Vet tech salary, all 51 areas ranked.
BLS OEWS May 2025 state medians for veterinary technologists and technicians (SOC 29-2056). District of Columbia leads at $61,270; Louisiana trails at $35,530, against a national median of $47,380. The COL index column normalises to BEA Regional Price Parities so a $50K paycheck in Texas can be compared with $60K in California honestly.
The table shows the median and the mean separately. They are not the same thing and the gap can be wide: Alaska has a mean of $63,720 but a median of $46,480, because a handful of high earners pull the average up on a workforce of a few hundred. Rankings on this page use the median, which is the figure comparable with the national number quoted everywhere else on the site.
| # | State | Median↓ | Mean | Hourly (median) | Employed | BEA RPP | COL-Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $61,270 | $65,370 | $29.46 | 120 | 109.9 | $55,751 |
| 2 | California | $60,630 | $61,400 | $29.15 | 11,310 | 110.7 | $54,770 |
| 3 | Washington | $59,740 | $59,940 | $28.72 | 2,290 | 107.0 | $55,832 |
| 4 | New York | $59,010 | $61,080 | $28.37 | 5,350 | 107.9 | $54,690 |
| 5 | Minnesota | $57,270 | $55,470 | $27.54 | 3,560 | 98.6 | $58,083 |
| 6 | Oregon | $55,810 | $56,570 | $26.83 | 1,120 | 103.4 | $53,975 |
| 7 | Virginia | $52,090 | $54,480 | $25.04 | 2,790 | 101.1 | $51,523 |
| 8 | Connecticut | $50,950 | $55,300 | $24.49 | 1,690 | 103.6 | $49,180 |
| 9 | Maine | $50,810 | $51,720 | $24.43 | 910 | 97.0 | $52,381 |
| 10 | Nevada | $50,250 | $53,450 | $24.16 | 1,120 | 100.0 | $50,250 |
| 11 | Michigan | $49,710 | $51,360 | $23.90 | 2,550 | 96.2 | $51,674 |
| 12 | Colorado | $49,650 | $52,010 | $23.87 | 3,720 | 103.1 | $48,157 |
| 13 | Massachusetts | $49,540 | $53,170 | $23.82 | 3,990 | 105.8 | $46,824 |
| 14 | Vermont | $49,490 | $50,670 | $23.80 | 390 | 98.0 | $50,500 |
| 15 | New Jersey | $49,050 | $52,780 | $23.58 | 2,910 | 108.8 | $45,083 |
| 16 | North Dakota | $48,790 | $47,680 | $23.46 | 340 | 89.0 | $54,820 |
| 17 | New Hampshire | $48,780 | $50,840 | $23.45 | 870 | 104.2 | $46,814 |
| 18 | Indiana | $48,720 | $48,480 | $23.43 | 1,820 | 93.3 | $52,219 |
| 19 | Hawaii | $48,550 | $49,460 | $23.34 | 270 | 110.0 | $44,136 |
| 20 | Delaware | $48,370 | $48,740 | $23.25 | 530 | 99.8 | $48,467 |
| 21 | Ohio | $47,990 | $47,900 | $23.07 | 4,790 | 92.8 | $51,713 |
| 22 | North Carolina | $47,620 | $48,120 | $22.89 | 2,580 | 94.3 | $50,498 |
| 23 | Maryland | $47,350 | $52,730 | $22.77 | 2,540 | 105.0 | $45,095 |
| 24 | Wisconsin | $47,020 | $48,210 | $22.61 | 2,590 | 94.1 | $49,968 |
| 25 | Alaska | $46,480 | $63,720 | $22.35 | 380 | 102.4 | $45,391 |
| 26 | Illinois | $46,440 | $49,980 | $22.33 | 5,040 | 100.0 | $46,440 |
| 27 | Pennsylvania | $46,430 | $47,270 | $22.32 | 6,620 | 97.6 | $47,572 |
| 28 | Florida | $46,380 | $46,300 | $22.30 | 11,380 | 103.4 | $44,855 |
