Vet Assistants: Job, Salary, and School Information from The Riley Guide

Job Numbers and Growth

Vet assistants in the US number about 75,000. Compared to other occupations, unemployment is considered low.

Part-Time Work and Self-Employment

About 23% of employees work fewer than 40 hours per week. About 3% of vet assistants are self-employed.

Training and Education

Expect to need to get short-term on-the-job training if you pursue this occupation. 10% of employees have a bachelor's degree. 59 of people working as vet assistants have had some college education, but stopped short of a degree. About 31% of those working as workers have a high-school diploma, but no further education. Recommended schools are shown in the column to the right; request information from them to help you decide which, if any, could help you with this career.

Area Job Conditions

Jobs per capita for employees are most common in Blacksburg (Virginia), Raleigh (North Carolina), and Billings (Montana), and least common in Charlotte (North Carolina), Providence (Rhode Island), and Denver (Colorado).

Jobs for vet assistants pay the most in New Haven (Connecticut), Boston (Massachusetts), and Bethesda (Maryland), and the least in Las Cruces (New Mexico), Shreveport (Louisiana), and Midland (Texas).

Career Overview Video About Vet Assistants

Vet Assistants: Job and Salary Data by Metropolitan Area

The table below shows data for Vet Assistants, as of 2008. The Popularity in Area number tells you how common jobs for Vet Assistants are in the area, compared to other US metro areas. A value of 1.0 means an average number of people in the position for area population. Lower numbers mean fewer of these positions in the metro area. The most popular areas for Vet Assistants are starred .

