According to reports by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA), veterinary technician wages haveincreased over the years, reflecting growth and demand in the profession. Photo courtesy VEG I was overjoyed and satisfied with $8.00/hour (roughly $16,00/year) when I was hired upon graduation as a certified veterinary technician from Colorado Mountain College in 1987. I felt I had hit the “Big Time”! At that time in my life, my husband and I were doing well. He was a police officer in the city and received full benefits. Fast forward to 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows veterinary technicians (unable to ascertain credentialed or not, but consistent data nonetheless) are garnering an average of $21.00/hour or $43,740/year (Table 1). Table 1: Quick facts about veterinary technicians and technologists Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. May 2023 BLS veterinary technician/technologist 2023 median pay $43,740 per year or $21.03 per hour Typical entry-level education Associate's degree Work experience in a related occupation None On-the-job training None Number of jobs, 2023 125,700 Job outlook, 2023-33 19% (much faster than average) Employment change, 2023-33 24,300 When you have been tracking veterinary technician wages, benefits, and careers for as long as I have (began researching in 2000 as the Colorado Association of Certified Veterinary Technician’s first paid administrator), there tends to be many graphs, statistics, and fascinating trends. With that in mind, let’s take a trip down memory lane, identify recent surveys, and make a few projections related to wages and challenges. To keep things simple, this article will reference the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA.net) demographic surveys and the BLS for veterinary technicians. Past The 2007 NAVTA Demographic Survey provides historical data on average annual wages for veterinary technicians qualified to complete the NAVTA survey (Table 2). From 1991 to 2016, wages increased from $19,200 ($9.60/hour) to $35,000 ($17.50/hour), peaking in 2007 at $36,120 ($18.06/hour). A notable dip occurred in 2012, with wages falling to $33,600 ($16.80/hour) before partially recovering by 2016. Table 2: Visual of wages through the decades Source: NAVTA, data on file 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2012 2016 Annual average wage $19,200 $22,000 $27,070 $30,500 $36,120 $33,600 $35,000 Estimated hourly rate $9.60 $11.00 $13.54 $15.25 $18.06 $16.80 $17.50 In comparison, BLS reported an average annual wage for veterinary technicians increasing from $23,580 ($10.29/hour) in 2004 to $35,560 ($17.78/hour) in 2018 (Table 3). While NAVTA’s 2016 wages were slightly lower than BLS averages, both datasets show a general upward trend in wages. Table 3: Visual of wages through the decades Source: NAVTA, data on file 2004 2006 2009 2010 2014 2018 Annual average wage $23,580 $27,750 $29,280 $31,030 $31,070 $35,560 Estimated hourly rate $10.29 $13.88 $14.64 $15.52 $15.54 $17.78 Present According to the BLS, the median annual salary for veterinary technologists and technicians in May 2023 was $43,740. The 10th percentile earned $30,180, the 25th percentile earned $36,340, the 75th percentile earned $48,900, and the 90th percentile earned $59,310. However, salaries can vary depending on location, years of experience, and specialization. Veterinary technician salaries, as in most industries, can vary depending on practicelocation, years of experience, and specialization. Photo courtesy VEG Future–rosy outlook? What does the future hold? On the one hand, the outlook seems good, but there are undoubtedly challenges ahead (spoiler alert: there will always be challenges!). When we look at wages spanning two decades, we do see an increase in pay. The unanswered questions are related to pay for an associate's degree vs. a bachelor’s degree, becoming a veterinary technician specialist, and the cost of living (which depends largely on the state of residency). I am by no means an economist. I am a veterinary technician with a keen curiosity about how our veterinary teams and technicians thrive in creating a healthy sustainable life and career in veterinary medicine. What I can predict, with the information gathered here, credentialed veterinary technicians, technologists, and specialists will continue to be in high demand into the next decade. With the growing need for access to care, career advancement, and team retention, veterinary managers will be innovating, advancing, and retaining their valued team moving forward like never before. Let us (veterinary leaders – American Veterinary Medical Association [AVMA], American Animal Hospital Association [AAHA], Veterinary Hospital Managers Association [VHMA], and NAVTA) make predictions for five and 10 years into the future. The projection is 132,200 veterinary nurses will be employed in 2032, as categorized by the BLS as veterinary nurses. I would like to see this blown out of the water to 220,000 employed as veterinary nurses by then. Who knows, I may still be researching, writing, and supporting veterinary technicians, technologists, and specialists into my 70s! Support team growth with mentoring programs—help staff advance from veterinary assistant to technician through flexible, goal-driven learning. Photo courtesy VEG Other recent findings NAVTA’s 2022 Demographic Survey 91 percent of those surveyed are women, down from 95 percent for the first time Annual average wage: $45,700 Roughly $23.00/hour The average age of those surveyed, 38.9 71 percent have an associate’s degree 12 percent have a bachelor’s degree 10 percent are veterinary technician specialists (up from nine percent in 2016). The average years in the profession is up to 14.4 (up from 12.8 in the 2012 survey). The largest percentage of those surveyed had been at their current employer between one and five years; the next largest percentage six to 10 years Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) 2023 Veterinary technician/technologist annual average wage: $43,740 Roughly $21.00/hour There are 122,900 employed throughout the United States as a veterinary technician or technologist. The BLS gathers information from surveys, businesses, and electronic data mining. The profession of veterinary technology is projected to grow 21 percent over the next 10 years; more rapid than other professions. Increasing the pool of formally trained support I would be remiss if I did not offer a few solutions