| 29 | Arizona | $46,300 | $47,470 | $22.26 | 3,970 | 100.7 | $45,978 |
| 30 | Kansas | $45,810 | $46,440 | $22.02 | 1,270 | 90.1 | $50,844 |
| 31 | Iowa | $45,560 | $47,010 | $21.90 | 1,220 | 87.8 | $51,891 |
| 32 | Rhode Island | $45,310 | $49,590 | $21.78 | 530 | 102.3 | $44,291 |
| 33 | South Dakota | $45,300 | $43,660 | $21.78 | 300 | 88.6 | $51,129 |
| 34 | New Mexico | $44,790 | $43,190 | $21.53 | 890 | 92.2 | $48,579 |
| 35 | Nebraska | $43,680 | $44,490 | $21.00 | 690 | 90.1 | $48,479 |
| 36 | Missouri | $43,520 | $42,600 | $20.92 | 2,040 | 90.8 | $47,930 |
| 37 | Georgia | $43,060 | $43,720 | $20.70 | 2,410 | 96.3 | $44,714 |
| 38 | Tennessee | $42,810 | $43,960 | $20.58 | 1,640 | 91.9 | $46,583 |
| 39 | Idaho | $42,120 | $42,300 | $20.25 | 790 | 95.5 | $44,105 |
| 40 | Montana | $41,170 | $44,140 | $19.79 | 480 | 94.6 | $43,520 |
| 41 | Utah | $40,560 | $42,140 | $19.50 | 1,550 | 98.9 | $41,011 |
| 42 | Kentucky | $39,590 | $40,880 | $19.03 | 1,670 | 90.2 | $43,891 |
| 43 | Texas | $39,410 | $42,030 | $18.95 | 16,730 | 97.1 | $40,587 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $39,100 | $42,000 | $18.80 | 1,060 | 87.8 | $44,533 |
| 45 | South Carolina | $39,020 | $43,330 | $18.76 | 2,540 | 93.7 | $41,644 |
| 46 | Wyoming | $38,650 | $39,170 | $18.58 | 310 | 92.7 | $41,694 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $38,360 | $38,490 | $18.44 | 320 | 86.9 | $44,143 |
| 48 | West Virginia | $37,700 | $39,230 | $18.13 | 400 | 89.5 | $42,123 |
| 49 | Alabama | $36,590 | $36,600 | $17.59 | 1,880 | 88.8 | $41,205 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $36,380 | $37,230 | $17.49 | 650 | 87.0 | $41,816 |
| 51 | Louisiana | $35,530 | $35,980 | $17.08 | 2,220 | 88.2 | $40,283 |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025, SOC 29-2056 + BEA Regional Price Parities by State (SARPP), all items, 2024. COL-adjusted = median ÷ COL × 100. Snapshot 2026-09-06. Both sources are US federal statistics and in the public domain.
States with the highest BLS medians
- 1District of ColumbiaNortheast$61,270
- 2CaliforniaWest$60,630
- 3WashingtonWest$59,740
- 4New YorkNortheast$59,010
- 5MinnesotaMidwest$57,270
Best real purchasing power
- 1MinnesotaCOL 98.6$58,083
- 2WashingtonCOL 107.0$55,832
- 3District of ColumbiaCOL 109.9$55,751
- 4North DakotaCOL 89.0$54,820
- 5CaliforniaCOL 110.7$54,770
Adjusted = raw salary ÷ BEA RPP × 100. See full COL ranking.
Average of state medians by region
Northeast
$50,530
West
$48,510
Midwest
$47,484
Southwest
$42,400
Southeast
$41,261
State-specific pay deep dives
Bespoke pages for the 10 largest vet tech employment states, covering credential type (CVT/LVT/RVT), metro pay distribution, academic medical centers, research employment, and cost-of-living adjusted pay.
Use the homepage salary estimator to combine state with specialty, credential, experience, and setting.