Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2003

29-2056 Veterinary Technologists and Technicians

Perform medical tests in a laboratory environment for use in the treatment and diagnosis of diseases in animals. Prepare vaccines and serums for prevention of diseases. Prepare tissue samples, take blood samples, and execute laboratory tests, such as urinalysis and blood counts. Clean and sterilize instruments and materials and maintain equipment and machines.

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3) 		Mean hourly
wage		 Mean annual
wage (2) 		Wage RSE (3)
53,730 2.5 % $11.76 $24,470 0.7 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $7.89 $9.40 $11.22 $13.62 $16.53
Annual Wage (2) $16,410 $19,550 $23,340 $28,330 $34,380

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Other professional and technical services 49,070 $11.55 $24,030 1 14
Colleges and universities 1,260 $14.56 $30,280 2 9
Federal government (OES designation) 990 $14.77 $30,720 3 6
Social advocacy organizations 350 $10.51 $21,850 4 16
Other personal services 270 $10.92 $22,700 5 15

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing 220 $17.07 $35,510 6 1
State government (OES designation) 70 $16.85 $35,050 11 2
Amusement parks and arcades (6) $16.40 $34,110 (6) 3
Other hospitals (6) $15.54 $32,320 (6) 4
Local government (OES designation) 150 $15.02 $31,240 9 5

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
Rhode Island 400 $12.06 $25,090 0.084% 441
Arizona 1,700 $11.28 $23,460 0.075% 517
New Hampshire 430 $11.33 $23,560 0.071% 498
Colorado 1,490 $11.87 $24,680 0.071% 562
Idaho 380 $9.44 $19,630 0.067% 515

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
Alaska 70 $16.79 $34,920 0.024% 310
Vermont (6) $14.52 $30,190 (6) 290
Iowa 360 $13.61 $28,310 0.025% 409
Connecticut 740 $13.53 $28,150 0.045% 498
Washington 1,150 $13.18 $27,400 0.045% 577

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Fort Collins-Loveland, CO MSA 240 $11.12 $23,140 0.202%
Gainesville, FL MSA 140 $8.81 $18,320 0.146%
Yolo, CA PMSA 120 $10.86 $22,600 0.136%
Santa Rosa, CA PMSA 260 $14.19 $29,520 0.136%
Flagstaff, AZ-UT MSA 70 $9.27 $19,290 0.130%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Burlington, VT MSA 40 $19.73 $41,030 0.038%
San Jose, CA PMSA 340 $16.65 $34,630 0.039%
New London-Norwich, CT-RI MSA 30 $16.58 $34,490 0.021%
San Francisco, CA PMSA 500 $15.91 $33,100 0.051%
Stamford-Norwalk, CT PMSA 100 $15.65 $32,540 0.050%

About May 2003 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

To see profiles of other occupations, select from the major groups below:

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files(XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(6) Estimates not released.

All Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Occupations

2003 May National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2003 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: May 7, 2004