Veterinary Technician Salary in Ohio
Veterinary technologists and technicians in Ohio earned a median annual wage of $47,990 in the Bureau of Labor Statistics' May 2025 estimates, 1% above the national median of $47,380.
The percentiles track closely at the median, but not further out: the 75th percentile sits 8% below the national one, pulling the 25th–75th band in to $12,550, well under the national $18,740.
Ohio's workforce numbers 4,790, and the state's median ranks 21st among the 51 jurisdictions that publish one.
10th percentile
$34,760
25th percentile
$40,560
75th percentile
$53,110
90th percentile
$61,360
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 state estimates — Ohio, SOC 29-2056 (Veterinary Technologists and Technicians). Retrieved 2026-09-16 from the BLS Public Data API.
How to read these figures
Ohio vs. the national figures
The Ohio median is above the national median by 1%. Among the 51 jurisdictions (states plus DC) where BLS publishes a veterinary technician median for May 2025, it ranks 21st, and 7th by estimated employment.
Differences are whole percentages, rounded half away from zero, computed from the figures shown.
A median that tracks the nation, percentiles that pull apart
At the median, Ohio comes in above the nation: $47,990 against $47,380, or 1%.
The hourly median of $23.07 is also 1% above the national $22.78.
The bottom of the range runs slightly behind the national one — the 10th percentile is 3% lower — while the 25th percentile is 4% higher.
The gap widens most in the upper half: the Ohio 75th percentile, $53,110, is 8% below the national $57,650, and the 90th percentile, $61,360, is 3% below the national $63,180.
A technician benchmarking an offer against national upper-percentile figures should expect less than those figures suggest, even with a median that sits above the nation's.
A tighter band, pulled in mostly from the top
Half of the Ohio technicians counted earned between $40,560 and $53,110 — a band $12,550 wide.
Nationally the same band runs from $38,910 to $57,650, which is $18,740 wide.
From the 10th percentile ($34,760) to the 90th ($61,360), Ohio spans $26,600, against $27,470 nationally — a much smaller gap than at the 25th–75th band.
The median also sits closer to the 75th percentile than to the 25th: $5,120 below the one and $7,430 above the other.
OEWS does not explain why a distribution takes this shape, so this page does not assign it a cause.
Reading an hourly posting against these figures
The data set behind this page carries Ohio's hourly wage only at the median: $23.07, against $22.78 nationally, a 1% 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.
Registered, not licensed — the RVT route in Ohio
Ohio registers veterinary technicians as Registered Veterinary Technicians (RVT) through the Ohio Veterinary Medical Licensing Board, rather than issuing a license — the board's rule defines an RVT as a person who holds a registration certificate the board issues.
An applicant registering by examination documents graduation from a board-approved veterinary technology program, or an AAVSB education-equivalence certificate, passes the VTNE at a 425 passing score, and clears a criminal records check; the Revised Code also directs the board to register applicants already credentialed, licensed, or qualified by work experience, in another state.
Renewal runs biennially, with a $30 registration fee and 10 continuing-education hours due each cycle after the first, since new registrants are exempt from listing CE hours for their first biennium.
Ohio law makes it unlawful to act as a registered veterinary technician without that registration, though the sources read do not settle how far the prohibition reaches.
The Ohio requirements page on this site covers the credential route in full.
Ohio Veterinary Medical Licensing Board (OVMLB)
Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT) — the board's rule defines it as a person who holds a registration certificate issued by the Ohio veterinary medical licensing board; Ohio registers technicians rather than licensing them.
The VTNE, with a passing score of four hundred twenty-five or a converted score of seventy-five; no separate state jurisprudence exam appears in the sources read.
Ten continuing-education hours during the two years immediately preceding renewal; the registration itself expires biennially on March 1 of odd-numbered years, and new registrants are exempt from listing CE hours for their first biennium.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the median vet tech salary in Ohio?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics' May 2025 estimate puts the Ohio median annual wage for veterinary technologists and technicians at $47,990, or $23.07 an hour.
Half of those counted earned more and half earned less.
The national median in the same release is $47,380, so Ohio sits 1% above it — a close gap at the middle of the range.
How much do the top-paid vet techs in Ohio earn?
The Ohio 90th percentile is $61,360, meaning one in ten technicians counted earned more than that.
Nationally the 90th percentile is $63,180, 3% higher.
The gap is widest at the 75th percentile: $53,110 in Ohio against $57,650 nationally, an 8% difference, which is why the middle-to-upper part of the Ohio pay band is tighter than the national one.
Do you need a credential to work as a vet tech in Ohio?
Ohio registers the role as a Registered Veterinary Technician through the Ohio Veterinary Medical Licensing Board, and Ohio law makes it unlawful to act as a registered veterinary technician without biennial registration.
Whether that reaches every technician doing the work, rather than just using the title, was not settled in the sources read for the requirements page this page links to.
Getting the credential by examination takes a board-approved program or AAVSB equivalence, the VTNE at a 425 passing score, and a $30 fee — or, for applicants already credentialed, licensed, or qualified by work experience, elsewhere, the Revised Code's alternate registration route.
Confirm current practice requirements with the board directly.
How many vet techs work in Ohio?
BLS estimates that 4,790 veterinary technologists and technicians were employed in Ohio, and the state's median ranks 21st among the 51 jurisdictions that publish one.
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 Ohio Veterinary Technician Resources
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 state estimates — Ohio, 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)
- Ohio Veterinary Medical Licensing Board — RVT registration requirements, as summarised on the Ohio 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.