Veterinary Salary Estimator for Early Career Veterinarians FAQs
Q: What is the AVMA Veterinary Salary Estimator for Early-Career Veterinarians?
A: The estimator is a predictive tool that can be used to help you address a wide range of decisions regarding your career path. It provides possible salary ranges for different full-time employment scenarios for veterinarians, based on historical data. Because salary estimates are based on historical data, they are not an indication of what should be but, rather, what has been.
Q: Who should use the AVMA Veterinary Salary Estimator for Early-Career Veterinarians?
A: This estimator is specifically designed for veterinarians who have up to 10 years of workforce experience. If you are a veterinary student gathering information for your first job as a veterinarian, use instead the AVMA Veterinary Salary Estimator for Veterinary Students.
Q: How should the salary estimator be used?
A: Use this estimator as one piece of information in your overall strategy for career management and salary negotiations. The estimator is designed to encourage you to think about the choices and factors that impact your possible salary range. We encourage you to run multiple scenarios to see how various factors have historically influenced possible salary ranges. Rather than accepting the results of any scenario at face value, use the estimator as part of your individual strategy to advocate for yourself during the salary negotiation process or to help guide your career decisions.
Q Am I guaranteed to get a salary that is within the estimated range?
A: No. This estimator is a predictive tool that provides possible salary ranges (95% confidence intervals on each estimate) based on historic trends. The results can be used as a reference, but are not intended to be used as recommendations or suggestions for a specific individual’s salary. Actual salaries must be negotiated between the employer and veterinarian, in light of all relevant factors. A salary may be more or less, given the facts of the particular situation.
Q: What’s the source of the data used to develop the AVMA Veterinary Salary Estimator for Early-Career Veterinarians?
A: The estimator is based on data gathered through the 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 AVMA Census of Veterinarians. This annual survey collects information on demographics, income, employment, and other variables. A statistical model was developed to predict salary based on several of those variables. The following statistically significant variables are included in the salary estimator: years of experience, geographic location of the practice, practice type, residency completion, and practice ownership.
Q: What is included in the “salary” figure that is generated?
A: Respondents to the Census of Veterinarians survey are asked to provide their total personal annual income, before taxes, from all veterinary-related activities. This would include production bonuses for those veterinarians paid by production-based methods of compensation. It is these data on which the salary estimates are based. Note that estimates do not include ancillary benefits like health or dental insurance.
Q: Why isn’t veterinary school attended included in the estimator?
A: Veterinary school is not a statistically significant variable in predicting possible salary ranges, so it was excluded from the estimator.
Q: Why do you ask about residency completion and practice ownership?
A: Both residency completion and practice ownership were found to have a significant impact on salaries of veterinarians with up to 10 years of post-DVM/VMD work experience.
Q: Why do you ask about geographic location?
A: Regardless of your profession, the area of the country in which you work may have an effect on your possible salary range. A primary factor influencing this variable is the cost of living in that geographical area. Nine states (Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Mississippi, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming) were represented by too few veterinarians to provide reliable estimates, so choosing these states will instead show the value for North Carolina—which had the median (middle) value.
Q: Why does species focus affect salary results?
A: Data from the AVMA Census of Veterinarians indicate that possible salary ranges are impacted significantly by the species focus of clinical practices. By including this variable in the estimator, the AVMA is not passing judgment on the suitability, future career opportunities, or earning potential for any given species focus.
Q: Why are some practice or employment types not available to choose from?
A: The estimator draws on data from the AVMA Census of Veterinarians. However, not all practice types had a large enough sample to provide reliable estimates. For those practice or employment types that are not available in the estimator, additional information may be available in the 2024 AVMA Report on the Economic State of the Veterinary Profession.
Q: Why did I get a result that I didn’t expect?
A: The estimator draws on five years of data from the AVMA Census of Veterinarians, which include an exceptional time period: the COVID-19 pandemic. The salary estimator is a tool to help provide guidance on salary ranges, rather than a definitive answer as to what your salary should or will be. For additional information on compensation and benefits, check out the 2024 AVMA Report on the Economic State of the Veterinary Profession.