Average Veterinary Assistant Salary in United States for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Veterinary Assistant salary for 2024 in United States 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 United States dollar. To keep things simple, we are using the USD currency code instead of the currency symbol $.

How Much Does a Veterinary Assistant Make in United States?

A Veterinary Assistant working in United States will typically earn around 81,400 USD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 39,500 USD to the highest average salary of 128,400 USD.

Average Annual Salary
81,400 USD
Average Monthly Salary
6,783 USD

Lowest Annual Salary
39,500 USD
Lowest Monthly Salary
3,291 USD

Highest Annual Salary
128,400 USD
Highest Monthly Salary
10,700 USD

These are average salaries for a Veterinary Assistant in United States 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 United States

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

Salary ranges

We already know that a Veterinary Assistant can earn between 39,500 USD and 128,400 USD on average in United States. 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 United States is 87,900 USD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 87,900 USD, and 50% of the population earn more than 87,900 USD.

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 United States, 25% of the population are earning less than 56,800 USD while 75% of the population earn more than 56,800 USD.

75% of the population earn less than 117,100 USD, and 25% of the population earn more than 117,100 USD.

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 United States

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 United States that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 43,500 USD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Veterinary Assistant salary would increase to 55,300 USD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Veterinary Assistant, the average salary would be 83,100 USD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 102,700 USD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Veterinary Assistant with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 112,700 USD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Veterinary Assistant with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 123,000 USD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
43,500 USD
2-5 Years +34%
55,300 USD
5-10 Years +48%
83,100 USD
10-15 Years +22%
102,700 USD
15-20 Years +9%
112,700 USD
20+ Years +8%
123,000 USD

Veterinary Assistant Salary by Education Level in United States

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 United States 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 United States with a high school education can earn an average salary of 48,500 USD.

  • Certificate or Diploma. A Veterinary Assistant in United States with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 75,900 USD.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A Veterinary Assistant in United States with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 130,500 USD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School
48,500 USD
Certificate or Diploma +57%
75,900 USD
Bachelor's Degree +68%
130,500 USD

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 United States is around 39,500 to 118,000 USD 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 United States, a male veterinary assistant will earn an average of 86,100 USD, while a female veterinary assistant will earn around 80,800 USD.

This means that a male veterinary assistant earns approximately 7% more than a female veterinary assistant for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in United States

Male
86,100 USD
Female -7%
80,800 USD

Veterinary Assistant Average Pay Raise in United States

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 United States is around 10% every 17 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in United States is around 8% every 16 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 = ( 10 ÷ 17 ) × 12  = 7%

What this means is that a Veterinary Assistant in United States can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 7% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in United States for 2024

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

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

Banking
4%
Energy
8%
Information Technology
3%
Healthcare
7%
Travel
2%
Construction
6%
Education
1%

Veterinary Assistant Bonus and Incentive Rates in United States

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 35% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

65% 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
35%
No Bonus
65%

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 United States earn approximately 6% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
98,800 USD
Private Sector -6%
93,100 USD

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 United States.

Job Title Category Salary
Animal Breeder Pet Care 90,900 USD
Animal Care Worker Pet Care 60,200 USD
Animal Caretaker Pet Care 57,100 USD
Animal Control Officer Pet Care 63,800 USD
Animal Health Technician Pet Care 66,200 USD
Animal Keeper Pet Care 66,100 USD
Animal Scientist Pet Care 128,400 USD
Kennel Attendant Pet Care 57,100 USD
Kennel Technician Pet Care 51,900 USD
Pet Sitter Pet Care 47,600 USD
Veterinarian Pet Care 109,000 USD
Veterinary Office Manager Pet Care 125,400 USD
Veterinary Receptionist Pet Care 55,200 USD
Veterinary Technician Pet Care 75,900 USD
Zoo Keeper Pet Care 73,300 USD
Zoo Veterinarian Pet Care 114,300 USD

Salary Comparison by City

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

City Average Salary
Atlanta 74,700 USD
Austin 89,800 USD
Baltimore 75,500 USD
Boston 80,500 USD
Bristol 63,100 USD
Chicago 91,600 USD
Cincinnati 64,400 USD
Cleveland 73,500 USD
Dallas 86,100 USD
Denver 80,500 USD
Detroit 83,000 USD
Honolulu 65,400 USD
Houston 94,800 USD
Indianapolis 88,300 USD
Iowa City 64,900 USD
Jacksonville 83,000 USD
Kansas City 79,600 USD
Kent 68,900 USD
Las Vegas 78,700 USD
Long Beach 74,200 USD
Los Angeles 94,000 USD
Memphis 79,800 USD
Miami 73,500 USD
Minneapolis 71,800 USD
New Orleans 69,700 USD
New York 92,900 USD
Oakland 68,800 USD
Oklahoma City 80,500 USD
Orlando 66,200 USD
Philadelphia 91,500 USD
Phoenix 93,200 USD
Sacramento 77,400 USD
San Antonio 95,300 USD
San Diego 95,300 USD
San Francisco 86,300 USD
San Jose 87,400 USD
Seattle 86,100 USD
Tampa 70,500 USD
Vancouver 69,800 USD
Washington D.C. 87,200 USD

Salary Comparison by State

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

City Average Salary
Alabama 85,500 USD
Alaska 68,100 USD
Arizona 85,100 USD
Arkansas 80,000 USD
California 87,400 USD
Colorado 80,400 USD
Connecticut 81,300 USD
Delaware 68,500 USD
District of Columbia 71,600 USD
Florida 91,600 USD
Georgia 83,800 USD
Hawaii 73,700 USD
Idaho 75,800 USD
Illinois 87,200 USD
Indiana 83,800 USD
Iowa 80,400 USD
Kansas 77,000 USD
Kentucky 79,600 USD
Louisiana 83,300 USD
Maine 73,100 USD
Maryland 81,900 USD
Massachusetts 87,700 USD
Michigan 83,800 USD
Minnesota 81,700 USD
Mississippi 80,900 USD
Missouri 80,400 USD
Montana 71,900 USD
Nebraska 80,200 USD
Nevada 77,000 USD
New Hampshire 76,000 USD
New Jersey 91,000 USD
New Mexico 76,000 USD
New York 90,300 USD
North Carolina 83,700 USD
North Dakota 68,800 USD
Ohio 90,600 USD
Oklahoma 77,000 USD
Oregon 78,900 USD
Pennsylvania 91,000 USD
Rhode Island 69,400 USD
South Carolina 79,000 USD
South Dakota 71,900 USD
Tennessee 79,800 USD
Texas 87,900 USD
Utah 78,200 USD
Vermont 65,700 USD
Virginia 83,700 USD
Washington 86,300 USD
West Virginia 71,400 USD
Wisconsin 83,700 USD
Wyoming 69,800 USD

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