Washington, D.C., California, Washington, New York and Minnesota posted the five highest state median veterinary technician salaries in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release (SOC 29-2056), each 21% to 29% above the $47,380 national median.
Unlike the veterinarian occupation, every one of the 50 states plus D.C. published an estimate for vet techs — no state was too thin to report.
Every figure below comes from that same BLS state-level release.
The five highest-paying states for vet techs
The BLS OEWS May 2025 release covers veterinary technologists and technicians (SOC 29-2056) in all 50 states plus Washington, D.C. — the fullest coverage of any occupation on this site.
Ranked by median annual wage, five jurisdictions clear every other state by a wide margin:
| Rank | State | Median | 25th–75th percentile | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington, D.C. | $61,270 | $50,390–$80,030 | +29% |
| 2 | California | $60,630 | $51,570–$64,100 | +28% |
| 3 | Washington | $59,740 | $50,700–$64,480 | +26% |
| 4 | New York | $59,010 | $50,410–$66,310 | +25% |
| 5 | Minnesota | $57,270 | $49,080–$60,560 | +21% |
All five sit between 21% and 29% above the $47,380 national median.
Washington, D.C.'s figure is worth reading carefully: its 25th–75th percentile band ($50,390–$80,030) is unusually wide for a $61,270 median, and the district's reported technician employment (120) is the smallest of the five — small samples move more from release to release than large ones.
For the full national percentile breakdown and what drives pay within any one state, see the national veterinary technician salary page.
The five lowest-paying states, for contrast
At the other end of the same release, five states post the lowest published veterinary technician medians:
| Rank | State | Median | 25th–75th percentile | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Louisiana | $35,530 | $30,320–$38,240 | −25% |
| 2 | Mississippi | $36,380 | $31,220–$39,250 | −23% |
| 3 | Alabama | $36,590 | $30,210–$38,940 | −23% |
| 4 | West Virginia | $37,700 | $31,330–$44,860 | −20% |
| 5 | Arkansas | $38,360 | $32,360–$43,940 | −19% |
The spread between the top and bottom published states is substantial — Washington, D.C.'s median runs roughly 72% above Louisiana's.
BLS does not publish a reason for the gap alongside its wage tables, so this page reports the numbers rather than assigning a cause.
Why cost of living changes the picture
Four of the five highest-paying states above — Washington, D.C., California, Washington and New York — are also widely recognized as some of the highest cost-of-living jurisdictions in the country, concentrated in expensive coastal and urban metros.
A nominal dollar gap of 21–29% over the national median does not translate one-to-one into extra purchasing power once housing, taxes and everyday costs in those markets are priced in.
The reverse holds at the bottom of the list.
Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, West Virginia and Arkansas post lower nominal medians, but each is also generally recognized as a lower-cost-of-living state than the national average.
Neither this page nor the BLS wage tables it's built on include a cost-of-living adjustment — the figures above are nominal, statewide medians, not real (cost-adjusted) wages.
The practical implication: don't rank a job offer by the state median alone.
Compare it against your specific target metro's housing and living costs, not the statewide aggregate, before deciding a higher number in a given state actually means more take-home value.
Source and scope
How setting and credential status affect pay more than geography
State is one input among several, and on this site it isn't the biggest one.
Within any single state, whether a technician is credentialed at all changes both scope and how an employer prices the role — see working as a vet tech without a credential for how that plays out, and note that RVT, LVT, CVT and LVMT are four names for the same credential, not different tiers of pay.
Setting moves the number further still.
Emergency and specialty referral hospitals generally sit higher than general practice, and a VTS specialty certification is the clearest scope-and-pay step-up available to a technician — though, as with the state figures on this page, BLS does not measure the size of that premium.
See the national salary page for the full percentile breakdown and everything else that moves pay within a single state.