Veterinary Technician Salary in South Carolina
Veterinary technologists and technicians in South Carolina earned a median annual wage of $39,020 in the Bureau of Labor Statistics' May 2025 estimates — $8,360, or 18%, below the national median of $47,380, and 45th of the 51 jurisdictions that publish a median.
The clearest pattern in South Carolina's own numbers is a median that sits close to the 25th percentile and far from the 75th, inside a middle band much narrower than the national one.
The state's workforce numbered 2,540.
10th percentile
$33,870
25th percentile
$36,310
75th percentile
$47,310
90th percentile
$57,970
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 state estimates — South Carolina, SOC 29-2056 (Veterinary Technologists and Technicians). Retrieved 2026-09-16 from the BLS Public Data API.
How to read these figures
South Carolina vs. the national figures
The South Carolina median is below the national median by 18%. Among the 51 jurisdictions (states plus DC) where BLS publishes a veterinary technician median for May 2025, it ranks 45th, and 17th by estimated employment.
Differences are whole percentages, rounded half away from zero, computed from the figures shown.
Below the nation everywhere, deepest through the middle
At the median, South Carolina sits $8,360 below the nation: $39,020 against $47,380, an 18% gap that also shows up in the hourly figures, $18.76 against $22.78, also 18% lower.
The gap is not even across the distribution.
At the 10th percentile South Carolina is only 5% below the national figure, $33,870 against $35,710, and at the 25th it is 7% below, $36,310 against $38,910.
The gap widens through the middle: the 75th percentile is 18% below the national one, $47,310 against $57,650, before narrowing again at the 90th percentile to 8% below, $57,970 against $63,180.
A technician holding an offer against the national median or 75th percentile would see a bigger shortfall than one holding an offer against the national 10th or 25th percentile.
A narrower middle band, and a median close to its floor
Half of the South Carolina technicians counted earned between $36,310 and $47,310, a band $11,000 wide.
Nationally the same band runs from $38,910 to $57,650, $18,740 wide.
From the 10th percentile, $33,870, to the 90th, $57,970, South Carolina spans $24,100, against $27,470 nationally.
The median also sits much closer to the 25th percentile than to the 75th: $2,710 above the one and $8,290 below the other, so more of the middle band lies above the median than below it.
OEWS does not explain why a distribution takes 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 South Carolina's hourly wage only at the median: $18.76, against $22.78 nationally, an 18% 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 license — mandatory, with one education route
South Carolina licenses veterinary technicians as Licensed Veterinary Technicians through the State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, and the credential gates the work: practicing veterinary technology in violation of the chapter is a misdemeanor.
The route the sources read describe is a degree in animal health technology from an American Veterinary Medical Association accredited school; no on-the-job route appears.
An applicant then passes the VTNE and the Board's own online examination on the Veterinary Medical Practice Rules and Regulations, and renews every two years against twelve continuing-education hours, at least six of them live.
The data carries no split between credentialed and uncredentialed technicians, so this page cannot show a pay difference between them.
State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners (South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation)
South Carolina licenses veterinary technicians as Licensed Veterinary Technicians through the State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, and the credential gates the work: practicing veterinary technology in violation of the chapter is a misdemeanor.
Both the VTNE — certified results achieving the criterion-referenced passing score in effect at the time of examination — and the Board's own online examination on the Veterinary Medical Practice Rules and Regulations; the South Carolina examination requires a score of no less than 70% and may be retaken after 24 hours.
Twelve continuing-education hours per biennial renewal — at least six in veterinary medical courses and at least six live in-person or live digital interactive — while the license itself is valid no more than two years and voids if the renewal fee is unpaid by February 1 of the renewal year.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the median vet tech salary in South Carolina?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics' May 2025 estimate puts the South Carolina median annual wage for veterinary technologists and technicians at $39,020, or $18.76 an hour.
Half of those counted earned more and half earned less.
The national median in the same release is $47,380, so South Carolina sits 18% below it, ranking 45th of the 51 jurisdictions that publish a median.
How much do the top-paid vet techs in South Carolina earn?
The South Carolina 90th percentile is $57,970, meaning one in ten technicians counted earned more than that.
Nationally the 90th percentile is $63,180, 8% higher.
The gap is wider at the 75th percentile: $47,310 in South Carolina against $57,650 nationally, an 18% difference, so the upper-middle of the South Carolina distribution trails the nation more than its very top does.
What does the lower end of the South Carolina range look like?
The South Carolina 10th percentile is $33,870, only 5% below the national 10th percentile of $35,710.
The 25th percentile is $36,310, 7% below the national $38,910.
Those are the two smallest gaps on this page — the widest gaps against the nation show up at the median and the 75th percentile, both 18% below, not at the floor of the distribution.
Do you need a license to work as a vet tech in South Carolina?
Yes.
South Carolina licenses veterinary technicians as Licensed Veterinary Technicians through the State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, and practicing veterinary technology in violation of the chapter is a misdemeanor.
The route requires a degree in animal health technology from an AVMA-accredited school, the VTNE, and the Board's own online examination on state practice rules.
The South Carolina requirements page on this site sets out the full route.
How many vet techs work in South Carolina?
BLS estimates that 2,540 veterinary technologists and technicians were employed in South Carolina.
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 South Carolina Veterinary Technician Resources
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 state estimates — South Carolina, 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)
- SC LLR Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, License Requirements for Licensed 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.