A Look at Veterinarian Salaries

A few facts and stats that tell the story of today’s compensation and financial situation of veterinarians, from graduates to those more established.

60.4%

Among new graduates, 60.4% entered into full-time employment, 27.9% into advanced education (internship, residencies, advanced degree), and 6.1% had no offers. This doesn’t include those who received an offer but hadn’t accepted or accepted part time employment. “Sixty percent (of graduates entering employment) is still a robust number of graduates at this time. Six percent (of graduates not receiving an offer) is not as high as it has been in the past. In early 2010, the excess capacity era, it was a lot higher,” Dr. Chris Doherty, AVMA’s assistant director for strategic business research and outreach, said in a presentation.

1.4:1

debt-to-income ratio

AVMA’s report found that the mean debt-to-income ratio (DIR) for new veterinarians entering into full-time employment is 1.4:1, indicating a debt that is 1.4 times the amount of the graduating veterinarian’s income. The mean DIR had been decreasing since 2021, reflecting the previously historic low interest rates and loan deferment from the past few years. However, in the past year, education debt has started to tick back up as interest rates have increased and borrowers are once again having to pay off their balances, according to the association.

81%

Regarding gender, the AVMA noted that 81% of 2024 veterinary graduates are female while 17% are male and the remainder are nonbinary, a gender not listed, or they preferred not to answer. Comparatively, 74% of the profession’s population are female and 24% are male with the rest found in the other categories.

$130,000

The starting pay for new veterinary school graduates who accepted a full-time job averaged about $130,000 in 2024, and established veterinarians earned a mean salary of about $150,000.

To read more insights from the AVMA on the 2025 State of the Profession Report go to: https://www.avma.org/news/gap-shrinks-between-new-graduate-overall-veterinary-salaries

Photo credits: istockphoto.com/malerapaso, istockphoto.com/Along4theRide