Veterinarian Salary in Ohio
Veterinarians in Ohio earned a median annual wage of $125,060 in the Bureau of Labor Statistics' May 2025 estimates — $5,040, or 4%, below the national median of $130,100.
Ohio ranks 29th of the 49 jurisdictions that publish a median.
The state's floor sits far below the national one even as the middle and top stay close to it, and the workforce is large: 3,430 veterinarians, 5th among those same 49 jurisdictions.
10th percentile
$54,050
25th percentile
$88,750
75th percentile
$156,330
90th percentile
$207,190
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 state estimates — Ohio, SOC 29-1131 (Veterinarians). Retrieved 2026-09-16 from the BLS Public Data API.
How to read these figures
Ohio vs. the national figures
The Ohio 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 29th, and 5th by estimated employment.
Differences are whole percentages, rounded half away from zero, computed from the figures shown.
Below the national median, with a much bigger gap at the floor
Ohio sits below the national median at every percentile the Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes, but the gap is not even across the distribution.
At the median, Ohio's $125,060 is $5,040, or 4%, below the national $130,100, and the hourly median tells a similar story: $60.12 against $62.55, also 4% behind.
The gap is far wider at the floor.
The Ohio 10th percentile is $54,050, 27% below the national 10th percentile of $73,920, and the 25th percentile is $88,750, 13% below the national $101,460.
Higher up, the gap narrows again: the 75th percentile is $156,330, 6% below the national $166,120, and the 90th percentile is $207,190, 4% below the national $215,700.
For someone benchmarking an offer against national figures, the lower end of the Ohio range is where the comparison matters most.
A slightly wider spread, driven by the low end
The middle half of Ohio veterinarians — everyone between the 25th and 75th percentiles — earned between $88,750 and $156,330, a band $67,580 wide.
The same band nationally is $64,660 wide, so the Ohio middle half spreads across a slightly larger range than the national one.
From the 10th percentile ($54,050) to the 90th ($207,190), Ohio spans $153,140, against $141,780 nationally.
The median, $125,060, sits well above the low end of its own band at $88,750.
OEWS does not publish why the range is shaped this way, so this page does not assign the spread to any particular kind of practice or employer.
A large workforce despite a middling median
BLS estimates that 3,430 veterinarians were employed in Ohio, 5th among the 49 jurisdictions that publish a median — even though Ohio's median wage ranks only 29th among the same 49 jurisdictions.
The employment 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 employer fills a role.
Read the two ranks together and OEWS shows a state with one of the larger veterinary workforces in the country alongside a median that sits well down the pay ranking, without indicating why.
What it takes to practise in Ohio
Practising veterinary medicine in Ohio takes a license from the State Veterinary Medical Licensing Board.
The route runs through a single national exam — board rules set the passing standard, since the statute names no exam by brand and no numeric score — after graduating from a board-approved or AVMA-accredited college, or certifying through ECFVG or PAVE.
An out-of-state veterinarian moves under § 4741.12 reciprocity rather than retaking the exam, and a nonresident can work short stints on a six-month temporary permit.
Licenses renew every two years against 30 hours of continuing education.
Those steps are the same wherever a job sits in the wage distribution; the full Ohio license requirements page covers each one with its citation.
State Veterinary Medical Licensing Board (ORC §4741.02)
Ohio licenses veterinarians through the State Veterinary Medical Licensing Board (ORC § 4741.02).
Required — § 4741.11 requires passage of the nationally recognized examination approved by the State Veterinary Medical Licensing Board in accordance with board-adopted rules; the statute names no exam by brand and restates no numeric passing score, so the target is the passing standard the board's rules and the testing entity currently set.
Thirty hours of continuing education during the two years immediately preceding each renewal, with form and content set by board rule; licenses expire biennially on March 1 of even-numbered years (§ 4741.16).
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the median veterinarian salary in Ohio?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics' May 2025 estimate puts the Ohio median annual wage for veterinarians at $125,060, or $60.12 an hour.
Half of the veterinarians counted earned more and half earned less.
The national median in the same release is $130,100, so Ohio sits 4% below it, and Ohio ranks 29th among the 49 jurisdictions that publish a median.
How much do the highest-paid veterinarians in Ohio earn?
The Ohio 90th percentile is $207,190, meaning one in ten veterinarians counted earned more than that — 4% below the national 90th percentile of $215,700.
At the 75th percentile the gap is larger in percentage terms: $156,330 in Ohio against $166,120 nationally, a 6% difference.
The top of the Ohio range trails the national top by a similar margin to the median.
What does the lower end of the Ohio range look like?
The Ohio 10th percentile is $54,050 and the 25th percentile is $88,750 — 27% and 13% below the national figures of $73,920 and $101,460.
Those percentiles are positions in the wage distribution, not particular jobs or career stages.
They do show that the floor of the Ohio range sits much further below the national floor than the gap at the median suggests.
How many veterinarians work in Ohio?
BLS estimates 3,430 veterinarians employed in Ohio, 5th among the 49 jurisdictions that publish a median — a larger workforce than the state's 29th-place median rank might suggest.
The figure counts people in jobs during the survey period, not open positions, so it says nothing about how easy or hard a role is to fill.
Do I need an Ohio license to work as a veterinarian there?
To practise veterinary medicine in Ohio you need a license from the State Veterinary Medical Licensing Board.
The route requires a board-approved or AVMA-accredited degree, or ECFVG/PAVE certification, and the nationally recognized examination the board's rules set the standard for.
The Ohio license requirements page on this site covers each step and its citation; confirm current rules with the board before you apply.
More Ohio Veterinarian Resources
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 state estimates — Ohio, 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)
- State Veterinary Medical Licensing Board — licensing pages, as summarised on the Ohio 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.