Veterinarians · SOC 29-1131

Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Veterinarianss

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025U.S. metropolitan areas

Metro areas ranked by published median annual wage for veterinarians. Areas where BLS suppressed the median are not ranked (3 such areas are excluded here). Higher medians often track higher living costs — this is a pay comparison, not a ranking of where the job is “best”.

Top 25 of 283 metro areas

Veterinarians: metro areas with the highest published median annual wages, May 2025
#	Metro area	Median annual	Employment	Per 1,000 jobs
1	San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$208,080	1,350	0.6
2	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$192,160	350	0.3
3	Napa, CA	$172,600	30	0.4
4	Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	$165,260	830	0.8
5	Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA	$164,820	130	1.3
6	Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ	$164,620	60	0.4
7	Barnstable Town, MA	$164,060	100	1.0
8	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	$163,810	1,330	0.6
9	Amherst Town-Northampton, MA	$163,630	60	0.9
10	Kennewick-Richland, WA	$163,520	60	0.5
11	Salinas, CA	$163,080	120	0.6
12	Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD	$162,930	700	0.5
13	Modesto, CA	$162,160	120	0.6
14	Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ	$161,060	1,480	0.6
15	Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	$160,860	660	0.4
16	Chico, CA	$160,180	60	0.8
17	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	$160,080	2,740	0.4
18	Lexington Park, MD	$159,990	50	0.7
19	San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	$159,750	1,080	0.7
20	Redding, CA	$159,010	60	0.8
21	Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA	$158,880	100	0.8
22	Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	$158,840	140	0.7
23	Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA	$158,810	290	0.9
24	Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	$158,770	210	1.0
25	Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA	$158,600	90	1.0

Full state and metro tables, the national distribution, and the pay map are on the Veterinarians overview.

About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.