2021 Annual Salary, Salary Range, and Highest Paying States and Industries
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Vet Assistants
Vet Assistants feed, water, and examine pets and other nonfarm animals for signs of illness, disease, or injury in laboratories and animal hospitals and clinics. Clean and disinfect cages and work areas, and sterilize laboratory and surgical equipment. May provide routine postoperative care, administer medication orally or topically, or prepare samples for laboratory examination under the supervision of veterinary or laboratory animal technologists or technicians, veterinarians, or scientists.
Table of contents
- Average salary
- Starting salary
- Salary rank
- Salary range
- Highest paying states
- Highest paying industries
Average salary
Starting salary
Entry-level Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers with little to no experience can expect to make anywhere between $21,570 to $25,370 per year or $10 to $12 per hour. Similar to any other job, their salary will increase as they gain experience.
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Salary rank
We wanted to make it easy for our readers to compare the salary of Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers to all the other careers out there. So we created Salary Rank. We compared the salary of all careers then we gave them a rank of A, B, C, or D depending on where their average salary sit in comparison to other careers.
Salary range
| Level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Highest (Top 10%) | $20 | $41,080 |
| Senior (Top 25%) | $17 | $35,900 |
| Middle (Mid 50%) | $14 | $29,930 |
| Junior (Bottom 25%) | $12 | $25,370 |
| No experience (Bottom 10%) | $10 | $21,570 |
Highest paying states
| State | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| ME | $21 | $43,290 |
| MA | $20 | $41,000 |
| DC | $19 | $38,890 |
| CT | $17 | $36,100 |
| CA | $17 | $35,620 |
| MD | $17 | $35,110 |
| NY | $16 | $34,100 |
| WA | $16 | $33,750 |
| AK | $16 | $33,720 |
| OR | $16 | $33,700 |
Another simple way to increase your salary as a Veterinary Assistant and Laboratory Animal Caretaker is to move to a higher paying state. However moving to a higher paying state like ME doesn’t guarantee that you will make more because the expenses at ME might be much higher than where you are currently living at right now.
According to BLS, the highest paid Vet Assistants are in the states of ME, MA, DC, CT and CA.
Highest paying industries
| Salary by industry | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | $48680 | $23.40 |
| Local Government | $41520 | $19.96 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools | $39690 | $19.08 |
| Scientific Research and Development Services | $38500 | $18.51 |
| Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing | $38340 | $18.43 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | $37810 | $18.18 |
| Employment Services | $35780 | $17.20 |
| Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions | $33850 | $16.28 |
| Individual and Family Services | $32630 | $15.69 |
| State Government | $32160 | $15.46 |
| Other Personal Services | $31740 | $15.26 |
| Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | $30230 | $14.54 |
| Social Advocacy Organizations | $29570 | $14.22 |
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