Veterinarian Salary in Montana
Veterinarians in Montana earned a median annual wage of $99,390 in the Bureau of Labor Statistics' May 2025 estimates — $30,710, or 24%, below the national median of $130,100.
The gap is widest in the lower half of the distribution: the Montana 25th percentile trails the national 25th percentile by 34%, more than the gap at the median or at the top.
The state's workforce is comparatively small: 510 veterinarians, ranking 39th of 49 jurisdictions by employment and 46th of 49 by median wage.
10th percentile
$51,390
25th percentile
$66,830
75th percentile
$130,870
90th percentile
$183,190
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 state estimates — Montana, SOC 29-1131 (Veterinarians). Retrieved 2026-09-16 from the BLS Public Data API.
How to read these figures
Montana vs. the national figures
The Montana median is below the national median by 24%. Among the 49 jurisdictions (states plus DC) where BLS publishes a veterinarian median for May 2025, it ranks 46th, and 39th by estimated employment.
Differences are whole percentages, rounded half away from zero, computed from the figures shown.
Below the national median everywhere — but not by the same amount
Every percentile in Montana sits below its national counterpart, but the size of the gap is not steady across the range.
At the 10th percentile Montana is 30% below the national figure ($51,390 against $73,920), and at the 25th percentile the gap widens further to 34% ($66,830 against $101,460) — the widest gap on this page.
From there the gap narrows: the median trails the national median by 24% ($99,390 against $130,100), the 75th percentile trails by 21% ($130,870 against $166,120), and the 90th percentile trails by only 15% ($183,190 against $215,700).
The hourly median follows the same pattern as the annual median, at $47.78 against a national $62.55, also a 24% gap.
A veterinarian benchmarking a Montana offer against national percentile figures should expect the comparison to look worst in the lower-middle of the range and closest to par at the top.
A band nearly as wide as the nation's, sitting lower
The middle half of Montana veterinarians — everyone between the 25th and 75th percentiles — earned between $66,830 and $130,870, a band $64,040 wide.
The same band nationally is $64,660 wide, almost the same width even though it sits $30,710 higher at the median.
The full spread, from the 10th percentile ($51,390) to the 90th ($183,190), covers $131,800, narrower than the national span of $141,780.
Inside the middle band, the Montana median of $99,390 sits close to the center, $32,560 above the 25th percentile and $31,480 below the 75th.
The two tails move in different directions: the gap from the 10th to the 25th percentile is $15,440 in Montana against $27,540 nationally — narrower — while the gap from the 75th to the 90th is $52,320 in Montana against $49,580 nationally — wider.
OEWS publishes the shape of the distribution, not what produces it, so this page does not attribute either tail to any particular kind of practice.
A modestly sized workforce
BLS estimates that 510 veterinarians were employed in Montana, ranking 39th of the 49 jurisdictions that publish a median — one of the smaller state workforces in this series.
The figure is a headcount of people in jobs during the survey period, not a count of open positions, and a smaller sample can leave each percentile more sensitive to the particular practices captured in the survey.
The state also ranks 46th of 49 by median wage, so a comparatively small workforce and a below-national median arrive together in this row, though OEWS does not say whether the two are related.
What it takes to practise in Montana
Practising veterinary medicine in Montana takes a license from the Montana Board of Veterinary Medicine.
A first-time applicant must pass the NAVLE within 62 months of the application date and complete an open-book state jurisprudence exam bundled with the application itself.
A veterinarian already licensed elsewhere completes the same jurisprudence exam and can meet the national-exam requirement through one of three options.
Montana requires 20 hours of continuing education, reported every even-numbered year, with a September 1 through November 1 renewal window.
Those steps are the same wherever a job sits in the wage distribution; the full Montana license requirements page covers each one with its citation.
Montana Board of Veterinary Medicine
Montana licenses veterinarians through the Montana Board of Veterinary Medicine.
Montana requires the NAVLE, and the Board's rule sets its own recency test: the exam must have been passed within 62 months — five years and two months — of the application date.
20 hours of continuing education, reported every even-numbered year; the renewal window runs September 1 through November 1, with a 45-day late grace period.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the median veterinarian salary in Montana?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics' May 2025 estimate puts the Montana median annual wage for veterinarians at $99,390, or $47.78 an hour.
Half of the veterinarians counted earned more and half earned less.
The national median in the same release is $130,100, so Montana sits 24% below it, and the hourly figures show the same 24% gap.
Montana's median ranks 46th of the 49 jurisdictions that publish one.
How much do the highest-paid veterinarians in Montana earn?
The Montana 90th percentile is $183,190, meaning one in ten veterinarians counted earned more than that.
Nationally the 90th percentile is $215,700, so the top of the Montana range sits 15% below the national top — the smallest gap of any percentile on this page.
At the 75th percentile the gap is wider: $130,870 in Montana against $166,120 nationally, a 21% difference.
What does a veterinarian at the lower end of the Montana range earn?
The Montana 10th percentile is $51,390 and the 25th percentile is $66,830 — 30% and 34% 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 that the lower end of the Montana range falls furthest below the national one at the 25th percentile.
How many veterinarians work in Montana?
BLS estimates 510 veterinarians employed in Montana, ranking 39th of the 49 jurisdictions that publish a median.
The figure counts people in jobs during the survey period, not open positions, so it says nothing about how many roles employers are currently trying to fill.
It is a measure of the size of the profession in the state.
Do I need a Montana license to work as a veterinarian there?
To practise veterinary medicine in Montana you need a license from the Montana Board of Veterinary Medicine.
The route includes the NAVLE, subject to a 62-month recency window, and an open-book state jurisprudence exam included with the application.
The Montana license requirements page on this site sets out each step and its citation; confirm current rules with the Board before you apply.
More Montana Veterinarian Resources
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 state estimates — Montana, 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)
- Montana Board of Veterinary Medicine — board home and licensing pages, as summarised on the Montana 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.