Diagnose and treat illness and injury in animals, perform surgery, and advise owners on care.
Clinics, farms, and hospitals; hands-on with animals, sometimes outdoors.
Often long hours; nights, weekends, and emergency calls.
May 2024–25 BLS wage data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.
Openings a year counts new jobs plus the ones that open when people retire or move on — a truer picture of your odds than growth alone.
“Median” means half earn more and half earn less. Your city, employer, and years on the job move it a lot — that is what the 10th-to-90th range shows.
Doctoral / professional degree
Training path: DVM (~8 years total).
Requires a veterinary doctoral degree and a state license.
Vet school debt is real — but demand has never been higher.
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Standard Occupational Classification 29-1131. Pay, employment, and outlook from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS wage survey and 2024–34 employment projections). See something off? Tell us.