Veterinary Technician Salary in Maine
Veterinary technologists and technicians in Maine earned a median annual wage of $50,810 in the Bureau of Labor Statistics' May 2025 estimates — 7% above the national median of $47,380.
The distinctive shape is at the edges rather than the middle: Maine's 10th percentile runs far above the national 10th percentile, while its 90th percentile falls below the national 90th, so the state has a high floor and a lower ceiling than the nation.
Maine's workforce is small, at 910 employed, 34th among 51 jurisdictions.
10th percentile
$47,340
25th percentile
$48,610
75th percentile
$56,110
90th percentile
$57,690
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 state estimates — Maine, SOC 29-2056 (Veterinary Technologists and Technicians). Retrieved 2026-09-16 from the BLS Public Data API.
How to read these figures
Maine vs. the national figures
The Maine median is above the national median by 7%. Among the 51 jurisdictions (states plus DC) where BLS publishes a veterinary technician median for May 2025, it ranks 9th, and 34th by estimated employment.
Differences are whole percentages, rounded half away from zero, computed from the figures shown.
A high floor, but a lower ceiling than the nation
Maine's biggest gap against the national figures sits at the bottom of the range, not the middle.
The 10th percentile is $47,340, 33% above the national 10th percentile of $35,710, and the 25th percentile, $48,610, is 25% above the national $38,910.
At the median the gap narrows to $50,810 against $47,380, a 7% edge.
Higher up, the pattern reverses: the 75th percentile, $56,110, is 3% below the national $57,650, and the 90th percentile, $57,690, is 9% below the national $63,180.
A technician comparing a Maine offer against national floor figures would understate it; comparing against national top-end figures would overstate what the Maine distribution shows.
A high floor compresses the middle of the band
Half of Maine's technicians counted earned between $48,610 and $56,110 — a band $7,500 wide.
Nationally the same middle half runs from $38,910 to $57,650, a band $18,740 wide.
From the 10th percentile, $47,340, to the 90th, $57,690, Maine spans $10,350; the same span nationally runs from $35,710 to $63,180.
The median sits much closer to the 25th percentile than to the 75th: $2,200 above the one and $5,300 below the other, so the upper half of the middle band covers more than twice the ground of the lower half.
OEWS does not publish what shapes a state's distribution this way, so this page does not assign it a cause.
Reading an hourly posting against the median
The dataset behind this page carries Maine's hourly wage only at the median: $24.43, against $22.78 nationally, a 7% gap that matches the gap in the annual median.
That makes it the figure to hold an hourly posting against.
For the rest of the range, the annual percentiles are the only guide here, so before comparing a posted hourly rate with them, ask the employer how many hours a week the role is scheduled for.
A required license — the LVT, through a program and the VTNE
Maine requires a license, not just a credential in name: the licensed veterinary technician, or LVT, comes from the Maine State Board of Veterinary Medicine, and the statute conditions practicing as one on applying for it.
The standard route is a minimum of 2 years in an AVMA CVTEA-certified college program, or a board-determined equivalent, plus the VTNE, registered directly with AAVSB, which a student may sit within the final 6 months of an approved program.
The license renews annually on September 30, with a $50 renewal fee and a $50 late fee inside a 90-day grace window; the sources read state no continuing-education figure specific to LVTs.
Applying carries a $35 license fee plus a $21 criminal background check fee.
The Maine requirements page on this site covers the full licensing route.
Maine State Board of Veterinary Medicine (Dept. of Professional & Financial Regulation, OPOR)
Licensed veterinary technician — the statute's own term, defined as a person with a minimum of 2 years in an AVMA CVTEA-certified college program, or a board-determined equivalent, who has passed an examination for licensure prescribed by the board; LVT is the abbreviation on Maine job postings.
The VTNE, which applicants register for directly with the AAVSB; no Maine-specific jurisprudence exam appears anywhere in the Veterinary Technician section of the sources read.
The license renews annually on September 30 — $50 renewal fee, $50 late fee inside a 90-day grace window; a CE requirement specific to LVTs is not stated for LVTs on the page read, where the board's 24-hours sentence sits under its Veterinarian section.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the median vet tech salary in Maine?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics' May 2025 estimate puts the Maine median annual wage for veterinary technologists and technicians at $50,810, or $24.43 an hour.
Half of those counted earned more and half earned less.
The national median in the same release is $47,380, so Maine sits 7% above it, though the widest gap against the national figures is actually at the lower end of the range, not the middle.
How much do the top-paid vet techs in Maine earn?
The Maine 90th percentile is $57,690, meaning one in ten technicians counted earned more than that.
Nationally the 90th percentile is $63,180, 9% higher.
The 75th percentile tells a similar story: $56,110 in Maine against $57,650 nationally, a 3% difference — both smaller gaps than at the bottom of the range, where Maine runs well ahead of the national figures.
What does the low end of the pay range look like in Maine?
The Maine 10th percentile is $47,340, which is 33% above the national 10th percentile of $35,710 — the largest gap anywhere in the Maine distribution.
The 25th percentile, $48,610, is 25% above the national $38,910.
Both sit well above what a technician benchmarking against national floor figures might expect, even though Maine's upper percentiles sit at or below the national ones.
How many vet techs work in Maine?
BLS estimates that 910 veterinary technologists and technicians were employed in Maine, 34th 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.
Do you need a credential to work as a vet tech in Maine?
Yes — Maine requires a license, the LVT, issued by the Maine State Board of Veterinary Medicine, and the statute conditions practicing as a technician on holding it.
The standard route is 2 years in an AVMA CVTEA-certified program, or a board-determined equivalent, plus the VTNE, which students may take in their final 6 months.
The Maine requirements page on this site sets out the full licensing route in detail.
More Maine Veterinary Technician Resources
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 state estimates — Maine, 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)
- Maine Office of Professional & Occupational Regulation — Board of Veterinary Medicine Licensing: Veterinarian, Veterinary Technician (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.