Veterinarians Can Earn a Good Income

Anyone entering the veterinary profession can earn a respectable annual wage, but with the years of schooling and high cost of graduating, is it enough?

The annual wage a veterinarian can earn depends on a number of variables, including where you live and the specific field of practice. Other considerations in determining how much a veterinarian can earn include whether you are a partner or owner in a practice, if there are many other competing veterinarians in your area, and length of experience. Longer practicing veterinarians can normally earn a higher annual wage.

Generally, a veterinarian can earn a good income. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics says the annual wage for a veterinarian is about $75,000. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, vets can earn $65,200 per year while the annual wage for vets in Federal Government is $78,769.

In addition to a salary, veterinarians usually receive benefits such as sick days, health coverage, and paid vacation. Self-employed veterinarians must provide their own benefits.

It usually takes 8 years to be a veterinarian - 4 years in college plus 4 years in a school of veterinary medicine. The median debt for veterinary school graduates in the U.S. is $120,000. Of these graduates, 20% have debts in excess of $160,000.

Veterinary graduates should not expect instant financial success. If you want to be a vet because of how much you think you can earn then you’ll probably be disappointed. To be a vet you must enter the profession because your heart tells you to, not because of how much you can earn.