State	Area	Positions	Typical Pay	Popularity in Area
Alabama	Auburn	70	$19,560	3.7
Alabama	Birmingham	480	$21,790	1.9
Alabama	Decatur	40	$20,030	1.7
Alabama	Huntsville	120	$17,760	1.2
Alabama	Mobile	110	$19,910	1.3
Alabama	Montgomery	170	$19,960	2.1
Alaska	Anchorage	40	$24,890	0.5
Arizona	Flagstaff	30	$20,670	1.3
Arizona	Kingman	80	$18,830	3.7
Arizona	Phoenix	590	$21,290	0.7
Arizona	Tucson	330	$19,520	1.9
Arkansas	Fayetteville	220	$21,790	2.4
Arkansas	Fort Smith	90	$18,400	1.7
Arkansas	Hot Springs	40	$22,290	2.6
Arkansas	Little Rock	260	$18,860	1.6
California	Bakersfield	140	$19,250	1.1
California	Chico	110	$22,510	3.6
California	Fresno	220	$22,630	1.4
California	Modesto	110	$24,290	1.4
California	Napa	30	$20,910	1.1
California	Oakland	520	$26,460	1
California	Redding	40	$20,030	1.4
California	Riverside	680	$26,480	1.1
California	Sacramento	530	$24,400	1.2
California	Salinas	50	$30,830	0.7
California	San Diego	1,160		1.8
California	San Francisco	520	$33,660	1.1
California	San Jose	370	$29,680	0.8
California	San Luis Obispo	140	$22,460	3.1
California	Santa Ana	650	$21,970	0.9
California	Santa Barbara	180	$25,640	2.3
California	Santa Cruz	100	$29,170	2.6
California	Santa Rosa	140	$27,010	1.6
California	Stockton	90	$26,060	0.9
California	Vallejo	110	$24,090	2
California	Visalia	50	$24,960	0.8
Colorado	Denver	240	$21,990	0.4
Connecticut	Bridgeport	340	$27,830	1.6
Connecticut	Hartford	340	$24,600	1.2
Connecticut	New Haven	180	$33,600	1.4
Delaware	Dover	50	$22,250	2.1
Delaware	Wilmington	180	$23,760	1.1
District of Columbia	Washington	1,880	$24,200	1.7
Florida	Cape Coral	140	$23,020	1.4
Florida	Deltona	90	$19,710	1.3
Florida	Fort Lauderdale	350	$19,360	1
Florida	Fort Walton Beach	40	$25,310	1.2
Florida	Gainesville	110	$18,010	2.1
Florida	Jacksonville	340	$21,350	1.2
Florida	Miami	300	$20,380	0.6
Florida	Naples	80	$19,990	1.5
Florida	Ocala	130	$18,990	3.1
Florida	Orlando	540	$19,450	1.1
Florida	Palm Bay	110	$20,270	1.2
Florida	Pensacola	170	$19,940	2.5
Florida	Port St Lucie	80	$22,170	1.4
Florida	Punta Gorda	40	$20,280	2.5
Florida	Sarasota	210	$19,910	1.7
Florida	Sebastian	50	$18,860	2.5
Florida	Tallahassee	120	$18,270	1.6
Florida	Tampa	860	$20,290	1.5
Florida	West Palm Beach	270	$21,020	1
Georgia	Athens	90	$23,150	2.7
Hawaii	Honolulu	170	$22,480	0.8
Idaho	Boise	150	$21,490	1.2
Illinois	Bloomington	30	$25,350	1
Illinois	Champaign	90	$20,650	2.2
Illinois	Chicago	1,570	$24,640	0.8
Illinois	Rockford	50	$18,140	0.7
Illinois	Springfield	70	$26,470	1.5
Indiana	Anderson	50	$24,030	3.1
Indiana	Bloomington	50	$19,640	1.7
Indiana	Evansville	80	$20,900	1
Indiana	Fort Wayne	70	$21,180	0.7
Indiana	Gary	210	$18,900	1.6
Indiana	Indianapolis	520	$22,960	1.2
Indiana	Lafayette	110	$23,770	3.3
Indiana	Muncie	40	$18,070	2.1
Indiana	South Bend	130	$21,810	2.1
Indiana	Terre Haute	30	$18,530	1
Iowa	Davenport	140	$19,090	1.6
Iowa	Des Moines	130	$19,740	0.8
Kansas	Lawrence	40	$20,770	2.1
Kansas	Topeka	130	$19,300	2.6
Kansas	Wichita	210	$18,020	1.4
Kentucky	Lexington	210	$20,920	1.8
Kentucky	Louisville	250	$20,590	0.8
Louisiana	Baton Rouge	280	$20,570	1.6
Louisiana	Lafayette	100	$24,150	1.5
Louisiana	Lake Charles	50	$18,480	1.3
Louisiana	Monroe	60	$19,810	1.7
Louisiana	New Orleans	480	$24,170	2
Louisiana	Shreveport	200	$18,040	2.5
Maine	Portland	100	$25,810	1.1
Maryland	Baltimore	1,500	$24,590	2.4
Maryland	Bethesda	630	$32,360	2.3
Maryland	Cumberland	50	$16,540	3.5
Maryland	Hagerstown	40	$19,460	0.9
Massachusetts	Barnstable Town	60	$25,690	1.3
Massachusetts	Boston	820	$31,940	1
Massachusetts	Haverhill	30	$26,020	0.9
Massachusetts	Lawrence	30	$24,650	1.2
Massachusetts	Leominster	30	$23,040	1.4
Massachusetts	Lowell	70	$27,670	1.3
Massachusetts	New Bedford	40	$30,370	1.4
Massachusetts	Springfield	130	$23,830	0.9
Michigan	Ann Arbor	80	$24,220	1
Michigan	Battle Creek	30	$24,500	1.5
Michigan	Detroit	550	$25,310	1.6
Michigan	Flint	70	$22,410	1.1
Michigan	Grand Rapids	120	$21,820	0.7
Michigan	Holland	40	$25,260	0.9
Michigan	Jackson	30	$18,970	1.4
Michigan	Kalamazoo	100	$23,440	1.6
Michigan	Lansing	170	$19,490	1.9
Michigan	Monroe	30	$22,150	1.9
Michigan	Niles	50	$22,740	1.9
Michigan	Saginaw	50	$25,170	1.5
Michigan	Warren	740	$21,940	1.3
