Average Veterinary Assistant Salary in Nova Scotia, Canada for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Veterinary Assistant salary for 2024 in Nova Scotia and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the Canadian dollar. To keep things simple, we are using the CAD currency code instead of the currency symbol $.

How Much Does a Veterinary Assistant Make in Nova Scotia?

A Veterinary Assistant working in Nova Scotia will typically earn around 92,100 CAD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 40,300 CAD to the highest average salary of 147,900 CAD.

Average Annual Salary
92,100 CAD
Average Monthly Salary
7,675 CAD

Lowest Annual Salary
40,300 CAD
Lowest Monthly Salary
3,358 CAD

Highest Annual Salary
147,900 CAD
Highest Monthly Salary
12,325 CAD

These are average salaries for a Veterinary Assistant in Nova Scotia and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Veterinary Assistant to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Veterinary Assistant salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Veterinary Assistant Salaries in Nova Scotia

So we've looked at the average salaries a Veterinary Assistant will earn in Nova Scotia. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Veterinary Assistant can earn between 40,300 CAD and 147,900 CAD on average in Nova Scotia. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Veterinary Assistant in Nova Scotia is 100,300 CAD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 100,300 CAD, and 50% of the population earn more than 100,300 CAD.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Veterinary Assistant salary in Nova Scotia, 25% of the population are earning less than 62,600 CAD while 75% of the population earn more than 62,600 CAD.

75% of the population earn less than 130,400 CAD, and 25% of the population earn more than 130,400 CAD.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Veterinary Assistant Salary by Experience Level in Nova Scotia

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average veterinary assistant salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Veterinary Assistant in Nova Scotia that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 49,400 CAD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Veterinary Assistant salary would increase to 65,500 CAD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Veterinary Assistant, the average salary would be 93,600 CAD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 116,400 CAD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Veterinary Assistant with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 123,800 CAD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Veterinary Assistant with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 137,100 CAD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
49,400 CAD
2-5 Years +34%
65,500 CAD
5-10 Years +48%
93,600 CAD
10-15 Years +22%
116,400 CAD
15-20 Years +9%
123,800 CAD
20+ Years +8%
137,100 CAD

Veterinary Assistant Salary by Education Level in Nova Scotia

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Veterinary Assistant in Nova Scotia based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • High School. A Veterinary Assistant in Nova Scotia with a high school education can earn an average salary of 54,700 CAD.

  • Certificate or Diploma. A Veterinary Assistant in Nova Scotia with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 86,800 CAD.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A Veterinary Assistant in Nova Scotia with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 142,300 CAD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School
54,700 CAD
Certificate or Diploma +57%
86,800 CAD
Bachelor's Degree +68%
142,300 CAD

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in Canada is around 49,800 to 149,000 CAD and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Veterinary Assistant Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In Nova Scotia, a male veterinary assistant will earn an average of 107,300 CAD, while a female veterinary assistant will earn around 99,700 CAD.

This means that a male veterinary assistant earns approximately 8% more than a female veterinary assistant for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Nova Scotia

Male
107,300 CAD
Female -8%
99,700 CAD

Veterinary Assistant Average Pay Raise in Nova Scotia

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Veterinary Assistant in Nova Scotia is around 11% every 16 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in Canada is around 9% every 15 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 11 ÷ 16 ) × 12  = 8%

What this means is that a Veterinary Assistant in Nova Scotia can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 8% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Nova Scotia for 2024

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in Canada.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking
2%
Energy
4%
Information Technology
6%
Healthcare
8%
Travel
1%
Construction
3%
Education
5%

Veterinary Assistant Bonus and Incentive Rates in Nova Scotia

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Veterinary Assistant is a low bonus based job, with 36% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

64% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4%.

Received Bonus
36%
No Bonus
64%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in Canada earn approximately 6% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
123,000 CAD
Private Sector -6%
115,600 CAD

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Veterinary Assistant

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Veterinary Assistant in Nova Scotia.

Job Title Category Salary
Animal Breeder Pet Care 108,200 CAD
Animal Care Worker Pet Care 74,500 CAD
Animal Caretaker Pet Care 74,500 CAD
Animal Control Officer Pet Care 76,000 CAD
Animal Health Technician Pet Care 89,300 CAD
Animal Keeper Pet Care 81,600 CAD
Animal Scientist Pet Care 160,600 CAD
Kennel Attendant Pet Care 66,100 CAD
Kennel Technician Pet Care 69,700 CAD
Pet Sitter Pet Care 61,700 CAD
Veterinarian Pet Care 139,100 CAD
Veterinary Office Manager Pet Care 146,900 CAD
Veterinary Receptionist Pet Care 66,100 CAD
Veterinary Technician Pet Care 105,200 CAD
Zoo Keeper Pet Care 96,500 CAD
Zoo Veterinarian Pet Care 141,000 CAD

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in Canada, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

City Average Salary
Brampton 93,600 CAD
Calgary 103,600 CAD
Edmonton 105,800 CAD
Gatineau 95,500 CAD
Halifax 92,000 CAD
Hamilton 103,600 CAD
Kitchener 101,100 CAD
Markham 98,000 CAD
Mississauga 103,600 CAD
Montreal 111,700 CAD
Ottawa 100,500 CAD
Quebec 95,900 CAD
Regina 88,700 CAD
Richmond 89,200 CAD
Saskatoon 88,000 CAD
Surrey 103,600 CAD
Toronto 111,700 CAD
Vancouver 109,000 CAD
Vaughan 89,400 CAD
Windsor 91,600 CAD
Winnipeg 99,700 CAD

Salary Comparison by State

The table below includes links to the average salary for each state in Canada.

City Average Salary
Alberta 109,000 CAD
British Columbia 107,300 CAD
Manitoba 107,700 CAD
New Brunswick 88,300 CAD
Newfoundland-Labrador 92,000 CAD
Northwest Territories 105,200 CAD
Nunavut 105,800 CAD
Ontario 114,300 CAD
Prince Edward Island 83,800 CAD
Quebec 111,700 CAD
Saskatchewan 99,700 CAD
Yukon 84,300 CAD

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