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If you’re considering a career as a vet tech, you’re probably wondering how much you can expect to earn. We’ve got the scoop on vet tech salaries, so read on to learn more!
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Introduction
Vet techs are in high demand and earn a good salary.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the median pay for veterinary technicians was $33,400 per year in May 2016. The best-paid 10 percent earned more than $47,350, and the bottom-paid 10 percent earned less than $22,760.
Pay varies depending on experience, location, and employer. Entry-level vet techs usually start out making close to minimum wage, while those with several years of experience can earn salaries closer to $40,000 per year or more.
How Much Do Vet Techs Make in Different Settings?
Vet techs are in high demand and the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 19% growth in the field by 2026. With such high demand, it’s no wonder that vet techs are interested in knowing how much they can make. The average vet tech makes $16.13 an hour, or $33,500 a year. However, vet techs can make more or less depending on the setting they work in. Let’s take a look at some different settings and how much vet techs can make in each one.
Private Practice
The average salary for a veterinary technician in a private practice is $33,275 per year, with a range of $27,875 to $39,300.
Corporate Veterinary Hospitals
The following is a list of corporate veterinary hospitals and their average yearly salary for vet techs.
-Banfield Pet Hospital: $32,000
-VCA Antech: $31,000
-Petco: $30,000
-BluePearl Specialty + Emergency Pet Hospital: $29,000
-ASPCA: $28,000
Academic Veterinary Institutions
The median salary for a Veterinary Technician at an academic veterinary institution is $33,000 per year. These institutions include veterinary schools, teaching hospitals, and research facilities. Vet Techs working in this setting may have the opportunity to teach students or participate in research projects.
Research Organizations
The median annual wage for veterinary technologists and technicians was $33,400 in May 2019. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $21,550, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $51,050. Median earnings in the industries employing the largest numbers of veterinary technologists and technicians are as follows:
$33,400
May 2019
Factors That Affect Vet Tech Salaries
Veterinary technicians play an important role in animal care, and their salaries reflect that. Several factors come into play when it comes to how much money a vet tech makes in a year. These include experience, education, geographic location, and more. Let’s take a look at each of these factors in more detail.
Location
An important factor that will affect how much money you make as a vet tech is your location. In general, cities with a higher cost of living will also have higher salaries for vet techs. For example, the average salary for a vet tech in New York City is $38,000, while the average salary in a small town in Texas is $26,000.
Experience
While entry-level vet techs earn a median salary of $32,490 per year, those with more experience can expect to make significantly more. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the top 10 percent of vet techs earn an average salary of $52,540 per year. So, if you’re looking to maximize your earnings as a vet tech, it pays (literally) to get some experience under your belt.
Certification
Certification is not required to work as a vet tech, but it can certainly affect your salary. Certification is available through the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), and it shows that you have the knowledge and skills necessary to be a successful vet tech. Many employers prefer to hire certified vet techs, and some may even offer higher salaries to those with certification. In addition, some states require certification in order to work as a vet tech.
Conclusion
So, how much do vet techs make a year?
Veterinary technicians make a median salary of $33,400 per year, or $16.06 per hour. The top 10% of earners make more than $48,000 per year, while the bottom 10% make less than $23,000.
