Abstract
OBJECTIVE
To understand the salary, benefits, hours, and job duties of shelter medicine veterinarians.
METHODS
Similar to a 2018 survey, an anonymous survey on compensation and duties of shelter medicine veterinarians was conducted via a commercial platform from January 4 to 31, 2024. The survey was distributed through social media, message boards, and specialty listservs. Participants were categorized into part-time clinical veterinarians, full-time clinical veterinarians, academic faculty, and leadership/consultants.
RESULTS
299 US shelter veterinarians responded: 258 were engaged in clinical work (198 working full time and 60 part time), 18 worked in academia, and 23 held leadership/consulting roles. Full-time clinical veterinarians reported a median salary of $122,500, reflecting a 25% increase since 2018. Part-time clinicians earned $85/h—a 77% increase—while working a median of 24 h/wk. Faculty had a median salary of $130,000, a 20% increase. Those in leadership or consulting roles earned a median of $168,000, a 40% increase.
CONCLUSIONS
Salaries increased across all categories, with the highest increase for leadership/consulting roles and the lowest for academic positions. Part-time veterinarians saw a large rise in hourly rates, while working fewer hours. Leadership positions yielded the highest incomes, followed by faculty. Clinical salaries were 5% lower than the AVMA-reported 2022 salaries for private practice veterinarians and 7% lower for companion animal veterinarians.
CLINICAL RELEVANCE
Understanding these compensation trends assists shelter veterinarians in making informed career decisions and negotiations. Despite salary increases, shelter veterinarians’ earnings remain lower than those in private practice.
Introduction
Two previous surveys (2011 and 2018)1 of shelter veterinarian salaries and benefits have been conducted. Since the last survey, which noted that jobs were “plentiful” on the basis of job listings with the phrase “shelter veterinarian,” the market for veterinarians has increased. In early 2020, 48% of surveyed organizations reported an open position, nearly half of which had been open for more than 6 months.2 Per a national survey3 of shelters and access to care clinics in 2022, 73% of animal shelters reported being short-staffed for veterinarians and 66% reported actively seeking a veterinarian. A similar number of nonprofit clinics reported a shortage of veterinarians and active recruitment of veterinarians, 72% and 63%, respectively.3 In a 2022 survey4 of veterinarians who are members of the Association of Shelter Veterinarians (ASV), 71% indicated that recruitment of medical staff was a challenge. In a 2023 survey5 of veterinary professionals in Colorado, 74% of shelter veterinarians reported that their veterinary team was understaffed. Similarly, in a 2023 survey6 of animal welfare organizations, 9% to 59% of organizations reported an open veterinary position, with nonprofit shelters with a contract reporting 40% and spay/neuter clinics reporting 59%.
The shortage of veterinarians in animal shelters has led to a backlog of spay/neuter surgeries and significant delays in care, with 69% of shelters reporting longer waits for veterinary services for animals in their care in 2022.3 The backlog for sterilization surgery was even greater, with 90% of shelters reporting delays in providing surgery, affecting approximately 20,000 dogs and cats.3 In a survey5 performed in Colorado in 2023, a quarter of shelters reported animals waiting 1 to 3 weeks for spay/neuter surgeries.
In a 2022 survey4 of ASV members, over half of surveyed veterinarians (53%) reported that they were considering leaving their job within 3 years and 27% were considering leaving the field of shelter medicine. A 2023 survey7 of veterinary professionals performed by the American Animal Hospital Association found that fair compensation was the most significant driver of attrition and the third greatest factor impacting retention for veterinarians in clinical practice. Preventing attrition through fair compensation is an important tool for addressing shelter veterinarian shortages and reducing veterinarian and staff burnout from chronic understaffing, particularly given that replacing full-time veterinarian positions takes over a year, on average.7 The aim of the present study was to analyze current salary, benefits, working hours, and job responsibilities in veterinary shelter medicine.
