Dental Assistants
Median $48,070
Occupation · SOC 31-9096
Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers: pay and where the jobs are
What veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$38,150 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $40,340
- Median hourly wage
- $18.34
- Mean hourly wage
- $19.39
- Employment
- 126,580
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 31-9096.
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How much do veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers make?
The median annual wage for veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers was $38,150 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $30,120 and the highest-paid 10% more than $49,150. As an hourly rate, the median is $18.34. About 126,580 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Rhode Island ($49,770), District of Columbia ($49,080) and Massachusetts ($46,670). Rhode Island also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $30,120 | $14.48 | $2,510 | $2,198 |
| 25th percentile | $35,660 | $17.15 | $2,972 | $2,569 |
| Median | $38,150 | $18.34 | $3,179 | $2,736 |
| 75th percentile | $45,710 | $21.98 | $3,809 | $3,242 |
| 90th percentile | $49,150 | $23.63 | $4,096 | $3,473 |
Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers: pay by state
52 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$39,473 take-home in national prices
2
$38,226 take-home in national prices
3
$37,273 take-home in national prices
Where a median veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretaker paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island | 380 | $49,770 | $35,510 | $50,130 | $40,373 | $39,473 |
| District of Columbia | 240 | $49,080 | $46,570 | $72,840 | $39,837 | $36,248 |
| Massachusetts | 2,130 | $46,670 | $35,460 | $63,130 | $37,351 | $35,318 |
| California | 16,080 | $46,260 | $37,800 | $57,940 | $37,915 | $34,244 |
| New Jersey | 3,270 | $46,160 | $36,720 | $57,670 | $37,883 | $34,817 |
| Maine | 690 | $45,510 | $37,380 | $59,790 | $37,098 | $38,226 |
| Minnesota | 1,450 | $45,280 | $36,410 | $49,060 | $36,759 | $37,273 |
| Maryland | 2,220 | $44,770 | $37,150 | $60,710 | $36,392 | $34,673 |
| New York | 5,790 | $44,750 | $36,450 | $53,460 | $36,093 | $33,444 |
| Oregon | 3,170 | $44,370 | $36,480 | $49,470 | $34,794 | $33,663 |
| Connecticut | 1,390 | $44,250 | $35,920 | $59,950 | $35,772 | $34,526 |
| Washington | 4,380 | $44,150 | $38,470 | $55,050 | $37,042 | $34,615 |
| Hawaii | 570 | $44,070 | $35,200 | $49,400 | $35,768 | $32,531 |
| Colorado | 2,910 | $38,900 | $35,710 | $47,450 | $32,262 | $31,306 |
| Delaware | Not published | $38,610 | $34,680 | $57,930 | $31,583 | $31,643 |
| Montana | 550 | $38,340 | $29,430 | $45,220 | $31,941 | $33,748 |
| Arizona | 3,340 | $38,250 | $35,530 | $47,460 | $32,351 | $32,134 |
| Michigan | 4,420 | $37,960 | $30,410 | $46,730 | $31,318 | $32,550 |
| Wyoming | 150 | $37,880 | $30,610 | $39,080 | $32,617 | $35,189 |
| Florida | 6,790 | $37,830 | $31,090 | $47,270 | $32,576 | $31,501 |
| Utah | 580 | $37,560 | $31,890 | $49,100 | $31,403 | $31,763 |
| Idaho | 680 | $37,530 | $24,230 | $44,730 | $31,455 | $32,939 |
| New Mexico | 520 | $37,500 | $29,870 | $48,310 | $31,666 | $34,340 |
| Illinois | 3,270 | $37,480 | $31,550 | $47,000 | $30,585 | $30,598 |
| Virginia | 4,810 | $37,450 | $30,430 | $48,580 | $30,932 | $30,594 |
| Vermont | 370 | $37,290 | $30,690 | $45,880 | $31,327 | $31,980 |
| North Dakota | 270 | $37,160 | $33,800 | $46,830 | $32,038 | $36,014 |
| Pennsylvania | 3,760 | $37,140 | $30,010 | $47,200 | $30,856 | $31,624 |
| North Carolina | 6,910 | $37,070 | $28,830 | $46,470 | $30,995 | $32,860 |
| South Carolina | 1,720 | $36,980 | $27,390 | $48,630 | $31,456 | $33,553 |
| Nevada | 1,380 | $36,920 | $35,920 | $47,910 | $31,845 | $31,852 |
| New Hampshire | 770 | $36,910 | $29,160 | $45,690 | $31,837 | $30,564 |
| Wisconsin | 2,200 | $36,850 | $30,400 | $45,630 | $30,860 | $32,797 |
| Missouri | 2,010 | $36,660 | $30,280 | $45,940 | $30,851 | $33,970 |
| Alaska | 130 | $36,490 | $27,690 | $47,010 | $31,317 | $30,596 |
| Indiana | 2,810 | $36,420 | $29,580 | $44,780 | $30,399 | $32,571 |
| Ohio | 4,640 | $36,340 | $29,330 | $47,070 | $30,830 | $33,232 |
| Tennessee | 3,530 | $36,320 | $30,230 | $43,700 | $31,363 | $34,139 |
| Nebraska | 900 | $36,100 | $29,930 | $42,050 | $30,423 | $33,765 |
| Georgia | 4,570 | $35,850 | $29,210 | $44,810 | $29,945 | $31,098 |
| Alabama | 1,240 | $35,800 | $27,970 | $43,360 | $29,501 | $33,213 |
| Iowa | 1,380 | $35,720 | $29,440 | $47,220 | $30,175 | $34,383 |
| Kansas | 1,570 | $35,680 | $28,720 | $47,930 | $29,657 | $32,928 |
| Oklahoma | 1,740 | $34,850 | $23,170 | $46,810 | $29,159 | $33,195 |
| Texas | 8,440 | $34,850 | $24,070 | $46,890 | $30,182 | $31,097 |
| South Dakota | 250 | $34,700 | $28,390 | $36,700 | $30,061 | $33,935 |
| Arkansas | 1,460 | $34,570 | $27,860 | $42,180 | $29,165 | $33,548 |
| Kentucky | 1,840 | $34,140 | $26,520 | $45,430 | $28,534 | $31,649 |
| West Virginia | 730 | $32,350 | $25,830 | $38,040 | $27,372 | $30,584 |
| Louisiana | 1,230 | $30,480 | $28,400 | $37,510 | $26,143 | $29,638 |
| Mississippi | 560 | $30,360 | $26,060 | $45,440 | $26,092 | $30,007 |
| Puerto Rico | 430 | $23,310 | $21,840 | $38,310 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 31-9096. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.