collageA veterinary nurse, sometimes referred to as a veterinary technician or technologist (depending on the degree), is a trained member of a health care team that diagnoses, treats and cares for animals. Vet tech colleges offer a variety of two-, three- and four-year programs to prepare for a career in the field of veterinary nursing. As of December 2020, the employment website Salary.com reported that the average veterinary nurse salary in the U.S. ranged from $23 to $28 per hour.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which tracks data and makes projections for nearly all civilian occupations, does not have a category titled “Veterinary Nurses.” Instead, it classifies veterinary paraprofessionals as “Veterinary Technologists and Technicians.” The BLS lists the 2019 median pay as $35,320 annually, or $16.98 per hour. Median pay means that half in the profession earned more, while half earned less.
As is the case with most jobs, earnings depend on a variety of factors, including employer and geographic location as well as the education and experience of the employee. On average, veterinary paraprofessionals earned the most in the District of Columbia ($60,290), Connecticut ($49,900), Nevada ($49,320), Virginia ($43,820) and New York ($43,700). Remember to take cost of living into consideration when comparing salaries different locations. Earnings may be higher in a large city versus a small town, but you may also pay a lot more for housing and services.
The BLS projects a 16 percent job growth rate for veterinary paraprofessionals through 2029. That’s a rate considered much faster than average when compared to all other jobs. Veterinarians are increasingly relying on paraprofessionals for lab work and general care of household pets. According to a 2019-2020 survey by the American Pet Products Association, 67 percent of American households have one or more pets. That equates to 84.9 million homes that potentially seek veterinary services.
As of Apr 23, 2021, the average annual pay for a Vet Nurse in California is $59,750 an year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $28.73 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,149/week or $4,979/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing salaries as high as $120,431 and as low as $17,696, the majority of Vet Nurse salaries currently range between $29,493 (25th percentile) to $75,207 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $103,226 annually in California.
The average pay range for a Vet Nurse varies greatly (as much as $45,714), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
Based on recent job posting activity on ZipRecruiter, the Vet Nurse job market in California is not very active as few companies are currently hiring.
California ranks number 4 out of 50 states nationwide for Vet Nurse salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Vet Nurse jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
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