What’s the average veterinarian salary? According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national average salary in 2020 for a veterinarian was $103,422. In 2022, that figure increased to $115,122. But where in the U.S. have salaries increased (and decreased) the most?

To answer this question, The Special Reports Team analyzed data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics from 2020 and 2022 for all fifty states. Continue reading to learn which states rank at the top and bottom when it comes to salary increases over the years.

Methodology

The Special Reports Team analyzed average annual salary data for all fifty states as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for 2020 and 2022. (As Alaska, Maryland, and Vermont did not release 2022 data for veterinarian wages, these states were not included in the study’s overall analysis.)

The Team then compared 2020 and 2022 figures against each other to determine which states have seen the highest salary increases since 2020, as well as in what states veterinarian salaries have decreased the most.

The States Where the Average Veterinarian Salary Has Increased the Most

Hawaii tops the list as the state where the average annual salary for a veterinarian has seen the largest percentage increase. In Hawaii, veterinarian salaries have increased by 51% since 2020, which is more than 4 times the national average when comparing pay increases across the entire nation. In 2020, veterinarians in this state took home on average $102,780. In 2022, that figure skyrocketed to an annual pay of $155,570.

Veterinarians in Wisconsin are also seeing a steep increase in average annual pay. Like Hawaii, Wisconsin’s increase is 4 times the national average at 49%. In 2020, veterinarians in this state were just under the six-figure threshold in annual pay. In 2022, a veterinarian’s salary in this state not only crossed the six-figure mark, but reached a hefty sum at $148,680.

Arizona, Maine, Utah, and Alabama round out the top 5 in the ranking with 2022 salaries that have increased by 30%, 28%, 28%, and 27% respectively since 2020.

Of special note: Alabama and Illinois, which both appear in the above ranking, are also among the Top 10 states when it comes to occupation growth in the veterinary field. In both states, there were 29% more practicing veterinarians in 2022 than there were in 2020.

The States Where the Average Veterinarian Salary Has Decreased the Most

On the flip side, where has the average veterinarian salary decreased the most?

For this ranking, Virginia tops the list. A veterinarian’s average annual salary in 2022 in the state was 15% less than it was two years prior in 2020. Although veterinarians in Virginia made on average $119,730 in 2020, that figure dropped to $102,110 in 2022.

Veterinarians in Arkansas have also seen a troubling decrease in average annual pay, with the average 2022 salary in this state being 14% less than it was in 2020–a decrease that’s significant enough to bring veterinarians in Arkansas under the six-figure mark. Indeed, Arkansas ranks #3 in terms of states where veterinarians make the least amount of money, with a 2022 average annual salary of $94,580. That’s approximately 18% lower than the national average salary for veterinarians.

Oregon, Ohio, Texas, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Idaho also make the list for veterinarian salaries that have decreased since 2020. Along with Virginia and Arkansas, these eight states are the only ones in the nation where veterinarians’ salaries have gone down over the past two years.