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Veterinary technicians being paid more but still face concerns about wages, burnout, debt
NAVTA survey results come from nearly 2,000 respondents
By Coco Lederhouse
Published: 22 March 2023
The average veterinary technician is earning 25% more than in 2016, according to a recent survey by the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America. In 2022, 33% of respondents said they earned between $21 and $25 an hour, compared with 22% in this category in 2016.
The computed average annual salary for a veterinary technician in 2022 was $52,000. In 2016, the computed average annual salary—based on a wage of $20 per hour and working 40 hours a week—was $41,600.
Every six years, NAVTA conducts a demographic survey among its members. The most recent version was sent between January and March 2022 and collected 1,886 qualified individual responses. The results, announced Jan. 16, contain data on veterinary technician wages and hours, educational debt, employee benefits, job satisfaction and wellness, credentials and preferred titles, and more.
Kelly Foltz, a credentialed veterinary technician, is chair of the AVMA Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities, which accredits more than 200 veterinary technology programs in the U.S. She said the survey is an essential read.
“It’s one of the only consistently repeated analyses that we have of the vet technology profession,” she said. “It gives us a snapshot in time as to the health of the profession and what we need to be concerned about—and how systems are functioning.”
To see the full version of this story, visit the AVMA News website.