Methods
The anonymous open survey (Supplementary Material S1) was distributed through various channels, including social media, message boards, and specialty listservs. This included the ASV mailing list, shelter medicine folder on the Veterinary Information Network (VIN), and High-Quality High-Volume Spay/Neuter veterinarians mailing list; cross-posting was encouraged. Veterinarians could participate in the survey from January 4 to 31, 2024. The survey was based on previous surveys conducted in 2011 and 2018,1 with modifications based on experience analyzing previous survey responses and updates, such as updated options for year of graduation. Branching logic and response validation were used, and only critical questions such as salary were required. Respondents implicitly consented to the survey through voluntary completion, and no compensation was offered for completing the survey. The project was determined via the Cornell Institutional Review Board decision tree to not be human-subjects research and thus did not require an application to the Institutional Review Board for the following reasons: the focus of the project was on policies; the survey did not ask respondents about their opinions, perceptions, choices, or other sentiments; and no identifying information was collected from any respondent.8
Shelter veterinarians primarily working in the US were categorized into 4 employment groups: part-time shelter-employed veterinarian, full-time shelter-employed veterinarian (35 h/wk or more), academic shelter medicine faculty, and shelter leadership/consultants. Salaries of interns and residents (2 respondents) were excluded from the salary analysis.
Results were reported with descriptive statistics. Percentages were reported as the percentage of those who responded to an individual question, with denominators reported since not all respondents answered all questions. Per tests of skewness and kurtosis, normally distributed data were reported as means and SD, while nonnormally distributed data were reported as medians and IQR (expressed as quartile 1 to quartile 3). Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to compare medians between groups. Multiple linear regression with robust variance estimators was employed to identify salary predictors for clinical full-time, academic, and leadership veterinarians (intern salaries excluded). Model construction was carried out with backward stepwise regression informed by previous investigation, with competing models assessed on the basis of adjusted R2, Akaike information criterion, and Bayesian information criterion. Interaction terms were considered on the basis of theoretical knowledge. Post hoc analyses were conducted to examine the normality of residuals and detect any outliers or points with high leverage. Variance inflation factors were used to determine whether models had acceptable levels of collinearity. The variables considered for inclusion in the prediction models included regions of the country (as defined by the US Bureau of Economic Analysis),9 metropolitan area size, hours worked, contracted hours, years as a veterinarian (based on year of graduation), years of experience in shelter medicine, years in the current position, and postveterinary qualifications (PhD, master’s degree, other advanced degrees, internships, residencies, and board certifications). Additional factors such as shelter type, annual budget, and supervision of other veterinarians were also analyzed for shelter veterinarians and leadership positions. For academic positions, academic rank was included in the analysis. Baselines were selected to facilitate comparison with the previous salary analysis.10 A significance level of P < .05 was set for all statistical tests and commercial statistical software used for analysis (Stata, version 18; StataCorp LLC).
Results
We received 314 responses, with 302 from veterinarians working in/with shelters in the US. We excluded 3 responses: 2 volunteers reporting a $0 salary and 1 relief veterinarian reporting nonsensical values. Among the remaining 299 (Supplementary Table S1), 258 were engaged in clinical work with/for ≥ 1 shelter organization, with 198 working full time and 60 part time. Eighteen respondents worked in academia (2 instructors, 7 assistant professors, 7 associate professors, 1 professor, and 1 intern), and 23 worked in shelter leadership or consulting roles.
Demographics
Respondents (Supplementary Table S1) had a median age of 41 years (IQR, 36 to 48 years), with veterinarians having been in practice for a median of 12 years (IQR, 20 to 8 years) and in the field of shelter medicine specifically (Figure 1) for 7 years (IQR, 3 to 12 years). Of respondents, 5% (16 of 299) were male, 92% (275 of 299) were female, 1% nonbinary or transgender (2 of 299 for each response), and 1% (4 of 299) preferred not to answer. Veterinarians living in the Far West and Southeast regions combined accounted for over half of the 255 responses, with the New England, Plains, and Rocky Mountain regions each accounting for 5% or fewer of the responses. Per US Census Bureau regions (Table 1), the greatest percentage was located in the South Atlantic, East North Central, or Pacific region. Of the respondents, 19% (55 of 295) had completed an internship, 3% (9 of 295) a residency, and 3% (8 of 295) both an internship and residency. Six respondents (2%) had started but not completed an internship, and 1 each was currently in an internship or residency. For education beyond a DVM, 22% (66 of 299) had a master’s degree and 1% (3 of 299) a PhD. Membership in the AVMA, ASV, and VIN was 82% (246 of 299), 62% (185 of 299), and 60% (178 of 299), respectively.
