Veterinary Technician Salary in Minnesota
Veterinary technologists and technicians in Minnesota earned a median annual wage of $57,270 in the Bureau of Labor Statistics' May 2025 estimates — $9,890, or 21%, above the national median of $47,380.
The state's edge is strongest low in the range and narrows sharply near the top, where the 90th percentile is only 3% above the national figure.
Minnesota's median ranks 5th among the 51 jurisdictions that publish a median, and its technician workforce, 3,560 employed, ranks 11th.
A new Board-issued LVT license took effect July 1, 2026.
10th percentile
$42,640
25th percentile
$49,080
75th percentile
$60,560
90th percentile
$65,120
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 state estimates — Minnesota, SOC 29-2056 (Veterinary Technologists and Technicians). Retrieved 2026-09-16 from the BLS Public Data API.
How to read these figures
Minnesota vs. the national figures
The Minnesota median is above the national median by 21%. Among the 51 jurisdictions (states plus DC) where BLS publishes a veterinary technician median for May 2025, it ranks 5th, and 11th by estimated employment.
Differences are whole percentages, rounded half away from zero, computed from the figures shown.
A wide edge low in the range, a narrow one at the top
At the median, Minnesota technicians earn $57,270 against a national median of $47,380 — $9,890 higher, or 21%.
The hourly median tracks the same gap: $27.54 against $22.78 nationally, also 21% higher.
The state's edge is largest low in the distribution: the 10th percentile is $6,930 above the national 10th, a 19% difference, and the 25th percentile is $10,170 above the national 25th, a 26% difference, the widest gap on this page.
From there the gap narrows fast.
The 75th percentile is only $2,910 above the national 75th, 5% higher, and the 90th percentile is just $1,940 above the national 90th, 3% higher.
A technician benchmarking a Minnesota offer against national upper-percentile figures should expect the state's real advantage to sit below the middle of the range, not at the top.
A band that narrows even though it sits higher
Half of the Minnesota technicians counted earned between $49,080 and $60,560 — a band $11,480 wide.
Nationally the same band runs from $38,910 to $57,650, which is $18,740 wide, so the Minnesota band is markedly tighter even while it sits higher overall.
From the 10th percentile ($42,640) to the 90th ($65,120), Minnesota spans $22,480, against $27,470 nationally.
The median also sits much closer to the 75th percentile than to the 25th: $3,290 below the one and $8,190 above the other, meaning most of the distance inside the band lies below the median rather than above it.
OEWS does not explain what produces this shape, so this page does not assign it a cause.
Reading an hourly rate against the Minnesota figure
The data behind this page carries Minnesota's hourly wage only at the median: $27.54, against $22.78 nationally, a 21% gap that matches the gap in the annual median.
That makes the hourly median the number to hold a posted hourly rate against.
The rest of the range on this page is described only in annual percentiles, so before comparing a posted hourly rate with the 10th, 25th, 75th or 90th percentile figures, ask how many hours a week the role is scheduled for.
A brand-new Board license, effective July 1, 2026
Minnesota's credential is the Licensed Veterinary Technician (LVT), issued by the Minnesota Board of Veterinary Medicine under Minnesota Statutes §156.077, a license that took effect July 1, 2026; the prior private certification from the Minnesota Veterinary Medical Association does not convert directly to it.
The traditional route requires an AVMA- or CVMA-accredited program, a VTNE score sent directly to the Board, and the Minnesota Veterinary Technician Jurisprudence Exam.
A Temporary Alternative pathway for non-credentialed staff — 4,160 hours of experience in the last five years, no degree or VTNE — runs only through July 1, 2031.
Licenses renew every two years with 16 hours of continuing education.
The Minnesota requirements page on this site sets out the full application core, fees and title-protection rules; OEWS carries no split between credentialed and uncredentialed technicians, so this page can't show a pay difference between them.
Minnesota Board of Veterinary Medicine
A Licensed Veterinary Technician (LVT), issued by the Minnesota Board of Veterinary Medicine under Minnesota Statutes §156.077
The VTNE, with scores sent directly to the Board through the AAVSB/VIVA portal (the Board cannot accept applicant-submitted scores), plus the Minnesota Veterinary Technician Jurisprudence Exam
A 2-year license; renewals require 16 hours of CE with no more than 4 in practice management, in live or recorded formats.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the median vet tech salary in Minnesota?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics' May 2025 estimate puts the Minnesota median annual wage for veterinary technologists and technicians at $57,270, or $27.54 an hour.
Half of those counted earned more and half earned less.
The national median in the same release is $47,380, so Minnesota sits 21% above it, with the widest part of that gap in the lower half of the range rather than at the very top.
How much do the top-paid vet techs in Minnesota earn?
The Minnesota 90th percentile is $65,120, meaning one in ten technicians counted earned more than that.
Nationally the 90th percentile is $63,180, just 3% lower.
That is a much smaller gap than at the median, where Minnesota runs 21% above the national figure — the state's advantage over the nation shrinks steadily from the median up to the 90th percentile.
What does the lower end of the range look like in Minnesota?
The Minnesota 10th percentile is $42,640, and the 25th percentile is $49,080.
Both sit well above the national figures at the same percentiles, $35,710 at the 10th and $38,910 at the 25th, gaps of 19% and 26%.
The 25th-percentile gap is the widest of any percentile on this page, which is why the low end of the Minnesota range compares so favorably with the nation.
Do you need a license to work as a vet tech in Minnesota?
Starting July 1, 2026, yes for the title: Minnesota Statutes §156.077 reserves 'veterinary technician' and 'LVT' to technicians licensed by the Minnesota Board of Veterinary Medicine.
Whether the underlying tasks are reserved to licensees is not settled by the sources read, which address the title; the Board does tell employers not to assign unlicensed staff tasks that require an LVT.
The traditional route is an AVMA- or CVMA-accredited program plus the VTNE and a state jurisprudence exam; a Temporary Alternative experience pathway is open through July 1, 2031.
The Minnesota requirements page on this site covers the full application.
How many vet techs work in Minnesota?
BLS estimates that 3,560 veterinary technologists and technicians were employed in Minnesota, 11th 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 Minnesota Veterinary Technician Resources
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 state estimates — Minnesota, 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)
- Minnesota Board of Veterinary Medicine — Licensed Veterinary Technician (LVT) Program, as summarised on the Minnesota requirements page (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.