Minnesota	Duluth	70	$23,240	1.2
Minnesota	Minneapolis	780	$22,580	0.9
Minnesota	Rochester	30	$23,690	0.7
Mississippi	Jackson	150	$20,180	1.3
Mississippi	Pascagoula	40	$20,540	2
Missouri	Columbia	50	$21,540	1.4
Missouri	Jefferson City	40	$22,240	1.3
Missouri	Kansas City	660	$20,350	1.3
Missouri	St Louis	1,280	$20,150	1.9
Montana	Billings	140	$21,440	3.9
Montana	Great Falls	40	$20,650	2.9
Montana	Missoula	30	$20,870	1.4
Nevada	Las Vegas	480	$21,430	1.1
Nevada	Reno	60	$18,370	0.6
New Hampshire	Manchester	40	$22,130	0.8
New Hampshire	Nashua	40	$18,940	0.6
New Jersey	Atlantic City	40	$19,970	0.6
New Jersey	Camden	270	$21,770	1.1
New Jersey	Edison	340	$21,540	0.7
New Jersey	Newark	370	$21,830	0.8
New Jersey	Ocean City	40	$19,390	2.3
New Jersey	Trenton	90	$23,730	0.9
New Jersey	Vineland	30	$22,430	1.2
New Mexico	Albuquerque	360	$25,840	1.9
New Mexico	Farmington	40	$21,470	1.8
New Mexico	Las Cruces	80	$16,910	3
New Mexico	Santa Fe	50	$27,250	1.8
New York	Binghamton	60	$20,110	1.3
New York	Ithaca	40	$29,140	2.3
New York	Kingston	30	$23,400	1.2
New York	Nassau	620	$25,660	1
New York	New York	1,410	$27,620	0.6
New York	Poughkeepsie	290	$24,050	2.6
New York	Rochester	170	$24,800	0.7
New York	Utica	40	$23,920	0.7
North Carolina	Asheville	230	$24,890	2.8
North Carolina	Burlington	40	$23,030	1.6
North Carolina	Charlotte	200	$21,910	0.5
North Carolina	Durham	290	$23,520	2.2
North Carolina	Fayetteville	80	$19,580	1.4
North Carolina	Goldsboro	40	$17,650	2.6
North Carolina	Greensboro	170	$24,320	1
North Carolina	Hickory	50	$20,940	0.7
North Carolina	Raleigh	1,040	$21,580	4.2
North Carolina	Wilmington	60	$19,580	0.9
North Carolina	Winston Salem	190	$22,070	1.9
Ohio	Akron	330	$26,510	2.1
Ohio	Cincinnati	440	$23,680	0.9
Ohio	Cleveland	470	$21,410	0.9
Ohio	Columbus	290	$24,150	0.6
Ohio	Toledo	120	$19,570	0.8
Oklahoma	Lawton	40	$17,660	2.7
Oregon	Bend	40	$25,260	1.3
Oregon	Eugene	200	$23,550	2.9
Oregon	Medford	80	$23,770	2.1
Oregon	Portland	650	$22,970	1.3
Oregon	Salem	100	$23,540	1.4
Pennsylvania	Allentown	160	$21,280	1
Pennsylvania	Erie	70	$20,550	1.2
Pennsylvania	Lancaster	150	$21,570	1.4
Pennsylvania	Lebanon	40	$28,940	2.1
Pennsylvania	Philadelphia	940	$24,550	1
Pennsylvania	Pittsburgh	460	$25,410	0.8
Pennsylvania	Reading	70	$22,360	0.9
Pennsylvania	State College	70	$28,560	2.9
Rhode Island	Providence	110	$24,930	0.4
South Carolina	Charleston	170	$18,870	1.2
South Carolina	Greenville	250	$20,550	1.7
South Carolina	Spartanburg	50	$20,550	0.9
South Dakota	Sioux Falls	30	$19,500	0.5
Tennessee	Clarksville	80	$16,460	2.4
Tennessee	Jackson	50	$22,410	2
Tennessee	Johnson City	50	$19,110	1.5
Tennessee	Kingsport	80	$18,400	1.5
Tennessee	Knoxville	220	$21,610	1.4
Tennessee	Memphis	340	$20,180	1.1
Tennessee	Morristown	50	$18,070	2.6
Tennessee	Nashville	270	$20,620	0.7
Texas	Austin	460	$21,190	1.2
Texas	Corpus Christi	70	$17,020	0.9
Texas	Dallas	520	$19,730	0.5
Texas	Fort Worth	230	$18,980	0.6
Texas	Houston	1,340	$20,440	1.1
Texas	Killeen	90	$18,260	1.7
Texas	Midland	40	$15,420	1.4
Texas	San Antonio	550	$19,800	1.3
Texas	Waco	40	$18,810	0.9
Utah	Ogden	70	$21,350	0.8
Utah	Provo	80	$20,270	1
Utah	Salt Lake City	180	$18,880	0.6
Vermont	Burlington	40	$22,670	0.8
Virginia	Blacksburg	120	$26,240	4.6
Virginia	Charlottesville	90	$21,320	2.2
Virginia	Lynchburg	170	$20,420	3.8
Virginia	Richmond	820	$22,150	2.8
Virginia	Roanoke	150	$18,390	2.1
Virginia	Virginia Beach	380	$20,310	1
Virginia	Winchester	80	$23,040	3.6
Washington	Bellingham	70	$22,090	2
Washington	Bremerton	50	$21,480	1.4
Washington	Kennewick	70	$22,250	1.8
Washington	Mount Vernon	30	$26,400	1.6
Washington	Olympia	70	$22,520	1.7
Washington	Seattle	820	$25,680	1.2
Washington	Spokane	260	$21,750	2.7
Washington	Tacoma	140	$20,390	1.1
Washington	Yakima	50	$23,510	1.4
West Virginia	Charleston	90	$18,760	1.4
West Virginia	Huntington	110	$19,700	2.2
West Virginia	Wheeling	60	$25,850	2.2
Wisconsin	Appleton	70	$21,830	1.4
Wisconsin	Janesville	50	$22,640	1.8
Wisconsin	La Crosse	30	$19,470	1
Wisconsin	Milwaukee	370	$20,750	0.9
Wisconsin	Oshkosh	40	$19,900	1.1
Wisconsin	Racine	80	$23,060	2.4
Wisconsin	Sheboygan	50	$20,760	2.1

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Vet Assistants