Scatterplots of years in shelter medicine and salary overlaid with best-fit line and 95% CIs for full-time clinical (A), part-time clinical (B), and academic (C) veterinarians and veterinarians in consulting/leadership positions (D); n = 235, 62, 17, and 22, respectively. Supervision of other veterinarians by full-time clinicians denoted by red diamonds as compared to blue circles (A). Rank for academics (C) denoted by blue circles (instructor), black diamonds (assistant professor), green triangles (associate professor), and red squares (professor). Note that the relationship between years in shelter medicine and salary was not significant for full-time clinicians after accounting for the supervision of other veterinarians or academics after accounting for rank in multivariable linear regression.
Citation: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 263, 4; 10.2460/javma.24.10.0639
Distribution of respondents by census region, number (%) of respondents, and 95% CI for the percentage, as well as the AVMA-reported distribution (%) based on AVMA membership in 2017,16 human population,22 number of shelters reported by Shelter Animals Count,23 and the calculated respondents per 100,000 population, shelters per 100,000 population, and respondents per shelter.
| Census region | No. (%) respondents | 95% CI (%) | All veterinarians (%)16 | Population22 (n) | Shelters23(n) | Respondents/100K population | Shelters/100K population | Respondents/shelter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East North Central | 48 (16) | 12–20 | 15 | 47,146,039 | 614 | 0.10 | 1.3 | 0.08 |
| Mountain | 20 (7) | 4–10 | 9 | 25,716,830 | 510 | 0.08 | 2.0 | 0.04 |
| South Atlantic | 77 (26) | 21–31 | 21 | 66,515,021 | 695 | 0.12 | 1.0 | 0.11 |
| East South Central | 20 (7) | 4–10 | 6 | 19,700,801 | 449 | 0.10 | 2.3 | 0.04 |
| New England | 15 (5) | 3–7 | 5 | 14,063,815 | 280 | 0.11 | 2.0 | 0.05 |
| West North Central | 15 (5) | 3–7 | 10 | 17,158,141 | 609 | 0.09 | 3.5 | 0.02 |
| Middle Atlantic | 28 (9) | 6–12 | 8 | 42,919,702 | 399 | 0.07 | 0.9 | 0.07 |
| Pacific | 56 (19) | 15–23 | 14 | 53,179,975 | 520 | 0.11 | 1.0 | 0.11 |
| West South Central | 19 (6) | 3–9 | 11 | 42,198,606 | 839 | 0.05 | 2.0 | 0.02 |
Values in bold are outside the 95% CI for the distribution by census region reported by survey respondents.
Annual salary
Full-time veterinarians (Figure 2), excluding interns, had a median salary of $125,000 (IQR, $106,000 to $150,000). Specifically, those in clinical roles had a median salary of $122,500 (IQR, $105,000 to $140,000; range, $65,000 to $246,000). Part-time veterinarians in clinical roles reported a wage of $85/h (IQR, $63 to $104; range, $27 to $313) for a median of 24 hours (IQR, 16 to 31 hours). Academic shelter medicine veterinarians had a median salary of $130,000 (IQR, $108,000 to $140,000; range, $70,000 to $150,000). The median salaries for different academic ranks were as follows: instructors, $103,000 (range, $98,000 to $107,000); assistant professors, $116,000 (IQR, $108,000 to $130,000; range, $70,000 to $139,000); associate professors, $134,000 (IQR, $125,000 to $150,000; range, $93,000 to $150,000); and professors, $150,000. The instructor and professor positions had too few responses (2 and 1, respectively) to calculate IQR. Veterinarians in consulting or leadership positions had a median salary of $168,000 (IQR, $145,000 to $200,000; range, $105,000 to $254,000).
Overlapping histograms of salary by clinical full-time (navy), academic (orange), and leadership/consulting (purple) positions; n = 235, 17, and 22, respectively. One resident and 2 intern salaries were excluded.
