Veterinary Technician Salary in Mississippi
Veterinary technologists and technicians in Mississippi earned a median annual wage of $36,380 in the Bureau of Labor Statistics' May 2025 estimates — $11,000, or 23%, below the national median of $47,380.
The gap is not even across the range: it widens to its largest at the 75th percentile before narrowing again at the top.
Mississippi's workforce is small, at 650 employed, and its median ranks 50th of the 51 jurisdictions that publish one.
10th percentile
$29,120
25th percentile
$31,220
75th percentile
$39,250
90th percentile
$46,710
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 state estimates — Mississippi, SOC 29-2056 (Veterinary Technologists and Technicians). Retrieved 2026-09-16 from the BLS Public Data API.
How to read these figures
Mississippi vs. the national figures
The Mississippi median is below the national median by 23%. Among the 51 jurisdictions (states plus DC) where BLS publishes a veterinary technician median for May 2025, it ranks 50th, and 39th by estimated employment.
Differences are whole percentages, rounded half away from zero, computed from the figures shown.
Well below the national median, and furthest behind at the 75th percentile
At the median, Mississippi technicians earned $36,380 against the national $47,380, a gap of $11,000, or 23%.
The hourly median tells the same story: $17.49 against $22.78, also a 23% gap.
The lower end of the range trails by less — the Mississippi 10th percentile is 18% below the national 10th and the 25th percentile is 20% below.
The widest gap sits at the 75th percentile, where Mississippi's $39,250 is 32% below the national $57,650, before narrowing to 26% at the 90th percentile, $46,710 against $63,180.
A technician holding a Mississippi offer against national upper-percentile figures would be measuring it against a range that even the Mississippi 90th percentile falls short of.
A narrow band through the middle of the range
Half of Mississippi's technicians earned between $31,220 and $39,250, a band $8,030 wide.
Nationally the same band runs from $38,910 to $57,650, which is $18,740 wide.
From the 10th percentile, $29,120, to the 90th, $46,710, Mississippi spans $17,590; the same two percentiles nationally span $27,470.
The median also sits closer to the 75th percentile than to the 25th: $2,870 below the one, $5,160 above the other.
OEWS does not explain why a distribution takes this shape, so this page does not assign it a cause.
A small workforce, counted as people in jobs
BLS estimates that 650 veterinary technologists and technicians were employed in Mississippi, a small enough count that it ranks 39th of the 51 jurisdictions that publish an employment figure for the occupation.
That headcount describes people in jobs during the survey period, not open positions, and it says nothing about how quickly an employer fills a role.
A thinner count behind the percentiles above also means each one rests on fewer people counted than in a state with many more technicians, though OEWS does not publish a margin of error alongside the figures on this page.
The certification route — and no practice mandate found
Mississippi certifies veterinary technicians as Certified veterinary technicians through the Mississippi Board of Veterinary Medicine.
When the state's Veterinary Practice Act was re-read for the requirements series behind this page, its technician provisions contained no sentence reserving the work to certificate holders and no penalty for using the title without one — certification exists, but no practice mandate was found.
The route itself is set out in the statute: graduation from a program accredited under the American Veterinary Medical Association's CVTEA standards, a filed application, and a passing score on the Veterinary Technician National Examination, with the passing standard set by the board.
Renewal requires continuing education as prescribed by board rule — a minimum of ten credits under the board's 2013 rules compilation, which the requirements page flags for confirmation with the board.
The full Mississippi requirements page on this site covers each step and its citation.
Mississippi Board of Veterinary Medicine
A Certified veterinary technician (CVT) — the Act defines a certified veterinary technician as a veterinary technician certified by the board, and the Mississippi Board of Veterinary Medicine issues the certification.
The Veterinary Technician National Examination, with scores as set by the board, before receiving certification
A minimum of ten continuing-education credits, one clock hour earning one credit, documented with registration and attendance proof submitted with the renewal application
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the median vet tech salary in Mississippi?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics' May 2025 estimate puts the Mississippi median annual wage for veterinary technologists and technicians at $36,380, or $17.49 an hour.
Half of those counted earned more and half earned less.
The national median in the same release is $47,380, so Mississippi sits 23% below it — the widest part of that gap shows up higher in the range, at the 75th percentile, where the state trails the national figure by 32%.
How much do the top-paid vet techs in Mississippi earn?
The Mississippi 90th percentile is $46,710, meaning one in ten technicians counted earned more than that.
Nationally the 90th percentile is $63,180, 26% higher.
The gap is even wider one step down: the Mississippi 75th percentile, $39,250, is 32% below the national $57,650, which is why the state's upper range sits so far under the national one.
What does the lower end of the Mississippi range look like?
The Mississippi 10th percentile is $29,120 and the 25th percentile is $31,220 — 18% and 20% below the national figures of $35,710 and $38,910.
Those percentiles are positions in the wage distribution, not particular jobs or career stages, so they cannot say what any one employer will offer.
They do show that Mississippi's floor sits under the national floor by a narrower margin than the gap higher up the range.
Do you need a credential to work as a vet tech in Mississippi?
Mississippi certifies technicians as Certified veterinary technicians through the Mississippi Board of Veterinary Medicine, but when the state's Veterinary Practice Act was re-read for the requirements series behind this page, its technician provisions contained no sentence requiring certification to do the work and no penalty for using the title without it.
The Mississippi requirements page on this site sets out the certification route in full.
Whether a given employer requires it is a question to ask that employer directly.
How many vet techs work in Mississippi?
BLS estimates that 650 veterinary technologists and technicians were employed in Mississippi, 39th 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, and it is a small enough figure that the percentiles on this page describe a thinner count than in a state with many more technicians.
More Mississippi Veterinary Technician Resources
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 state estimates — Mississippi, 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)
- Mississippi Board of Veterinary Medicine — Rules of the Board of Veterinary Medicine (2013 scanned compilation, OCR'd) (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.