that would blow the projection out of the water by adding 90,000 veterinary team members in eight years. Go big or go home. Shooting from the hip, I recommend increasing the pool of candidates and keeping the current valued technicians on your team. Networking First, begin networking with your local high school and vocational schools by delivering engaging, motivating guest speaking engagements and career days. Keep your team members who are excited by their career, delivering quality medicine, and connecting with your clients, on the clock, and schedule a couple of hours a month building relationships within your community. Hire high school students as aids and kennel assistants. Crosstrain them in reception duties, exam room inventory, and assisting veterinary technicians who want to grow young careerists. Coordinate “Vet Team Career Day” with your high school career counselors, opening up the hospital for exploring and observing. Or even an “Evening with the Veterinary Team,” a swanky gala to mix and mingle with families to help clients and their children become familiar with all the amazing careers within veterinary medicine. Who on your team embraces their career and can be a shining beacon for the profession? Support them in their passion! When I was working at Town & Country Animal Hospital in the ’90s, the owners (three progressive, innovative veterinarians) saw my passion for teaching and encouraged me to spend time with local 4-H leaders, eventually creating and delivering fun, informative classes to various animal-related groups (Get your Goat and Boots to Bridles Horse group as examples). This was a win/win for all involved. I explored my love of public speaking and built relationships with young people already interested in the health and well-being of animals. Brilliant! Growth and retention Recognize the value in online programming, growing, and retaining current team members by offering career advancement opportunities to become a certified veterinary assistant with the vision of completing courses in veterinary technology. Online options are abundant. By researching options, veterinary managers and eager-to-learn employees can create goals in studying, testing, and passing exams. This is another win/win option. You may be surprised to learn practice owner Greg Schick, DVM, “hired” me five times! First as a volunteer (1982), then as a high school student (1983-1984), upon returning from college graduating as a veterinary technician (1987), after I stayed at home with my children for a few years (1995), and upon my return to the valley after managing a practice on the front range (2003). Why is it important to keep your heart and mind open to hiring boomerang team members? They simply need opportunities to experience and learn in other capacities beyond the practice’s walls. In my case, boomerang employees can bring added resources, ideas, and innovations to the team. Watch the numbers Figure out how to work within a budget in which veterinary team members are valued, being paid wages that will keep them afloat, worthy of their time, skills, and contributions in the delivery of veterinary medicine. The wage numbers do not lie! To keep this as simple as possible, consider the cost of living and then make a few projections about a single person’s monthly expenses. This part is where I geek out. A single-person household reportedly spends an average of $4,641 on monthly expenses.1 We can do a lot of figuring and projecting with this number. This will be fun and eye-opening. A monthly $4,641 equates to $55,692 a year. Rounding up for good measure, work with $57,000 annual expenses, or roughly $28.50/hour. Add 20 percent in benefits package so a veterinary hospital can begin projecting their actual costs, and a few hundred dollars for incentives throughout the year. Those benefit costs to the clinic may be roughly $11,000 a year, for a total of $68,000/year, or roughly $34/hr for a veterinary technician. Still a great return on investment when properly leveraged to the maximum within a well-managed practice. If a veterinary hospital pays a living wage (the average expenses met) and offers an average benefits package, the budget for one veterinary technician may be $68,000/year. For projection purposes, we will apply a three percent cost-of-living increase (recognizing we are projecting; this may fluctuate over the years) for five and eight years, respectively (this does not include the opportunity for career advancements in leveling up, taking on more responsibilities, or specializing, just straight cost of living). In five years (2029), the budgeted wage for a veterinary technician may be $78,830.00 annually, or roughly $39.00/hour. By 2032, the budgeted, projected wage for a veterinary technician may be $86,140 annually, or roughly $43.00/hour (Table 4). Table 4: Projected cost of living increase for livable wage Year Annual 3 percent cost-of-living increase 2024 $68,000.00 2025 $70,040.00 2026 $72,141.20 2027 $74,305.44 2028 $76,534.60 2029 $78,830.64 2030 $81,195.56 2031 $83,631.42 2032 $86,140.37 Top three concerns from those in the profession Challenges have not changed much since 2016: Salary, benefits, and compassion fatigue (defined as the inability to care for oneself due to prolonged exposure to stress or trauma) High staff turnover/difficulty retaining staff Lack of title protection One statistic that surprised me from NAVTA’s 2022 survey was only five percent indicated underutilization was the most challenging aspect of their job. Balance the budget while valuing your team—fair wages reflect their skills, time, and contributions to veterinary care. Photo courtesy VEG Now that we know past wage statistics, see the trends, and can actively pursue and grow new veterinary team members while paying a living wage for their talents, contributions, and valued skills, let’s do this! Who is in this with me? Rebecca Rose, RVT, CCC (certified career coach), CPEP (certified peaceful euthanasia professional), has a diverse background serving the veterinary community as a credentialed team member and leader, with more than 38 years of experience. Rose has worked in and managed veterinary clinics, collaborates with industry partners, authors articles and books, and facilitates engaging team workshops. She was recently appointed to the Colorado State Board of Veterinary Medicine as one of the first RVT members. Reference Ramsey https://www.ramseysolutions.com/budgeting/american-average-monthly-expenses