Citation: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 263, 4; 10.2460/javma.24.10.0639
Annual benefits
Benefits (Supplementary Table S2) that were offered to at least 80% of full-time clinically employed veterinarians included paid sick leave (159 of 198 [80%]), paid legal holidays (168 of 198 [85%]), and paid vacation (198 of 198 [100%]). Veterinarians reported a median of 3 weeks of paid vacation (IQR, 2 to 4 weeks; range, 0 to ≥ 8 weeks), of which they actually took a median of 2 weeks (IQR, 2 to 3 weeks; range, 0 to 8 weeks). Academics and those in leadership/consulting had the most weeks of vacation (P = .0001), with a median of 4 weeks (IQR, 3 to 5 weeks), as compared to clinically employed full-time veterinarians at 3 weeks (IQR, 2 to 4 weeks) and clinically employed part-time veterinarians at 1 week (IQR, 0 to 3 weeks). The percentage of vacation taken of the allotted vacation time varied by the type of position, with academics taking a lower percentage of allotted vacation time (median, 50%; IQR, 43% to 67%; range, 0% to 80%) than any other position (P = .011). The other position types were not different from each other, with median percentages of 75% (IQR, 50% to 100%), 100% (IQR, 50% to 100%), and 75% (IQR, 67% to 100%) for clinically employed full-time veterinarians, clinically employed part-time veterinarians, and those in leadership/consulting, respectively. The number of weeks of actual vacation taken was different (P = .010) only for leadership/consulting, who took a median of 3 weeks (IQR, 3 to 4 weeks), while clinically employed full-time veterinarians, clinically employed part-time veterinarians, and academics took 2 weeks (IQR, 2 to 3 weeks), 2 weeks (IQR, 1 to 3 weeks), and 2 weeks (IQR, 1 to 3 weeks), respectively.
The only benefits offered to at least 50% of part-time clinically employed veterinarians were AVMA dues (31 of 60 [52%]) and DEA license (36 of 60 [60%]); both of these were also extended to over 50% of the other position types. Continuing education (CE) for clinical veterinarians was only offered to those employed full time and was a median of $1,500 (IQR, $1,000 to $2,000; range, $20 to $5,000). Academic veterinarians had a median CE budget of $2,500 (IQR, $2,000 to $3,000; range, $20 to $5,000). Leadership/consulting positions had a median CE budget of $2,000 (IQR, $1,500 to $2,500; range, $500 to $10,000).
Determinants of salary
Region, organization budget, type of employer, advanced training, and supervision of other veterinarians predicted salary for full-time clinically employed veterinarians (Table 2). For example, a full-time clinical veterinarian who does not supervise other veterinarians working for a municipal shelter with an organizational budget of $500,000 to $1,499,999 in the Plains region who has not undertaken an internship or residency would expect to make $91,620 (intercept with baseline characteristics). Compared to the municipal shelter, working in a private practice would increase the salary by $23,817 (P = .011), while working in a spay/neuter clinic would increase the salary by $10,952 (P = .036). Compared to the Plains region, working in the regions of the Far West, Southeast, and Southwest would increase the salary by $29,295 (P = .001), $17,838 (P = .039), and $18,929 (P = .050), respectively. Supervising other veterinarians would increase the salary by $11,867 (P = .008), while undertaking advanced training such as an internship or residency would decrease the salary by $10,599 (P = .025). Salary increased with increasing organizational budget size, with budgets of $1.5 to $5 million increasing salary by $12,877 (P = .036) and budgets > $5 million by $29,467 (P < .0001). For academics, title and having a PhD were significant (Table 3). An instructor without a PhD would expect to make $102,500 (intercept with baseline characteristics). The addition of a PhD would add $47,500 (P < .0001), while promotion to associate professor would add $31,500 (P = .003). Metropolitan area size and organization budget were significant for veterinarians employed in leadership or consulting positions (Table 4). A veterinarian in a leadership/consulting position working for an organization with a budget of $1.5 to $5 million in a metropolitan area size of 250,000 to < 1 million people would expect to make $88,191. This would increase by $52,350 (P = .003) for metropolitan sizes < 250,000 and $58,400 (P = .002) for metropolitan sizes of ≥ 1 million. Working for an organization with a budget of > $5 million would increase the salary by $62,300 (P = .001).
Significant variables following multivariable linear regression for full-time clinically employed veterinarians (1 intern excluded; n = 235).
| Variable | Coefficient | P value | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employer | |||
| Municipal | Baseline | ||
| Municipal/private combination | –2,619 | .717 | –16,877 to 11,640 |
| Private practice | 23,817 | .011 | 5,603 to 42,030 |
| Private shelter | –73 | .989 | –10,257 to 10,111 |
| Spay/neuter only | 10,952 | .036 | 740 to 21,164 |
| Region | |||
| Plains | Baseline | ||
| Far West | 29,295 | .001 | 12,508 to 46,082 |
| Great Lakes | 10,486 | .240 | –7,088 to 28,060 |
| Mideast | 10,551 | .277 | –8,535 to 29,637 |
| New England | 10,578 | .288 | –9,027 to 30,184 |
| Rocky Mountain | 9,986 | .243 | –6,856 to 26,828 |
| Southeast | 17,838 | .039 | 874 to 34,802 |
| Southwest | 18,929 | .050 | 6 to 37,851 |
| Budget | |||
| $500,000 to $1,499,000 | Baseline | ||
| < $500,000 | 7,108 | .359 | –8,164 to 22,379 |
| $1.5 to $5 million | 14,845 | .012 | 3,242 to 26,448 |
| > $5 million | 33,939 | < .0001 | 21,184 to 46,694 |
| Don’t know | 13,344 | .023 | 1,895 to 24,792 |
| Supervise | 11,867 | .008 | 3,180 to 20,554 |
| Advanced training | –10,599 | .025 | –19,828 to –1,369 |
| Intercept | 91,620 | < .0001 | 72,205 to 111,036 |
Categorical variables that did not reach significance are in italics. The bolded P values are significant.
