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$65,120
- 2San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward$63,470
- 3Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue$59,840
- 4Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk$58,960
- 5New York-Newark-Jersey City$58,620
Best value (COL-adjusted)
- 1Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue$53,144
- 2Sacramento-Roseville-Arden-Arcade$52,293
- 3San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward$50,695
- 4San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara$50,677
- 5Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro$50,560
Sortable metro table
| # | Metro Area | Annual↓ | Hourly | Employed | COL | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $65,120 | $31.31 | 580 | 128.5 | $50,677 |
| 2 | San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA | $63,470 | $30.51 | 1,820 | 125.2 | $50,695 |
| 3 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $59,840 | $28.77 | 2,100 | 112.6 | $53,144 |
| 4 | Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT | $58,960 | $28.35 | 340 | 119.8 | $49,215 |
| 5 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | $58,620 | $28.18 | 6,240 | 122.3 | $47,931 |
| 6 | Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH | $56,280 | $27.06 | 2,380 | 114.7 | $49,067 |
| 7 | Sacramento-Roseville-Arden-Arcade, CA | $55,640 | $26.75 | 890 | 106.4 | $52,293 |
| 8 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $54,920 | $26.40 | 4,860 | 113.8 | $48,260 |
| 9 | San Diego-Carlsbad, CA | $54,380 | $26.14 | 1,240 | 113.2 | $48,039 |
| 10 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $53,240 | $25.60 | 1,340 | 105.3 | $50,560 |
| 11 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $52,860 | $25.41 | 2,680 | 115.4 | $45,806 |
| 12 | Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO | $51,380 | $24.70 | 1,980 | 108.2 | $47,486 |
| 13 | Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | $50,640 | $24.35 | 520 | 103.8 | $48,786 |
| 14 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $49,860 | $23.97 | 1,640 | 101.4 | $49,172 |
| 15 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $49,320 | $23.71 | 2,140 | 106.9 | $46,137 |
| 16 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | $48,640 | $23.38 | 3,280 | 102.8 | $47,315 |
| 17 | Austin-Round Rock, TX | $48,240 | $23.19 | 780 | 101.6 | $47,480 |
| 18 | Raleigh-Cary, NC | $47,680 | $22.92 | 620 | 97.4 | $48,953 |
| 19 | Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ | $46,840 | $22.52 | 1,860 | 100.1 | $46,793 |
| 20 | Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin, TN | $46,120 | $22.17 | 840 | 96.8 | $47,645 |
| 21 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $45,680 | $21.96 | 2,280 | 97.2 | $46,996 |
| 22 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $44,360 | $21.33 | 1,560 | 97.8 | $45,358 |
| 23 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $44,120 | $21.21 | 2,640 | 99.4 | $44,386 |
| 24 | Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | $43,560 | $20.94 | 2,180 | 97.1 | $44,861 |
| 25 | Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | $43,280 | $20.81 | 1,640 | 94.6 | $45,751 |
Source: BLS OEWS May 2024 (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
$65,120
Hourly
$31.31
Employed
580
COL-adjusted
$50,677
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA
Annual
$63,470
Hourly
$30.51
Employed
1,820
COL-adjusted
$50,695
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
Annual
$59,840
Hourly
$28.77
Employed
2,100
COL-adjusted
$53,144
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT
Annual
$58,960
Hourly
$28.35
Employed
340
COL-adjusted
$49,215
New York-Newark-Jersey City
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
Annual
$58,620
Hourly
$28.18
Employed
6,240
COL-adjusted
$47,931
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.