Veterinary Assistant Statistics 2026: Job Market, Pay, Demand & Workforce

VeterinaryHires had 2,394 open veterinary assistant listings from 442 employers on October 13, 2026.

396 were first posted in the previous 14 days and 910 in the previous 30 days.

At least 22.8% of veterinary assistant listings were part-time on October 13, 2026.

Listings that name no schedule are counted as full-time, so the real part-time share is likely higher.

The benefit veterinary assistant listings named most often on October 13, 2026 was dental or vision coverage, in 86.1% of listings, followed by health insurance (82.3%).

A listing that does not mention a benefit may still offer it.

To browse the openings themselves, see all veterinary assistant listings.

The median annual wage for veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers was $38,150 in May 2025, and the middle half earned $35,660 to $45,710 (BLS OEWS, SOC 31-9096, May 2025).

Employers hiring veterinary assistants on VeterinaryHires advertise a median of $19.00 an hour across 318 employers on October 13, 2026; this is advertised pay, not earnings.

For pay by state, percentile and experience, see the veterinary assistant salary guide, and for the full distribution of posted pay see our quarterly veterinary assistant pay data release.

California had the most open veterinary assistant listings on October 13, 2026, with 286 (11.9% of the national total).

Texas followed with 208 (8.7%).

To browse the openings in one state, start with veterinary assistant openings in California.

442 employers had open veterinary assistant listings on VeterinaryHires on October 13, 2026, and the five largest posted 63.3% of them.

404 employers (91.4%) had exactly one open veterinary assistant listing.

The largest single employer, Banfield Pet Hospital, posted 32.4% of all veterinary assistant listings, so this sample leans toward large multi-location employers.

BLS projects employment of veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers to grow 9.1% from 2025 to 2035, from about 132,100 to 144,200 jobs, against 3.5% for all occupations (BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35).

BLS expects about 23,200 veterinary assistant openings a year from 2025 to 2035, and only about 1,200 of them come from growth (calculated); the rest replace people who leave the role (BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35).

Veterinary practices employed 113,130 veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers in May 2025, 24.0% of all jobs in the industry and its second-largest occupation (BLS OEWS, NAICS 541940).

BLS lists a high school diploma as the typical entry-level education for veterinary assistants, with no prior work experience and short-term on-the-job training, and says certification is not mandatory (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025–35 cycle).

For why veterinary assistants leave and what practices do about it, see our assistant turnover guide.

For how to enter the field, see the veterinary assistant career guide.

Listing figures are computed from every active, paid veterinary assistant listing on VeterinaryHires at the time shown, and refreshed daily.

Listings on a job board are not a random sample of all veterinary assistant jobs, so read them as a picture of current hiring, not of total employment.

Advertised pay is the midpoint of the range an employer posts, or its single figure, and hourly and annual postings are never converted into each other.

The headline is the employer median: each employer’s own median, then the median across employers, so a group posting hundreds of openings counts once.

A pay figure needs at least 30 listings from 10 employers and is withheld when one employer posted more than half of them.

Federal and association figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the American Veterinary Medical Association and are quoted as published, with the year in each sentence.

BLS measures veterinary assistants together with laboratory animal caretakers (SOC 31-9096); there is no separate federal series for veterinary assistants alone.