Significant variables following multivariable linear regression for veterinarians employed in academia (1 intern excluded; n = 17).
| Variable | Coefficient | P value | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|---|
| PhD | $47,500 | < .0001 | $39,639 to $55,361 |
| Title | |||
| Instructor | Baseline | ||
| Assistant professor | $13,214 | .203 | –$8,071 to $34,500 |
| Associate professor | $31,500 | .003 | $12,402 to $50,598 |
| Intercept | $102,500 | < .0001 | $94,639 to $110,361 |
Categorical variables that did not reach significance are in italics. The bolded P values are significant.
Significant variables following multivariable linear regression for veterinarians employed in consulting or leadership (1 resident excluded; n = 22).
| Variable | Coefficient | P value | 95% CI | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan size | ||||
| 250,000 to < 1 million | Baseline | |||
| < 250,000 population | $52,350 | .003 | $22,217 to $82,483 | |
| ≥ 1 million population | $58,400 | .002 | $27,170 to $89,630 | |
| Budget | ||||
| $1.5 to $5 million | Baseline | |||
| > $5 million | $62,300 | .001 | $31,758 to $92,842 | |
| Not applicable | –$21,200 | .122 | –$49,013 to $6,613 | |
| Intercept | $102,800 | < .0001 | $78,542 to $127,058 |
Categorical variables that did not reach significance are in italics. The bolded P values are significant.
Veterinarians working in a clinical capacity
Organization
For veterinarians working in a clinical capacity, the greatest employers were private shelters (148 of 258 [57%]), followed by municipal shelters (68 of 258 [26%]), and municipal/private combination (16 of 258 [6%]). A median of 1 part-time (IQR, 0 to 2; range, 0 to 20) veterinarian and 2 (IQR, 1 to 4; range, 0 to 20) full-time–equivalent veterinarians were employed at respondents’ organizations. A median of 2 (IQR, 0 to 4; range, 0 to 40) credentialed technicians were employed full time and 0 (IQR, 0 to 1; range, 0 to 20) were employed part time. Noncredentialed technicians were more common, with a median of 4 (IQR, 1 to 7; range, 0 to 36) employed full time and 0 (IQR, 0 to 2; range, 0 to 20) employed part time.
Of the 258 respondents, 4% (10) of respondents reported organization budgets < $500,000, 14% (36) reported budgets of $500,000 to $1,499,999, 28% (73) reported budgets of $1.5 to $5 million, and 16% (42) reported budgets of > $5 million. Thirty-seven percent (96 of 258) of respondents did not know their organization’s annual budget range, and 1 indicated it was not applicable. Ten percent (27 of 258) of respondents reported annual animal intakes < 1,000, 40% (103 of 258) reported intakes of 1,000 to 5,000, 21% (54 of 258) reported intakes of 5,001 to 10,000, 9% (22 of 258) reported intakes of 10,001 to 15,000, and 7% (18 of 258) reported intakes > 15,000. Nine percent (23 of 258) did not know the annual intake, and 4% (11 of 258) indicated it wasn’t applicable. Nineteen percent (49 of 258) of respondents reported average daily population counts < 100, 49% (126 of 258) reported counts of 101 to 299, 18% (45 of 258) reported counts of 300 to 499, 10% (25 of 258) reported counts of > 500, and 4% (10 of 258) indicated that it wasn’t applicable. The 245 respondents who indicated that their organization performed sterilization surgeries performed a median of 100 sterilization surgeries/wk (IQR, 50 to 150; range, 5 to 650).
