Veterinary Assistant Salary in 2026: Hourly and Annual Pay
25th percentile
$35,660
Median (50th)
$38,150
75th percentile
$45,710
90th percentile
$49,150
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 national release — SOC 31-9096, Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers (a combined occupation).
The median pay for a veterinary assistant, the job many people search for as a vet tech assistant, is $38,150 a year, or about $18.34 an hour, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release.
The middle half earn between $35,660 and $45,710 a year.
The lowest-paid 10% earn $30,120 or less, and the top 10% earn $49,150 or more.
BLS counts veterinary assistants together with laboratory animal caretakers (SOC 31-9096), so read these figures as a benchmark rather than clinic pay alone; in veterinary clinics specifically, the median is $37,930.
How Much Does a Veterinary Assistant Make an Hour?
At the national median of $38,150 a year, a veterinary assistant makes about $18.34 an hour, $734 a week or $3,179 a month before taxes.
The middle half of veterinary assistants earn about $17.14 to $21.98 an hour, and the top 10% earn $23.63 an hour or more.
Hourly, weekly and monthly figures are our calculations from the BLS OEWS May 2025 annual figures for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers (SOC 31-9096): annual ÷ 2,080 hours (the 40-hour, 52-week year BLS uses to annualize wages), ÷ 52 weeks and ÷ 12 months.
To estimate part-time pay, multiply an hourly figure by the hours worked.
Veterinary Assistant Compensation Structure
Compensation for veterinary assistantsvaries significantly by employment type.
Here's how the most common structures break down:
Bottom 10%
Typically new hires with no prior animal-care experience and lower-cost-of-living markets.
$30,120 or less
Middle 50%
The band most postings fall in — roughly $17 to $22 per hour.
$35,660–$45,710
Median
About $18.34/hr.
Half of workers in this occupation earn more than this, half less.
$38,150
Top 10%
Concentrated in higher-cost metros and settings that pay above the clinic norm, such as research/laboratory animal care.
$49,150 or more
Veterinary Assistant Salary by Setting
Both figures are BLS OEWS May 2025 medians for the same occupation code (SOC 31-9096); the veterinary-services row isolates workers employed in veterinary clinics specifically, while the all-industries row also includes laboratory animal caretakers working outside clinical practice.
What Affects Veterinary Assistant Salary?
Two caveats matter more here than for most roles on this site, and both push in the same direction: read this figure as a directional benchmark, not a precise read on clinic pay.
The first is the occupation itself.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics groups veterinary assistants together with laboratory animal caretakers under a single code, SOC 31-9096.
Laboratory animal caretakers work in research facilities and universities, not veterinary clinics, so the national figures above describe both groups combined — not clinic assistants alone.
The second is industry mix.
Look at the same occupation filtered to veterinary services specifically (NAICS 541940) and the median comes in slightly lower, at $37,930 rather than $38,150 — see the setting breakdown below.
That is the more representative number if you work, or plan to work, in a clinic rather than a lab.
Beyond those two caveats, the usual drivers apply: practice type, region, and whether the employer distinguishes assistant pay from credentialed veterinary technician pay, which sits meaningfully higher at a national median of $47,380.
Wages also vary substantially by state; per-state pages built on the same OEWS release are being added one state at a time — the directory below lists those published so far.
Veterinary Assistant Salary by State
Of the 51 jurisdictions below, Rhode Island ($49,770), Washington, DC ($49,080) and Massachusetts ($46,670) have the highest median pay.
The guide to the highest-paying states for veterinary assistants compares the top- and bottom-paying states.
What Veterinary Assistant Job Listings Show Right Now
From the 2,383 active veterinary assistant listings on VeterinaryHires as of November 1, 2026.
Employers with the most openings
Where the openings are
- California296
- Texas192
- Florida187
- North Carolina125
- New York104
Pay employers post
- Median $20 an hour; the middle half of posted pay runs $18–$22 (413 listings that state an hourly rate)
- 17% of veterinary assistant listings state any pay at all.
Benefits listings name
- Dental & Visionnamed in 87%
- Health Insurancenamed in 83%
- PTO / Paid Time Offnamed in 73%
- 401k Matchnamed in 57%
- Pet Care Discountnamed in 47%
Source: active veterinary assistant listings on VeterinaryHires, updated daily. Pay figures use only listings that state pay (midpoint of each posted range). Benefits count listings that name the benefit; a listing that doesn’t mention one may still offer it.
Browse 2,383 jobs →Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a veterinary assistant make an hour?
About $18.34 an hour at the median.
That is the $38,150 annual median from the BLS OEWS May 2025 release (SOC 31-9096, Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers) divided by 2,080 hours, the full-time year BLS uses to annualize wages.
The middle half work out to $17.14 to $21.98 an hour, and the 90th percentile to $23.63.
An employer's posted rate, your state and your hours decide what you actually earn.
How much does a veterinary assistant make a month?
About $3,179 a month before taxes at the median: the $38,150 annual median from the BLS OEWS May 2025 release (SOC 31-9096, Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers) divided by 12.
The middle half works out to $2,972 to $3,809 a month, and the 90th percentile to $4,096.
BLS publishes annual and hourly wages, not monthly ones, so these monthly figures are calculations from its annual numbers.
What is the salary range for a veterinary assistant?
In the BLS OEWS May 2025 release (SOC 31-9096, Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers), the middle half of veterinary assistants earn $35,660 to $45,710 a year, about $17.14 to $21.98 an hour.
The median is $38,150 ($18.34 an hour), and 10% earn $49,150 ($23.63 an hour) or more.
These are national figures for the whole occupation, not adjusted for cost of living; the state pages below show local medians.