Highest-paying cities for vet techs.
BLS metro-level data puts San Jose at $65,120 and San Francisco at $63,470. But high salaries often come with high living costs. The COL-adjusted column reveals where your money actually goes furthest.
Top 5 by raw salary
- 1San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara$68,370
- 2San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward$68,210
- 3Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue$62,510
- 4Sacramento-Roseville-Arden-Arcade$62,090
- 5New York-Newark-Jersey City$61,500
Best value (COL-adjusted)
- 1Sacramento-Roseville-Arden-Arcade$58,355
- 2Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington$57,337
- 3Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro$56,686
- 4Detroit-Warren-Dearborn$55,888
- 5Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue$55,515
Sortable metro table
| # | Metro Area | Annual↓ | Hourly | Employed | COL | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $68,370 | $32.87 | 470 | 128.5 | $53,206 |
| 2 | San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA | $68,210 | $32.79 | 1,220 | 125.2 | $54,481 |
| 3 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $62,510 | $30.05 | 1,170 | 112.6 | $55,515 |
| 4 | Sacramento-Roseville-Arden-Arcade, CA | $62,090 | $29.85 | 1,010 | 106.4 | $58,355 |
| 5 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | $61,500 | $29.57 | 4,850 | 122.3 | $50,286 |
| 6 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $61,420 | $29.53 | 3,640 | 113.8 | $53,972 |
| 7 | San Diego-Carlsbad, CA | $60,480 | $29.08 | 1,330 | 113.2 | $53,428 |
| 8 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $59,690 | $28.70 | 760 | 105.3 | $56,686 |
| 9 | Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT | $59,280 | $28.50 | 490 | 119.8 | $49,482 |
| 10 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $58,830 | $28.28 | 2,150 | 115.4 | $50,979 |
| 11 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $58,140 | $27.95 | 2,520 | 101.4 | $57,337 |
| 12 | Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO | $54,670 | $26.29 | 1,780 | 108.2 | $50,527 |
| 13 | Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH | $54,640 | $26.27 | 2,970 | 114.7 | $47,637 |
| 14 | Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | $53,490 | $25.72 | 580 | 103.8 | $51,532 |
| 15 | Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | $52,870 | $25.42 | 930 | 94.6 | $55,888 |
| 16 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | $51,810 | $24.91 | 3,250 | 102.8 | $50,399 |
| 17 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $50,820 | $24.43 | 3,370 | 106.9 | $47,540 |
| 18 | Raleigh-Cary, NC | $49,630 | $23.86 | 680 | 97.4 | $50,955 |
| 19 | Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ | $48,510 | $23.32 | 2,760 | 100.1 | $48,462 |
| 20 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $47,620 | $22.89 | 1,820 | 97.8 | $48,691 |
| 21 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $46,020 | $22.12 | 1,450 | 97.2 | $47,346 |
| 22 | Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin, TN | $45,160 | $21.71 | 470 | 96.8 | $46,653 |
| 23 | Austin-Round Rock, TX | $43,920 | $21.12 | 1,870 | 101.6 | $43,228 |
| 24 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $43,310 | $20.82 | 4,570 | 99.4 | $43,571 |
| 25 | Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | $42,810 | $20.58 | 3,570 | 97.1 | $44,089 |
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (SOC 29-2056) · BEA Regional Price Parities by MSA.
Top five metros up close
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
Annual
$68,370
Hourly
$32.87
Employed
470
COL-adjusted
$53,206
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA
Annual
$68,210
Hourly
$32.79
Employed
1,220
COL-adjusted
$54,481
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
Annual
$62,510
Hourly
$30.05
Employed
1,170
COL-adjusted
$55,515
Sacramento-Roseville-Arden-Arcade
Sacramento-Roseville-Arden-Arcade, CA
Annual
$62,090
Hourly
$29.85
Employed
1,010
COL-adjusted
$58,355
New York-Newark-Jersey City
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
Annual
$61,500
Hourly
$29.57
Employed
4,850
COL-adjusted
$50,286
The metro premium
Top-25 metros average about $51,200 for vet techs versus the national mean of $46,280 - roughly an 11 percent metro premium. Rural and non-metro markets compensate with lower cost of living, less positional competition, and in many states an expanded scope of practice driven by veterinarian shortages.
Quick comparison
- Top-25 metro avg$51,200
- National avg$46,280
- Non-metro avg (est.)$41,500
- Metro premium+10.6%
Metro pay deep dives
Bespoke pages for the four highest-paying US metros, covering metro pay, dominant employers, credentialing nuances, biotech and research employment, and cost-of-living adjustments.
See COL-adjusted state pay in the cost-of-living ranking.