Duties and equipment
Of the 28 listed duties (Supplementary Table S3), 7 were performed by at least 80% of respondents. These included performing physical examinations (244 of 258 [95%]), spay/neuter surgery (243 of 258 [94%]), treatment decisions (237 of 258 [92%]), pediatric neutering (227 of 258 [88%]), euthanasia decision-making process (217 of 258 [84%]), spay/neuter trap and return (211 of 258 [82%]), and other surgery (210 of 258 [81%]). Thirty percent (75 of 246) of respondents reported supervising a median of 2 veterinarians (IQR, 1 to 4; range, 1 to 15). Of the 19 items of equipment (Supplementary Table S4), 5 were reported to be available to at least 90% of respondents. These items included a microscope (253 of 258 [98%]), surgical suite or equipment (250 of 258 [97%]), pulse oximeter (249 of 258 [97%]), otoscope (243 of 258 [94%]), and centrifuge (237 of 258 [92%]).
Discussion
In 2018, full-time shelter veterinarians employed in a clinical capacity had a median salary of $92,000 (IQR, $80,000 to $110,000), while part-time shelter veterinarians had a median wage of $48/h (IQR, $36 to $66) for a median of 26 hours of work; academic shelter veterinarians had a median salary of $108,000 (IQR, $90,000 to $120,000), while veterinarians employed in shelter leadership had a median salary of $120,000 (IQR, $110,000 to $198,000). All shelter veterinarian salaries increased since the 2018 survey,1 with the full-time salary for veterinarians employed in leadership or consulting increasing the most (40%) and salaries for veterinarians in academia increasing the least (20%). Veterinarians employed full time in a clinical capacity increased their salary by 25%. The per-hour rate increased dramatically for part-time veterinarians (77%), and they reported working a median of 2 fewer hours per week (8%). Similar to the 2018 results, shelter veterinarians in leadership positions had the highest income, followed by academic shelter veterinarians. There were minimal changes in benefits, with the exception of a decrease in full-coverage health insurance with a corresponding increase in health insurance with copays. For duties, the greatest decreases were regarding adoptability decision-making and testifying in court. There was a significant increase in the availability of equipment, including blood chemistry analysis, capnograph, Tonopen, radiograph, and ultrasound, with the availability of ultrasound increasing the most. The number of technicians, both credentialed and uncredentialed, and number of veterinarians were virtually unchanged. No organizational budget category changed by > 10%.
There were both increases and decreases of 10% or more between 2024 and 2018 for benefits. Offering CE expenses increased (88% vs 76%). Decreases included payment of ASV dues (41% vs 54%) and internet access (29% vs 42%). Full-coverage health insurance decreased (24% vs 53%), while there was a corresponding increase in health insurance with copay (58% vs 21%), consistent with US trends.11 Many quantitative benefits could not be compared directly between the 2018 and 2024 surveys, as the data type was changed from ordinal to continuous. Academics took less vacation as a proportion of their allotted vacation, although the actual number of weeks they took was similar to clinically employed veterinarians. Leadership/consulting both were allocated and used a greater amount of vacation. Duties for full-time veterinarians differed by < 10% for most categories, with the exception of less involvement with adoptability decisions (61% vs 75%), laboratory analysis (68% vs 78%), and testifying in court (41% vs 55%). Behavior evaluation was more common (41% vs 31%). The availability of equipment increased by at least 10% for blood chemistry analyzer (58% vs 48%), capnograph (33% vs 22%), Tonopen (41% vs 30%), ultrasound (56% vs 34%), and radiograph machine (69% vs 51%). Only 1 piece of equipment, esophageal stethoscope, decreased (0% vs 26%).
Salary determinants differed slightly between 2018 and 2024 for full-time shelter veterinarians and academics.10 For full-time shelter veterinarians, metropolitan size and years in shelter medicine were no longer significant, while the type of employer and organizational budget became significant. The Far West and Southwest regions continued to command a premium, while the Southeast changed to a premium and Mideast lost significance. The premium for supervision of other veterinarians remained significant. For academics, the premium for a PhD remained significant, as did promotion, while the presence of a master’s degree was no longer significant. While Figure 1 appears to show an association between years in shelter medicine and salary for full-time veterinarians and academics, there was no longer a significant association after accounting for the supervision of other veterinarians (full-time clinicians) and rank (academics). There was no interaction between supervision or rank and years in shelter medicine. The impact of metropolitan area may be skewed by veterinarians working remotely in leadership or consulting positions for national animal welfare organizations. Determinants for leadership/consulting were not analyzed in 2018, and the determinants for academics and leadership/consulting must be interpreted cautiously due to the relatively small number of respondents in both categories.
