Veterinarian Salary in Indiana
Veterinarians in Indiana earned a median annual wage of $124,530 in the Bureau of Labor Statistics' May 2025 estimates — $5,570, or 4%, below the national median of $130,100.
The gap widens further from the middle: the state's 90th percentile sits well below the national one, and the overall distribution is markedly narrower.
Indiana counts 1,500 veterinarians, ranked 22nd among the 49 jurisdictions that publish a median — a workforce size that ranks noticeably higher than the state's 31st-place median.
10th percentile
$63,630
25th percentile
$99,800
75th percentile
$155,980
90th percentile
$173,810
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 state estimates — Indiana, SOC 29-1131 (Veterinarians). Retrieved 2026-09-16 from the BLS Public Data API.
How to read these figures
Indiana vs. the national figures
The Indiana median is below the national median by 4%. Among the 49 jurisdictions (states plus DC) where BLS publishes a veterinarian median for May 2025, it ranks 31st, and 22nd by estimated employment.
Differences are whole percentages, rounded half away from zero, computed from the figures shown.
Below the national median, and further behind at the top
At the median, Indiana sits below the national figure: $124,530 against $130,100, a difference of $5,570, or 4%.
The hourly median tells a similar story at $59.87 against $62.55, also 4% below.
The gap is not even across the range.
The Indiana 25th percentile is only 2% below the national 25th, while the 10th percentile is 14% below and the 75th is 6% below.
The widest gap sits at the top: the Indiana 90th percentile of $173,810 is 19% below the national 90th percentile of $215,700, meaning a veterinarian benchmarking an Indiana offer against the national top of the range would be comparing against a figure the Indiana distribution falls well short of.
A narrower spread than the national distribution
The middle half of Indiana veterinarians — everyone between the 25th and 75th percentiles — earned between $99,800 and $155,980, a band $56,180 wide.
The same band nationally is $64,660 wide, so the Indiana middle half is packed into a narrower range.
From the 10th percentile ($63,630) to the 90th ($173,810), Indiana spans $110,180, against $141,780 nationally — again a narrower spread.
The median sits closer to the floor of the band than the ceiling: it is $24,730 above the 25th percentile but $31,450 below the 75th.
OEWS publishes the distribution, not the reasons behind it, so this page does not assign the narrower shape to any particular kind of practice.
A mid-sized workforce, counted as people in jobs
BLS estimates that 1,500 veterinarians were employed in Indiana, 22nd among the 49 jurisdictions that publish a median — a mid-sized workforce, and notably a higher rank than the state's 31st-place median.
The figure is a headcount of people in jobs during the survey period, not a count of open positions, and it says nothing about how quickly any one employer fills a role.
Read the percentiles on this page as describing the pay of that group, and the employment figure as its size, with the two measuring different things.
What it takes to practise in Indiana
Practising veterinary medicine in Indiana takes a license from the Indiana Board of Veterinary Medicine.
Every applicant files a checklist-based application with an official NAVLE score report from the AAVSB, and first-time Indiana licensees also sit a short, Indiana-specific Juris Prudence Examination.
Renewal runs on a two-year cycle, with 40 hours of continuing education due October 15 of odd-numbered years, and CE is not required for the first renewal after initial licensure.
Those steps are the same wherever a job sits in the wage distribution; the full Indiana license requirements page covers each one with its citation.
Indiana Board of Veterinary Medicine
Indiana licenses veterinarians through the Indiana Board of Veterinary Medicine.
Every applicant files a checklist-based application with an official NAVLE score report from the AAVSB, and first-time Indiana licensees also pass a short, Indiana-specific multiple-choice Juris Prudence Examination.
40 hours of continuing education per biennium, due October 15 of odd-numbered years; CE is not required for the first renewal after initial licensure.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the median veterinarian salary in Indiana?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics' May 2025 estimate puts the Indiana median annual wage for veterinarians at $124,530, or $59.87 an hour.
Half of the veterinarians counted earned more and half earned less.
The national median in the same release is $130,100, so Indiana sits 4% below it.
Indiana ranks 31st among the 49 jurisdictions that publish a median, placing it in the lower half of the distribution by pay.
How much do the highest-paid veterinarians in Indiana earn?
The Indiana 90th percentile is $173,810, meaning one in ten veterinarians counted earned more than that.
Nationally the 90th percentile is $215,700, so the top of the Indiana distribution sits 19% below the national top — a wider gap than at the median.
At the 75th percentile the gap is smaller: $155,980 in Indiana against $166,120 nationally, a 6% difference.
What does a veterinarian at the lower end of the Indiana range earn?
The Indiana 10th percentile is $63,630 and the 25th percentile is $99,800 — 14% and 2% below the national figures of $73,920 and $101,460.
Those percentiles are positions in the wage distribution, not particular jobs or career stages, so they cannot tell you what a given employer will offer.
They do show the floor of the Indiana range sits meaningfully below the national one.
How many veterinarians work in Indiana?
BLS counted 1,500 veterinarians employed in Indiana in the May 2025 estimates, ranking the state 22nd among the 49 jurisdictions that publish a median.
That figure is a headcount of people already in jobs during the survey period, not a count of openings, and it says nothing about how easy or hard any one role is to fill.
Do I need an Indiana license to work as a veterinarian there?
To practise veterinary medicine in Indiana you need a license from the Indiana Board of Veterinary Medicine.
The route includes an official NAVLE score report routed through the AAVSB and, for first-time licensees, a short Indiana-specific Juris Prudence Examination.
The Indiana license requirements page on this site sets out each step and its citation; confirm current rules with the Board before you apply.
More Indiana Veterinarian Resources
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 state estimates — Indiana, SOC 29-1131 Veterinarians (BLS Public Data API) (retrieved 2026-09-16)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 national estimates — SOC 29-1131 Veterinarians (via O*NET OnLine) (retrieved 2026-08-15)
- Indiana Board of Veterinary Medicine — licensing pages, as summarised on the Indiana license requirements page (retrieved 2026-09-16)
Wage figures: BLS OEWS May 2025 state and national estimates, SOC 29-1131, retrieved 2026-09-16. Page last updated 2026-09-22.