Veterinarian
Health Science
Diagnose and treat animals, from family pets to farm herds.
Why it matters here: One of the fastest-growing health careers in the country.
Labor Market — DMV Region
Sourced from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS releases (DMV metro and nationwide) plus MD, VA, and D.C. workforce agencies.
Local cost of living is why DMV pay often differs from the national median.
- DMV & state figures: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — OEWS wage & employment estimates and Employment Projections, with OEWS area pay relatives for the Washington–Arlington–Alexandria metro, Maryland, D.C., and Northern Virginia · View source
- Occupation profiles & skills: O*NET OnLine (U.S. Department of Labor) · onetonline.org
All salary figures are published estimates for groups of workers, not offers or guarantees for any individual role.
Education & Career Pathways
Multiple ways to get here — pick the one that fits your life.
Career Progression
How you can grow — with expected salary at each step.
- Entry-level VeterinarianLearning the role, supervised work, building core skills.$102,460
- Veterinarian (experienced)Independent work, mentoring newer team members.$129,820
- Senior / Lead VeterinarianOwning projects, specialization, higher responsibility.$168,950
- Manager or specialist trackSupervising a team or moving into a high-demand specialty.$202,740
Skills Required
What you'll actually do — and how you'll be judged.
Animal clinic exam rooms and surgery, some emergency call
Where you work
A clinic with exam rooms, a treatment area, an X-ray room and a surgery suite. Large-animal vets work out of a truck on farms.
Hours and schedule
Weekday appointments with rotating weekend and emergency coverage; emergency hospitals run overnight.
Pace and pressure
Appointment-driven, but a hit-by-car case can blow up the schedule in an instant.
Who you work with
You lead a team of vet techs and assistants and spend the day translating medicine to worried owners.
Physical demands
Lifting animals, restraint work, bite and scratch risk, standing for surgery.
What people wear
Scrubs, closed shoes; coveralls and boots for farm work.
Remote reality
In person, with limited telemedicine for follow-ups where state law allows.
Workplace culture: what's normal here
- Cost conversations are part of every treatment plan and are handled honestly, not avoided.
- End-of-life care is a routine part of the week and practices increasingly build in support for it.
- Techs are trusted clinicians here; a vet who ignores their tech's read gets a reputation fast.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook — Work Environment, with regional detail for the DMV.
Official data behind this career
Federal statistics for DMV Region, translated into plain language.
Washington–Arlington–Alexandria, DC–VA–MD–WV metro area
Source: U.S. Census Bureau — ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates (tables DP03, DP02, DP05)
- The DMV functions as one labor market: workers routinely cross state lines to get to work.
- The largest employment destinations are D.C., Fairfax County and Montgomery County.
Top places these workers go to work
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — BEA regional GDP and personal income, most recent published year
Private-sector payroll data from ADP. It is a supplemental near-real-time indicator and does not replace BLS government employment statistics.
Source: ADP National Employment Report — Most recent monthly ADP National Employment Report
- 1U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OOH, OEWS, Employment Projections, CES) — Primary source for occupation wages, outlook, projected openings, education and training.
- 2U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey — Primary source for income, educational attainment, labor force and demographic context by place.
- 3Census LEHD (LODES / OnTheMap) — Primary source for where workers live versus where they work, and local workforce flows.
- 4U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Primary source for regional GDP, industry contribution, compensation and personal income.
- 5ADP National Employment Report — Supplemental near-real-time private-sector employment and pay indicator. Not a replacement for BLS.
Figures describe groups of workers, not any one person. Where an official figure is not published for a category, this page says “Data unavailable for this category.” rather than estimating.
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