Board certification could not be analyzed for clinical veterinarians, as only 2 respondents were board certified, only one of which was in shelter medicine. Board certification was not significantly associated with salary for veterinarians in either leadership or academia. Advanced training, such as an internship or residency, was negatively associated with the salary for clinical veterinarians and not associated with the salary for veterinarians in academia or leadership. It is unclear why advanced training would lead to lower salaries for clinical veterinarians (current interns and residents were excluded from the salary analysis). While the subgroups of advanced training types were too small to be analyzed as a categorical rather than a binary variable accounting for any type of advanced training, this negative trend was seen for all forms of advanced training except residency (1 respondent only). Advanced training was not significantly associated with salary for veterinarians in academia or leadership, consistent with the 2018 survey.10 Advanced training in these positions was common (approx 50% for both) and may serve as a competitive advantage when interviewing rather than a salary enhancer.
In a 2023 study6 from the Association for Animal Welfare Advancement and Program for Pet Health Equity that surveyed 512 shelter leaders, the overall average (unclear whether mean or median) salary for veterinarians was reported to be $117,274. Per the AVMA, professional income reported in 2023 for 2022 for the employment type of not-for-profit organizations was a median of $102,000. Both of these estimates are lower than the median salary of $122,500 for clinically employed veterinarians found by this survey conducted in early 2024. However, the difference of 4% between the 2023 Association for Animal Welfare Advancement/Program for Pet Health Equity survey and this survey could be due to an actual salary increase. The difference of 18% between the 2022 AVMA survey and this one may reflect different populations surveyed or actual increases in salary between 2022 and 2024. A 2024 survey of the US veterinary job market found that the average salary for veterinary professionals increased 26% between January 2022 and January 2024.12
According to the 2022 AVMA Census of Veterinarians,13 conducted midway through 2022, veterinarians employed by not-for-profit organizations worked 39 h/wk, made an average of $98,833/y (a 21% difference from what this survey found), and wished to work 8 hours fewer; 48% were considering leaving the veterinary profession. In comparison, the Census found that companion animal (exclusive) veterinarians reported working an average of 42 h/wk, making $140,348 (a 35% difference from what the AVMA reported for veterinarians employed by not-for-profit organizations), and wished to work 13 hours fewer; 43% were considering leaving the veterinary profession.13 Per the AVMA Economic State of the Profession, professional income reported in 2023 for the entire year of 2022 for the employment type of not-for-profit organizations was a median of $102,000, while it was $125,000 for companion animal–exclusive associate veterinarians.14 When considering all private practice veterinarians, the AVMA reported an average salary of $137,376. The salary for clinically employed shelter veterinarians found in this survey ($122,500) was 11% less than AVMA-reported 2022 salaries for all private practice veterinarians and 14% lower than for companion animal–exclusive associate veterinarians. The salary for all shelter medicine veterinarians ($125,000) was 9% lower than that of all private practice veterinarians ($137,000) and 12% lower than companion animal–exclusive veterinarians ($140,000). The difference may be larger given the significant salary increase for veterinary professionals between 2022 and 2024.12 In comparison to 2018, the median salary for all private practice veterinarians ($92,000) was exactly equal to the median shelter veterinarian salary, and the median salary for companion animal–exclusive private practice was $95,000, a difference of 3%.10
The difference in salary is unlikely to be driven by region (Table 1), as the distribution of respondents by census region15 was roughly comparable to that reported by the AVMA for all veterinarians,16 with only the West North Central (underrepresented), Pacific (overrepresented), and West South Central (underrepresented) regions falling outside of the 95% CI for the geographic distribution of survey respondents. The 2 underrepresented regions also had the lowest ratio of respondents per shelter, which may reflect a true undersampling of shelter veterinarians in these regions, particularly given that they were among the highest number of shelters per 100,000 human population. Per the AVMA, “populated areas with a large number of households and high-income areas report the highest number of private practitioners,” although it is unclear how this impacts veterinarian salaries, which may be driven by the demand for veterinarians as compared to supply and cost of living, among other concerns.
