Veterinarian Salary by State (2026): DVM Pay Compared Across All 50 States

Veterinarian salary by state varies meaningfully across the U.S. — the spread reflects state-level cost of living, the regional density of small-animal companion practice vs large-animal/equine/food-animal practice, the depth of corporate and private-equity-backed practice consolidation (Mars Petcare/VCA, NVA, Petco/Thrive, BluePearl, MedVet, Ethos), the local concentration of veterinary specialty hospitals and academic teaching hospitals, and AVMA-accredited veterinary school supply. The national median for Veterinarians sits at $137,334, but state-by-state pay across the 52 states tracked here ranges widely — from $96,239 in Puerto Rico to $176,632 in California.

This page compares the average veterinarian salary by state across 1677+ metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas — drawing on the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey for SOC 29-1131. If you're a working DVM evaluating relocation, a fourth-year AVMA-accredited DVM student selecting first-job placement, or a veterinary hospital administrator benchmarking pay across states, the state-level comparison below is the central reference point.

How Veterinarian Salary by State Is Measured

The BLS reports state-level veterinarian salary through three numbers:

• Annual median (50th percentile) — used to rank state-level pay in the table below.
• Annual mean (average) — typically runs 6–12% above median; states with strong specialty veterinary hospital concentration and corporate / PE consolidation show wider mean-median spreads.
• Percentile distribution (P10 / P25 / P75 / P90) — P10 reflects new-graduate associate DVMs at corporate small-animal practices; P90 reflects ABVS-board-certified specialists (oncology, cardiology, surgery, internal medicine, dermatology, ophthalmology, neurology, emergency & critical care, dentistry, behavior), academic faculty veterinarians, established owner-DVMs at independent practices, and senior associate veterinarians at specialty / 24-hour ER hospital groups.

The state-comparison table below applies BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) adjustment so both nominal pay and real purchasing power are visible.

1. State Corporate and PE Practice Consolidation

Veterinary practice consolidation has reshaped state-level DVM pay materially over the past decade:

• Major corporate groups — Mars Petcare (VCA Animal Hospitals, Banfield Pet Hospital, BluePearl Specialty + Emergency), NVA (National Veterinary Associates), Petco/Thrive Pet Healthcare, MedVet, Ethos Veterinary Health, PetVet Care Centers, Pathway Vet Alliance / Thrive, AmeriVet, Compassion-First Pet Hospitals (now part of NVA), Veterinary Practice Partners.
• Heavy consolidation states — Texas, Florida, California, North Carolina, Arizona, Colorado, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Georgia, Washington show heavy corporate footprint. Corporate practice pay anchors mid-range associate DVM pay with structured signing bonuses ($25,000–$75,000) and student-loan repayment programs.
• PE-backed specialty hospital expansion — large 24/7 specialty + ER hospital groups concentrate at high-population metros. Specialty DVM associates earn 30–60% above small-animal general-practice associate rates.
• Independent / non-corporate state markets — rural states, Mountain West, and rural Midwest retain stronger independent ownership culture. Owner-DVMs in low-corporate-density states have stronger acquisition-target valuations.

2. State Cost of Living and Income Tax

State cost of living drives nominal pay rankings; state income tax meaningfully affects DVM take-home:

• State cost of living — Hawaii, California, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Washington lead nominal veterinarian pay rankings.
• State income tax variation — DVMs in Texas, Florida, Tennessee, Nevada, Washington, Wyoming, South Dakota, Alaska, and New Hampshire keep more of every dollar. State income tax savings can reach $10,000–$25,000 annually for senior DVMs.
• State malpractice / professional liability — varies by state but generally low for veterinarians vs human-medicine peers.
• Pet-spending demographics — high-income urban metros (San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Boston, New York, Washington DC, Chicago, Denver, Austin, Miami) support premium small-animal practice pricing and DVM pay.

3. State Practice-Type Mix

The mix of small-animal companion, large-animal, equine, food-animal, mixed-animal, and specialty practice drives state-level DVM pay distribution:

• Small-animal companion practice — dominant nationally; urban-metro concentrated. California, Texas, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Washington, Colorado support strongest small-animal practice pay.
• Large-animal and food-animal practice — Midwest and Plains states (Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Texas, Oklahoma) support food-animal and bovine practice. Federal HPSA loan repayment available through USDA Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP) for rural food-animal practice.
• Equine practice — Kentucky (Lexington equine industry), Florida (Ocala/Wellington), Texas, California, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, Maryland concentrate strong equine practice markets. Equine DVMs earn variable income tied to client-base affluence.
• Mixed-animal rural practice — rural Midwest, Mountain West, Plains, Appalachian states. VMLRP loan repayment + lower COL drive real purchasing power.
• Wildlife, zoo, aquarium veterinary practice — niche; concentrate at major zoo states (San Diego CA, St Louis MO, Bronx NY, Washington DC, Omaha NE, Chicago IL, Tampa FL).

