Vet techs provide animal care.
Veterinary technologists and technicians assist veterinarians in caring for animals. Although specific job duties vary by employer, the tasks performed by technicians and technologists are often similar, even though veterinary technician training is usually a two-year program and veterinary technologist training is usually a four-year program. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median salary for a vet tech as of May 2009 was $29,280, with 50 percent earning between $23,990 and $35,880.
Licensing
While some states license vet techs, in other states, vet techs are registered or certified. All states require that vet techs pass a credentialing exam before they can work. Most states use the National Veterinary Technician exam, although in some states the State Board of Veterinary Examiners or another state agency may administer its own exam.
Salary by Industry
According to the BLS, vet techs held about 79,200 jobs in 2009, with more than 90 percent working in veterinary services with an annual mean salary of $30,000. Others worked in boarding kennels, animal shelters, rescue leagues and zoos. The highest mean salaries were with the federal government (650 jobs) at $47,020 and general medical and surgical hospitals (60 jobs) at $42,410.
Salary by State
According to the BLS, the states with the highest mean annual salaries for vet techs, as of May 2009, were Connecticut at $36,360, New York at $36,250, District of Columbia at $36,160 and California at $35,720. In contrast, the mean annual salary in Rhode Island was $32,160; New Hampshire, $31,420; Vermont, $30,960; and Colorado, $29,620.
Salary by Experience
According to the website PayScale.com, as of December 2010, vet tech salaries by years of experience were $20,108 to $30,888 for less than one year, $21,043 to $33,296 for one to four years, $25,565 to $39,550 for five to nine years, $29,045 to $44,037 for 10 to 19 years, and $30,544 to $43,322 for 20 years or more. This data reflects only current job listings and may not represent vet tech salaries as a whole.
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