Veterinarians

SOC 29-1131 · 2024-2034

Diagnose, treat, or research diseases and injuries of animals. Includes veterinarians who conduct research and development, inspect livestock, or care for pets and companion animals.

How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.

The job this trains for

Typical pay in California: $168,509per year
Projected openings: 4,130
Projected change: +16.3%
Usually needs: Doctoral or professional degree

Bright Outlook — a U.S. Department of Labor designation
Rapid Growth

The Department's own designation, made from its national projections. It is not this project's assessment and it is not California's: every other figure on this page comes from California's projection, which can point the other way and for some occupations does.

Skills this work uses most

O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, rates how important each of these is to this work, and they are listed in that order, most important first. The ratings themselves are not shown, because the data carries the number without the scale it was measured on. The names are as published, in English.

Active Listening
Reading Comprehension
Active Learning
Speaking
Critical Thinking
Complex Problem Solving

Pay by region

Region	Typical pay in California	Projected openings
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD (San Francisco and San Mateo Counties)	$202,282	160
Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties)	$197,866	420
Napa MSA (Napa County)	$183,947	20
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA (San Benito and Santa Clara Counties)	$179,807	180
San Rafael MD (Marin County)	$176,986	40
Salinas MSA (Monterey County)	$172,905	40
Santa Rosa-Petaluma MSA (Sonoma County)	$167,820	90
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA (Ventura County)	$166,444	150
Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA (Santa Cruz County)	$165,756	60
Bakersfield-Delano MSA (Kern County)	$163,937	40
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties)	$163,023	380
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles MSA (San Luis Obispo County)	$163,013	60
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo Counties)	$162,725	410
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County)	$162,561	610
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara MSA (Santa Barbara County)	$162,150	70
Chico MSA (Butte County)	$160,270	40
Vallejo MSA (Solano County)	$159,798	40
Merced MSA (Merced County)	$159,582	10
Modesto MSA (Stanislaus County)	$159,582	60
Fresno MSA (Fresno and Madera Counties)	$154,590	70
Redding MSA (Shasta County)	$151,067	30
Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD (Orange County)	$142,193	490
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County)	$142,193	940
Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region (Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Inyo, Mariposa, Mono, and Tuolumne Counties)	$141,720	10
North Coast Region (Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, and Mendocino Counties)	$138,484	30
Stockton-Lodi MSA (San Joaquin County)	$136,183	40
North Valley-Northern Mountains Region (Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Plumas, Sierra, Siskiyou, Tehama, and Trinity Counties)	$135,300	30
Visalia MSA (Tulare County)	$135,043	30

Similar work

O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, names these as occupations involving work similar to this one — its own reading of the job, not a grouping by code. They keep O*NET's order, and only those California publishes a projection for are shown.

The job this trains for	Typical pay in California	Projected openings	Projected change
Emergency Medicine Physicians	Not reported	1,730	+10.9%
Physicians, All Other	$289,473	9,800	+9.5%
Physicians, Pathologists	$191,515	710	+10.5%
General Internal Medicine Physicians	$322,677	2,360	+9%
Pediatricians, General	$220,134	2,350	+7%

Leads to — 1