Veterinarian Salary in Nevada
Veterinarians in Nevada earned a median annual wage of $125,550 in the Bureau of Labor Statistics' May 2025 estimates — $4,550, or 3%, below the national median of $130,100.
The near-match at the middle hides a distribution with a much higher floor and a lower ceiling than the nation's: the 10th percentile sits 34% above the national 10th percentile, while the 90th percentile sits 12% below the national 90th.
BLS counted 680 veterinarians in the state, 33rd among the 49 jurisdictions that publish a median.
10th percentile
$98,860
25th percentile
$119,500
75th percentile
$159,900
90th percentile
$189,620
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 state estimates — Nevada, SOC 29-1131 (Veterinarians). Retrieved 2026-09-16 from the BLS Public Data API.
How to read these figures
Nevada vs. the national figures
The Nevada median is below the national median by 3%. Among the 49 jurisdictions (states plus DC) where BLS publishes a veterinarian median for May 2025, it ranks 27th, and 33rd by estimated employment.
Differences are whole percentages, rounded half away from zero, computed from the figures shown.
Close at the median, but the floor and ceiling pull apart
At the median, Nevada sits close to the national figure but below it: $125,550 against $130,100, a difference of $4,550, or 3%.
The hourly median tells a similar story at $60.36 against $62.55, a difference of 4%.
Move away from the middle and the shape flips.
The Nevada 10th percentile is $98,860, 34% above the national 10th percentile of $73,920, and the 25th percentile is $119,500, 18% above the national 25th percentile.
The 75th percentile is $159,900, 4% below the national 75th, and the 90th percentile is $189,620, 12% below the national 90th of $215,700.
A veterinarian in Nevada benchmarking an offer against a national top-of-range figure would be comparing against a level the Nevada distribution does not reach.
A narrower band, weighted toward the floor
The middle half of Nevada veterinarians — the 25th to 75th percentile — earned between $119,500 and $159,900, a band $40,400 wide, narrower than the $64,660 national band.
Inside it, the median sits close to the floor: $125,550 is just $6,050 above the 25th percentile but $34,350 below the 75th.
From the 10th percentile to the 90th, Nevada spans $90,760, against $141,780 nationally.
A tighter, floor-heavy band means the typical earner sits close to the band's lower edge rather than its middle, but OEWS does not publish why the shape looks that way, so this page does not assign it to any particular kind of practice.
A comparatively small workforce, counted as people in jobs
BLS estimates that 680 veterinarians were employed in Nevada, 33rd among the 49 jurisdictions that publish a median, even though the state's median wage ranks 27th.
The figure is a headcount of people in jobs during the survey period.
It is not a count of open positions, and it says nothing about how quickly any one employer fills a role.
A smaller workforce also means the percentiles on this page describe a smaller group than they do in a larger state, so read them as this release's estimate for Nevada rather than a fixed benchmark.
What it takes to practise in Nevada
Practising veterinary medicine in Nevada takes a license from the Nevada State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners.
The standard route requires two exams: the Board's own state examination and the national exam approved by the Board and a national testing service — the NAVLE.
Nevada has no formal reciprocity, though the Board may waive the written exams at its discretion for an applicant who passed an approved exam within the previous 5 years, relying instead on oral interviews and practical demonstrations; a separate no-exam route exists for a diplomate of an approved AVMA certifying board, limited to that certification.
Licenses renew on an odd-year cycle, with the renewal application due May 15; the continuing-education hour count itself is set in the Nevada Administrative Code and is not stated in the sources this page draws from.
Those steps are the same wherever a job sits in the wage distribution; the full Nevada license requirements page covers each one with its citation.
Nevada State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners
Nevada licenses veterinarians through the Nevada State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners.
Required — the statute makes each initial applicant prove they passed every examination the Board requires under NRS 638.110, which pairs a Board-approved national testing service exam (the NAVLE) with the Board's own state examination; Nevada's own law does not restate a numeric passing score.
Renewal is on an odd-year cycle: the application is due May 15 of each odd-numbered year, and a license not renewed by August 31 of the odd year is forfeited; a forfeited license may be reinstated by paying the renewal fee, everything owed, and a $50 delinquency penalty for each month or fraction of a month it went unrenewed after June 30; the continuing-education hour count is set in the Nevada Administrative Code and is not stated in the sources read.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the median veterinarian salary in Nevada?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics' May 2025 estimate puts the Nevada median annual wage for veterinarians at $125,550, or $60.36 an hour.
Half of the veterinarians counted earned more and half earned less.
The national median in the same release is $130,100, so Nevada sits 3% below it — a narrow gap at the median that says nothing about what happens at the floor or ceiling of the range.
How much do the highest-paid veterinarians in Nevada earn?
The Nevada 90th percentile is $189,620, meaning one in ten veterinarians counted earned more than that.
Nationally the 90th percentile is $215,700, so the top of the Nevada distribution sits 12% below the national top.
At the 75th percentile the gap is smaller: $159,900 in Nevada against $166,120 nationally, a difference of 4%.
What does a veterinarian at the lower end of the Nevada range earn?
The Nevada 10th percentile is $98,860 and the 25th percentile is $119,500 — 34% and 18% above the national figures of $73,920 and $101,460.
Those percentiles mark positions in the wage distribution, not particular jobs or career stages, so they can't say what any one employer will offer.
They do show the floor of the Nevada range sits well above the national floor.
How many veterinarians work in Nevada?
BLS estimates 680 veterinarians were employed in Nevada in the May 2025 release, 33rd among the 49 jurisdictions that publish a veterinarian median.
That is a headcount of people in jobs during the survey period, not a count of job openings, so it says nothing about how many positions are currently available or how quickly they fill.
Do I need a Nevada license to work as a veterinarian there?
To practise veterinary medicine in Nevada you need a license from the Nevada State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners.
The route pairs the NAVLE with the Board's own state examination, and Nevada has no formal reciprocity for licensure.
The Nevada license requirements page on this site sets out each step and its citation; confirm current rules with the Board before you apply.
More Nevada Veterinarian Resources
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 state estimates — Nevada, 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)
- Nevada State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners — licensing pages, as summarised on the Nevada 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.