Veterinary Technician Salary in Illinois
Veterinary technologists and technicians in Illinois earned a median annual wage of $46,440 in the Bureau of Labor Statistics' May 2025 estimates — $1,000, or 2%, below the national median of $47,380.
The distinctive shape is at the floor: the Illinois 10th and 25th percentiles run 8% and 16% above the national ones, while the 75th is essentially level with it, so the state's band is far narrower than the national one.
Illinois also employs 5,040 technicians, 6th among 51 jurisdictions.
10th percentile
$38,580
25th percentile
$45,140
75th percentile
$57,500
90th percentile
$60,520
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 state estimates — Illinois, SOC 29-2056 (Veterinary Technologists and Technicians). Retrieved 2026-09-16 from the BLS Public Data API.
How to read these figures
Illinois vs. the national figures
The Illinois median is below the national median by 2%. Among the 51 jurisdictions (states plus DC) where BLS publishes a veterinary technician median for May 2025, it ranks 26th, and 6th by estimated employment.
Differences are whole percentages, rounded half away from zero, computed from the figures shown.
A higher floor, an even top, and a lower median
At the median, Illinois sits $1,000 below the nation: $46,440 against $47,380, or 2%.
The hourly median of $22.33 is also 2% below the national $22.78.
The bottom of the Illinois distribution runs well above the national one — the 10th percentile is $38,580, 8% higher than the national $35,710, and the 25th percentile is $45,140, 16% higher than the national $38,910.
The top tells a different story: the Illinois 75th percentile, $57,500, is essentially level with the national $57,650, and the 90th percentile, $60,520, is 4% below the national $63,180.
A technician who benchmarks against national floor figures would understate what Illinois actually pays at the bottom of its range; one who benchmarks against the national ceiling would overstate what Illinois actually pays at the top.
A narrow band built on a high floor
Half of the Illinois technicians counted earned between $45,140 and $57,500 — a band $12,360 wide.
Nationally the same band runs from $38,910 to $57,650, which is $18,740 wide.
From the 10th percentile ($38,580) to the 90th ($60,520), Illinois spans $21,940, against $27,470 nationally; the state's 90th percentile is 1.6 times its 10th percentile, against 1.8 times nationally.
The median also sits much closer to the 25th percentile than to the 75th: only $1,300 above the one and $11,060 below the other, so a technician near the Illinois median sits closer to the floor of the distribution than to the ceiling.
OEWS does not explain why a distribution takes this shape, so this page does not assign it a cause.
A large workforce that outranks its own pay
BLS estimates 5,040 veterinary technologists and technicians employed in Illinois, 6th among the 51 jurisdictions that publish a median — a much higher rank than the state holds on pay, where Illinois is 26th of the same 51 by median.
That gap between the two ranks is worth noting on its own: employment counts people in jobs during the survey period, not job openings, so a large workforce does not by itself say anything about how quickly a given position gets filled or how much competition a candidate faces.
A technician weighing Illinois should treat the employment figure and the median wage as two separate questions, not a combined signal.
The CVT is a state license, not an association credential
Illinois credentials the CVT as a state license, not an association certificate: the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) issues it, and license display is required by law.
The route runs through graduation from an AVMA-accredited veterinary technician program and a passing VTNE score, and a CVT completes required continuing education to keep the license — though this page's credential material does not give an hour count or a renewal period.
Since January 1, 2026, Illinois also protects the titles veterinary technician, vet tech, technician and VT for the credential holder, alongside CVT — a wider set of protected titles than before that date, when only the CVT wordings carried it.
The data behind this page carries no split between credentialed and uncredentialed technicians, so it cannot show a pay difference between them.
Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR)
A Certified Veterinary Technician (CVT) — a state license issued by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), not an association certificate, and license display is required by law.
The VTNE (Veterinary Technician National Exam); no separate Illinois jurisprudence exam appears in the sources read.
The ISVMA summary says a CVT completes required continuing education to maintain licensure; the hour count and the renewal period are not stated in the sources read.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the median vet tech salary in Illinois?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics' May 2025 estimate puts the Illinois median annual wage for veterinary technologists and technicians at $46,440, or $22.33 an hour.
Half of those counted earned more and half earned less.
The national median in the same release is $47,380, so Illinois sits 2% below it — about $1,000 less at the middle of the range.
How much do the top-paid vet techs in Illinois earn?
The Illinois 90th percentile is $60,520, meaning one in ten technicians counted earned more than that.
Nationally the 90th percentile is $63,180, 4% higher.
The Illinois 75th percentile, $57,500, is essentially level with the national $57,650 — so the gap between the two distributions widens only at the very top.
What does the lower end of the pay range look like in Illinois?
The Illinois 25th percentile is $45,140, 16% above the national $38,910, and the 10th percentile is $38,580, 8% above the national $35,710.
Both figures sit well above the national floor even though the Illinois median is 2% below the national median, so the bottom of the Illinois distribution is higher, relative to the nation, than the middle is.
Do you need a credential to work as a vet tech in Illinois?
Not to do the work, on the sources read — the credential is required to use protected titles, not to perform the role.
Illinois's CVT is a state license from the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, requiring an AVMA-accredited program and a passing VTNE score.
Since January 1, 2026 the titles veterinary technician, vet tech, technician and VT are also protected for license holders, alongside CVT.
How many vet techs work in Illinois?
BLS estimates that 5,040 veterinary technologists and technicians were employed in Illinois, 6th among the 51 jurisdictions that publish a median.
That is a headcount of people in jobs during the survey period, not a count of vacancies, so it describes the size of the occupation in the state rather than how quickly positions are filled.
More Illinois Veterinary Technician Resources
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 state estimates — Illinois, SOC 29-2056 Veterinary Technologists and Technicians (BLS Public Data API) (retrieved 2026-09-16)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 national estimates — SOC 29-2056 (via O*NET OnLine) (retrieved 2026-08-15)
- Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — the licensing body named for the Illinois CVT (retrieved 2026-09-16)
Wage figures: BLS OEWS May 2025 state and national estimates, SOC 29-2056, retrieved 2026-09-16. Page last updated 2026-09-23.