4. AVMA-Accredited Veterinary School Distribution and Specialty Density

Veterinary school distribution and ABVS specialty distribution shape upper-percentile pay:

• AVMA-accredited veterinary colleges — California (UC Davis, Western University), Texas (Texas A&M, Texas Tech), Florida (UF), New York (Cornell, Long Island University), Pennsylvania (Penn), Ohio (OSU), Georgia (UGA), North Carolina (NC State), Tennessee (UT, Lincoln Memorial), Missouri (Mizzou), Iowa (Iowa State), Wisconsin (UW), Minnesota (UMN), Michigan (MSU), Illinois (UIUC), Indiana (Purdue), Kansas (KSU), Oklahoma (OSU), Mississippi (MSU), Louisiana (LSU), Virginia/Maryland (Virginia-Maryland Regional), Massachusetts (Tufts), Colorado (CSU), Oregon (OSU), Washington (WSU), Auburn (Alabama). 30+ AVMA-accredited DVM programs. School-density states have larger DVM pipelines but typically also larger specialty hospital concentration.
• ABVS-board-certified specialists — 22+ AVMA-recognized specialty boards. Concentrate at academic medical center states and major specialty hospital metros. Specialists earn premium pay ($150,000–$300,000+).
• ECC (Emergency & Critical Care) specialist density — concentrate at 24/7 ER hospital markets (BluePearl, MedVet, Ethos, VCA Specialty footprint states).
• Veterinary dentistry, dermatology, ophthalmology, behavior — limited specialist supply; significant pay premium where boarded.

How to Compare Veterinarian Salary by State Effectively

When comparing the average veterinarian salary by state, work through this checklist:

• Compare nominal and real (cost-adjusted) pay together — a state with the highest nominal median can have lower real purchasing power if its cost of living is higher.
• Check state income tax — DVMs in Texas, Florida, Tennessee, Nevada, Washington, Wyoming, South Dakota, Alaska, and New Hampshire keep more of every dollar.
• Factor in corporate vs independent mix — heavy-consolidation states (TX, FL, CA, NC, AZ, CO, MA, PA, OH, GA, WA) anchor associate pay with signing bonuses; independent-heavy states support owner-DVM acquisition value.
• Compare percentile distribution, not just median — states with strong specialty hospital concentration show wide P75–P90 spreads.
• Verify USDA VMLRP eligibility — food-animal practice in HPSA-designated rural areas qualifies for federal loan repayment ($25,000/year up to 3 years).
• Consider specialty path — ABVS board certification adds 30–60% to associate-rate pay.
• Match practice-type plan to state — small-animal urban metros (CA, NY, MA, WA, CO, TX, FL); equine markets (KY, FL, TX, CA, NJ, VA, MD); large-animal rural (IA, KS, NE, SD, MN, WI, OK).

2026 State-Level Veterinarian Salary Outlook

Veterinarian pay has grown at a compound annual rate of 5.56% nationally over the past five years — driven by sustained pet-ownership growth post-pandemic, structural DVM shortage (DVM new-graduate supply has not kept pace with practice demand), aggressive corporate signing bonuses and student-loan repayment, growing specialty hospital footprint, rapid 24/7 ER/urgent-care expansion, and rising client willingness to pay for advanced diagnostics and specialty care. States with rapid corporate / PE consolidation (Texas, Florida, California, North Carolina, Arizona, Colorado, Massachusetts), states with strong specialty hospital expansion (every major academic medical center state), and HPSA rural food-animal states using VMLRP to recruit are seeing the fastest state-level pay growth through 2026. The BLS projects Veterinarians employment growth at 19% through 2033 — much faster than average — keeping strong upward pressure on state-level wages.

Browse the state-by-state comparison table below to see the $137,334-baseline state ranking, top 10 and bottom 10 states by projected median, regional groupings (Northeast / Midwest / South / West), and direct links to per-state pages for deeper city-level breakdown.