skills and experience with animals and pets.

• Emergency Veterinary Technician

  Salary range: $40,500 - $56,500

  The majority of Emergency Veterinary Technician salaries across the United States currently range between $40,500 (25th percentile) and $56,500 (75th percentile) annually. This moderate range of salaries suggests pay in this role will be consistent, regardless skill level, location and years of experience, though some advancement is possible. Based on recent job posting activity on ZipRecruiter, the Emergency Veterinary Technician job market in the United States is not very active as few companies are currently hiring for this role. You can try exploring related titles to find jobs with more active opportunities.

• Animal Technician

  Salary range: $36,000 - $52,000

  As an animal technician, you care for animals in a laboratory, research facility, or animal hospital. It is your job to monitor and care for each animal to ensure healthy and humane treatment. Your duties involve feeding and watering the animals, cleaning cages and enclosures, and providing basic medical care. The career requires at least an associate degree, although most employers prefer you have a bachelor’s degree in laboratory animal science or veterinary technology. Additional qualifications include animal care experience and technical skills related to veterinary technology. Most states require professional certification and licensing.

• Veterinary Technician

  Salary range: $37,000 - $51,500

  Veterinary Technicians, often referred to as Vet Techs, licensed veterinary technicians, or LTVs, assist veterinary doctors in the physical care of animals. Their responsibilities include drawing blood, placing catheters, giving medications, and managing anesthesia during surgery. Often, a Vet Tech will be required to prepare animals for surgery or assist with diagnostic tests, including radiographs, urinalysis, and fecal exams. Occasionally, a Vet Tech may even be asked to perform a dental examination. Veterinary Technicians cannot diagnose illness, prescribe medications, or perform surgeries.

• Veterinary Practitioner

  Salary range: $42,500 - $47,500

  The majority of Veterinary Practitioner salaries across the United States currently range between $42,500 (25th percentile) and $47,500 (75th percentile) annually. Most people working in this role make similar salaries regardless of skill level, location and years of experience. Based on recent job posting activity on ZipRecruiter, the Veterinary Practitioner job market in the United States is not very active as few companies are currently hiring for this role. You can try exploring related titles to find jobs with more active opportunities.

• Animal Care Assistant

  Salary range: $30,000 - $44,000

  Animal care assistant help feed and care for one or more animals. In this role, you may provide obedience training for a pet, groom animals, or assist other caregivers as necessary. Many animal care assistants specialize in specific areas, such as farm animals, marine mammals, or horses. This is not a veterinary position, though some animal care assistants work with vets to provide additional services to clients and customers. Many of the specific job duties of this position depend on the employer. For example, animal care assistants who work at zoos may be responsible for feeding animals or cleaning habitats, while animal care assistants at pet stores may help clean and groom animals daily in preparation for adoption.

• Animal Care Technician

  Salary range: $31,500 - $42,500

  An animal care technician takes care of various kinds of animals depending on where they work, such as in a lab, shelters, and veterinary offices. As an animal care technician, you monitor animals daily and log any health abnormalities or illnesses. Other responsibilities and duties include feeding and giving animals fresh water, cleaning cages, hosing down walkways, and more thorough cleaning tasks such as disinfecting walls, windows, filter plates, and more. You clean the rest of the facility as well as instruments and operating rooms in research facilities and labs. You also prepare and stock supplies in each room while maintaining inventory. Restraining animals is sometimes necessary, as well as rescuing them from unsafe environments and transporting them to care. You are expected to assist vets with procedures, like vaccinations and euthanasia.

• Veterinary Nurse

  Salary range: $32,000 - $40,500

  A veterinary nurse assists licensed veterinarians in caring for pets and other animals. Job duties include treating sick or injured animals, doing preliminary examinations of pets during well visits, running diagnostic tests and administering vaccinations, educating pet owners about preventive and aftercare, and helping the attending veterinarian with complex procedures. A veterinary nurse may encounter a wide variety of animals in their work depending on their employer.

• Animal Care Specialist

  Salary range: $30,500 - $40,000

  Animal care specialists groom, feed, and train animals. They may work at shelters, veterinary offices, pet training or boarding facilities, or other pet organizations. Your specific job duties vary, depending on your employer. For example, some animal care specialists train animals to follow commands and stop doing bad behavior, such as biting, while others groom and care for animals that participate in scientific studies. In this role, you may exercise animals, clean their living areas, provide obedience training, or interact with customers to demonstrate pet care techniques. Some animal care specialists work nights, weekends, or holidays because many animals need round-the-clock care.

• Veterinary Assistant

  Salary range: $31,500 - $39,500

  Veterinary Assistants, or vet assistants, help Veterinarians and Veterinarian Technicians in animal care hospitals, animal clinics, or other veterinary facilities. As a Veterinary Assistant, you feed, bathe, and exercise animals in your care. Veterinarian Assistants also restrain animals when the vet examines or treats them. Other job duties may include greeting pet owners when they enter the office, organizing files, and cleaning and sterilizing equipment. Some Veterinary Assistant positions require you to perform lab work, such as collecting urine samples from animals, drawing blood, and administering medication under the supervision of the primary veterinarian or technician.

• Animal Care Attendant

  Salary range: $27,000 - $39,000

  An animal care attendant has a variety of duties related to animal hygiene and their physical and emotional wellbeing. If you work at an animal spay or grooming facility, your responsibilities include bathing animals and clipping their nails. At a kennel or vet’s office, you are often the person responsible for making sure animals get their daily routines while they are staying with you. This includes maintaining and cleaning their cages, monitoring them, feeding them, and walking them. You may also assist vet techs or the vet with simple tasks.

• Veterinary Receptionist

  Salary range: $30,000 - $36,000

  A Veterinary Receptionist does the administrative tasks in a vet office. Their responsibilities include checking in pets at the front desk, getting information from owners, and maintaining pet records. Unlike other Receptionist’s jobs, a Veterinary Receptionist will also provide basic care to the animals that are in the clinic. If the practice offers pet boarding services, Veterinary Receptionist duties may include providing food and water for the animals during the day or walking dogs that need exercise during their stay.

• Pet Care Assistant

  Salary range: $24,000 - $30,000

  A pet care assistant provides in-home care for domestic animals. Your responsibilities depend on the kind and breed of the pets in question, but may include walking dogs, administering prescribed medication, cleaning litter boxes, and providing exercise opportunities. Duties often involve feeding and monitoring their habits, and occasionally basic obedience training. Pet care assistants may use a variety of alternate job titles, such as pet sitters, doggie daycare providers, and boarding facility workers. Some veterinary clinics have a caretaker on staff to manage animals that are injured or sick.