Academic veterinarians had higher salaries than veterinarians in private practice, although there was much less variation. The median salary in our study ($130,000) is less than that reported in 2022 by the AVMA, which found that veterinarians employed by a college or university reported working 51 h/wk for an average of $139,469 and wished to work 20 hours fewer; 23% were considering leaving the veterinary profession.13 This discrepancy may be due to low precision from a relatively small number of respondents in academic shelter medicine. It may also indicate that academics in shelter medicine are paid less than academics in other specialties or are less likely to be in higher-level positions such as associate and full professors. A 2024 targeted survey17 of shelter medicine educational programs at AVMA Council on Education–accredited institutions (94% response rate from US institutions; 80% response rate overall) found that of 118 faculty delivering formal shelter medicine education, 25% were adjuncts, 5% were tenured, and 7% were tenure track but not yet tenured. In comparison, 46% of all college of veterinary medicine faculty were tenured or tenure track in 2022 to 2023.18 This distribution is similar to what was observed in a survey of primary care faculty in terms of contractually limited and clinical track positions.19 The primary care faculty survey also revealed that 39% of institutions require board specialization to be promoted. Opportunities for some shelter medicine academics to increase their rank and, therefore, salary may be limited since only 50% of shelter medicine academic faculty surveyed here reported board certification.
When leaders from shelter, rescue, and spay/neuter clinics were asked in 2023 what factors made it difficult to recruit veterinarians, the most common response, selected by 76% of respondents, was that private practices offer a higher salary.6 However, when shelter veterinarians were asked for suggestions for recruitment and retention in a different survey, increased salary and benefits, although acknowledged to be important, were not in the top 5; the suggestions included, “increased professional development, increased involvement with case decisions and shelter operational decisions, improved relationships with management/leadership, improved work/life balance, and increased staffing.”4 This apparent discrepancy between the importance of salary and benefits and what shelter veterinarians say motivates them to stay highlights that drivers of retention and attrition may be different, as suggested in a 2023 survey7 of veterinary professionals performed by the American Animal Hospital Association, which found that fair compensation was the most significant driver of attrition. In contrast, salary was only the third greatest factor impacting retention for veterinarians in clinical practice, and it seems reasonable to imagine that this retention factor may be lower for mission-driven veterinarians who seek to work in nonprofits. However, inequitable salary may still be a significant driver of attrition of shelter veterinarians even if it is not as significant a driver of retention.
Nonresponse bias was a potential issue, as suggested by the noticeable difference between the median salaries reported in this study and the salaries for veterinarians working in nonprofit organizations reported by the AVMA. The method of survey distribution precluded determining an exact response rate; however, considering the AVMA’s 2023 data on public sector (other) veterinarians,20 the response rate might be under 20% of all shelter veterinarians. Some census regions (West North Central and West South Central) may be underrepresented per an analysis of the distribution of all veterinarians and of shelters. However, there were no data available on the size of the shelters, and it is possible that these regions may have a larger number of smaller shelters that are less likely to employ shelter veterinarians or employ lower numbers of shelter veterinarians. Benefits not offered by employers, such as public service loan forgiveness, were not considered despite the potential for significant impact on veterinarian finances that might help to compensate for lower salaries at a nonprofit employer. Additionally, the sample size for certain roles, such as leadership and academia, was small, which limited the robustness of comparisons and conclusions. The surveys were distributed primarily via ASV and VIN, which may have led to selection bias, as shelter-employed veterinarians who are members of these organizations might differ from those who are not. However, approximately 82% of respondents identified as AVMA members, closely aligning with the 83% of all veterinarians reported as AVMA members.20,21 Comparisons across different years should be interpreted cautiously, as varying populations participated in each survey.
Similar to the 2018 results, shelter veterinarians in leadership positions had the highest income, followed by academic shelter veterinarians. All salaries increased, with the full-time salary for veterinarians employed in leadership or consulting increasing the most and salaries for veterinarians in academia increasing the least. The per-hour rate increased dramatically for part-time veterinarians, who reported working a median of 2 fewer hours per week. As compared to a 2022 AVMA survey of veterinarians, the salary for all shelter medicine veterinarians reported here ($125,000) was 9% lower than that of all private practice veterinarians and 12% lower than companion animal–exclusive veterinarians.
Supplementary Materials
Supplementary materials are posted online at the journal website: avmajournals.avma.org.
Acknowledgments
None reported.
Disclosures
Dr. Rishniw is a member of the JAVMA Scientific Review Board, but was not involved in the editorial evaluation of or decision to accept this article for publication.
No AI-assisted technologies were used in the generation of this manuscript.
Funding
The authors have nothing to disclose.
ORCID
R. Kreisler https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5562-5521
M. Rishniw https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0477-1780
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