Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Peer-group outlier SOC 29-2056

Veterinary Technologists and Technicians

Median pay sits 86% below the mid peer in Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations (neighbors include Cardiologists, Physicians, All Other, Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Prosthodontists).

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Veterinary Technologists and Technicians: Cardiologists ($496K) , Physicians, All Other ($266K) , Obstetricians and Gynecologists ($293K) , Prosthodontists ($311K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Veterinary Technologists and Technicians publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 29-2056 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Administer anesthesia to animals, under the direction of a veterinarian, and monitor animals' responses to anesthetics so that dosages ca…
  2. 2. Care for and monitor the condition of animals recovering from surgery
  3. 3. Maintain controlled drug inventory and related log books
  4. 4. Perform laboratory tests on blood, urine, or feces, such as urinalyses or blood counts, to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of anima…
  5. 5. Prepare and administer medications, vaccines, serums, or treatments, as prescribed by veterinarians
  6. 6. Restrain animals during exams or procedures
  7. 7. Administer emergency first aid, such as performing emergency resuscitation or other life saving procedures
  8. 8. Clean and sterilize instruments, equipment, or materials
  9. 9. Provide veterinarians with the correct equipment or instruments, as needed
  10. 10. Perform dental work, such as cleaning, polishing, or extracting teeth
  11. 11. Observe the behavior and condition of animals and monitor their clinical symptoms
  12. 12. Give enemas and perform catheterizations, ear flushes, intravenous feedings, or gavages

Veterinary Technologists and Technicians: O*NET ranks Active Listening first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 29-2056 - lead skill Active Listening at 3.8 ; lead knowledge Medicine and Dentistry. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Active Listening 3.8
  2. 2. Critical Thinking 3.8
  3. 3. Reading Comprehension 3.6
  4. 4. Speaking 3.6
  5. 5. Writing 3.3
  6. 6. Monitoring 3.3
  7. 7. Complex Problem Solving 3.3
  8. 8. Active Learning 3.1

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Medicine and Dentistry 4.1
  2. 2. Customer and Personal Service 4.1
  3. 3. Biology 4.0
  4. 4. English Language 4.0
  5. 5. Mathematics 3.5
  6. 6. Chemistry 3.3
Pay vs Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations peers
-86%
vs mid peer median $335,550
This role $47,380/yr
$47K
National median
↑ +9%
Growth 2024-2034
14,300
Annual openings
129,140
Estimated US jobs
Cardiologists
Highest-pay peer · $496K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Associate's degree

Top Paying States for Veterinary Technologists and Technicians

1. Oregon $55,810
2. District of Columbia $61,270
3. Minnesota $57,270
4. California $60,630
5. Washington $59,740
6. New York $59,010
7. Nevada $50,250
8. Maine $50,810
9. Virginia $52,090
10. Connecticut $50,950

Other Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations titles

  1. 1. Cardiologists $496,010
  2. 2. Physicians, All Other $265,930
  3. 3. Obstetricians and Gynecologists $292,910
  4. 4. Prosthodontists $311,180
  5. 5. Emergency Medicine Physicians $335,550
  6. 6. Radiologists $420,860

Among Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations peers on this card, Veterinary Technologists and Technicians sits 86% below the mid peer median ($335,550). Its own median is $47,380.

Employment Projections expect +9% change between 2024 and 2034 (much faster than average vs baseline 3.1%). About 14,300 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Associate's degree as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Oregon at $55,810. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Cardiologists at $496,010. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Veterinary Technologists and Technicians pay-rank #65 in Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations

On the Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations median table (71 detailed occupations with OEWS medians), Veterinary Technologists and Technicians lands at #65, in the lower third. That rank is a table position, not a statement about individual workers.

Other lower-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

Veterinary Technologists and Technicians pays 86% below its major-group peer median. See the state map and the peers closest to (and furthest from) this line.

Veterinary Technologists and Technicians salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 29-2056

Oregon · top state for Veterinary Technologists and Technicians

$56K published median

District of Columbia · #2 state pay

$61K · behind Oregon

Cardiologists

Highest-pay peer vs Veterinary Technologists and Technicians · $496K

Physicians, All Other

Lower-pay peer beside Veterinary Technologists and Technicians · $266K

Compare Veterinary Technologists and Technicians

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Veterinary Technologists and Technicians with another occupation →

Peer-comparison next reads

Compare Veterinary Technologists and Technicians

Against another occupation

Cardiologists card

Top peer in this major group

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Veterinary Technologists and Technicians land on the Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations median table? ▼
Veterinary Technologists and Technicians is pay-rank #65 of 71 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Opticians, Dispensing ($47K), Pharmacy Technicians ($46K), Ophthalmic Medical Technicians ($46K), Psychiatric Technicians ($45K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What do veterinary technologists and technicians do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Veterinary Technologists and Technicians. Leading ones include: Administer anesthesia to animals, under the direction of a veterinarian, and monitor animals' responses to anesthetics so that dosages ca…; Care for and monitor the condition of animals recovering from surgery; Maintain controlled drug inventory and related log books; Perform laboratory tests on blood, urine, or feces, such as urinalyses or blood counts, to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of anima…. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for veterinary technologists and technicians? ▼
For SOC 29-2056, O*NET importance scores lead with Active Listening (3.8), Critical Thinking (3.8), Reading Comprehension (3.6), Speaking (3.6). Knowledge areas emphasize Medicine and Dentistry, Customer and Personal Service, Biology. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Veterinary Technologists and Technicians? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $47,380 as the national median for Veterinary Technologists and Technicians. The published 10th-90th range is $35,710 to $63,180. Beside Cardiologists ($496,010), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Veterinary Technologists and Technicians? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Veterinary Technologists and Technicians is +9%. Projected annual openings: about 14,300. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: much faster than average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Veterinary Technologists and Technicians? ▼
BLS assigns Associate's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Veterinary Technologists and Technicians. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Veterinary Technologists and Technicians? ▼
Oregon ($55,810), District of Columbia ($61,270), Minnesota ($57,270) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Veterinary Technologists and Technicians card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 29-2056. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Veterinary Technologists and Technicians. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics