Veterinary Technician Salary in Nebraska
Veterinary technologists and technicians in Nebraska earned a median annual wage of $43,680 in the Bureau of Labor Statistics' May 2025 estimates — $3,700, or 8%, below the national median of $47,380.
The 10th percentile in Nebraska is 6% above the national floor, but the 75th percentile is 19% below the national one, so the state's distribution is far more compressed than the national range.
Nebraska's workforce is small, at 690 employed, ranking 35th of 51 jurisdictions by median and 38th by employment.
10th percentile
$37,770
25th percentile
$39,120
75th percentile
$46,910
90th percentile
$57,310
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 state estimates — Nebraska, SOC 29-2056 (Veterinary Technologists and Technicians). Retrieved 2026-09-16 from the BLS Public Data API.
How to read these figures
Nebraska vs. the national figures
The Nebraska median is below the national median by 8%. Among the 51 jurisdictions (states plus DC) where BLS publishes a veterinary technician median for May 2025, it ranks 35th, and 38th by estimated employment.
Differences are whole percentages, rounded half away from zero, computed from the figures shown.
A floor at or above the national one, a ceiling well behind it
At the median, Nebraska sits $3,700 below the nation: $43,680 against $47,380, or 8%.
The hourly median of $21.00 is also 8% below the national $22.78.
The lower end of the Nebraska distribution runs ahead of the national one — the 10th percentile is 6% higher and the 25th percentile is 1% higher.
The gap opens above the median: the Nebraska 75th percentile, $46,910, is 19% below the national $57,650, and the 90th percentile, $57,310, is 9% below the national $63,180.
A technician using national upper-percentile figures to benchmark a Nebraska offer would expect far more room at the top than the state's distribution actually shows.
A tight band from the 25th to the 75th percentile
Half of the Nebraska technicians counted earned between $39,120 and $46,910 — a band $7,790 wide.
Nationally the same band runs from $38,910 to $57,650, which is $18,740 wide.
From the 10th percentile ($37,770) to the 90th ($57,310), Nebraska spans $19,540, against $27,470 nationally.
The median also sits closer to the 75th percentile than to the 25th: $3,230 below the one and $4,560 above the other.
OEWS does not explain why a distribution has this shape, so this page does not assign it a cause.
Holding an hourly posting against these figures
The data set behind this page carries Nebraska's hourly wage only at the median: $21.00, against $22.78 nationally, an 8% 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 rate with them, ask the employer how many hours a week the role is scheduled for.
The LVT route — an approved program, the VTNE, and an April renewal
Nebraska credentials its veterinary technicians as licensed veterinary technicians (LVTs), issued by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services under the Uniform Credentialing Act.
The license is mandatory for delegated animal health care tasks in the state, apart from narrow exceptions the act carves out — an unlicensed category working within limits set under §38-3326(2), and students in an approved program performing assigned or supervised duties.
Where those limits sit is a scope-of-practice question to confirm with DHHS, not something this page details.
The route into the license itself is graduation from an approved veterinary technician program — DHHS describes that as an AVMA-accredited program — and a passing score on the VTNE, the national exam the board has approved.
DHHS can issue a temporary license for up to a year to a graduate still waiting on an exam score.
Renewal runs on a fixed two-year clock: every LVT license expires April 1 of even years, and renewing it takes 16 hours of approved continuing education completed in the period leading up to that date.
Nebraska Dept. of Health & Human Services (DHHS), Board under the Uniform Credentialing Act
A licensed veterinary technician — the statutory phrase in Neb. Rev. Stat. §38-3325 — issued by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services under the Uniform Credentialing Act; commonly abbreviated LVT — though the state's own materials always write the title out and never use the abbreviation.
A passing score on a national examination approved by the board — the VTNE, registered through AAVSB per DHHS; a temporary license of up to one year can bridge a graduate to a passing score. No Nebraska-specific jurisprudence exam for technicians was found in the sources read.
Sixteen hours of approved continuing requirements within the renewal period immediately preceding renewal, and licenses expire April 1 of every even year regardless of when issued — DHHS's own licensure page, verbatim.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the median vet tech salary in Nebraska?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics' May 2025 estimate puts the Nebraska median annual wage for veterinary technologists and technicians at $43,680, or $21.00 an hour.
Half of those counted earned more and half earned less.
The national median in the same release is $47,380, so Nebraska sits 8% below it — most of the gap opens above the median rather than at the floor.
How much do the top-paid vet techs in Nebraska earn?
The Nebraska 90th percentile is $57,310, meaning one in ten technicians counted earned more than that — 9% below the national 90th percentile of $63,180.
The gap is even wider at the 75th percentile: $46,910 in Nebraska against $57,650 nationally, a 19% difference, which is why Nebraska's upper pay band sits well below the national one.
What does the low end of the pay range look like in Nebraska?
The Nebraska 10th percentile is $37,770, 6% above the national 10th percentile of $35,710, and the 25th percentile is $39,120, 1% above the national $38,910.
So the floor of the Nebraska distribution runs slightly ahead of the national one, even though the median and the upper percentiles sit below it.
Do you need a license to work as a vet tech in Nebraska?
Yes, for delegated animal health care tasks, apart from narrow exceptions the act carves out for an unlicensed category working within limits set under §38-3326(2) and for students in an approved program.
Where those limits sit is a scope-of-practice question to confirm directly with DHHS.
Nebraska licenses veterinary technicians as licensed veterinary technicians (LVTs) through the Department of Health and Human Services, and requires graduation from an approved veterinary technician program plus a passing VTNE score.
How many vet techs work in Nebraska?
BLS estimates that 690 veterinary technologists and technicians were employed in Nebraska, 38th among the 51 jurisdictions that publish a median, while the state's median wage itself ranks 35th of the same 51.
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 rather than how quickly positions are filled.
More Nebraska Veterinary Technician Resources
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 state estimates — Nebraska, 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)
- Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Veterinary Medicine and Surgery licensure page, as summarised on the Nebraska 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.