Veterinary Technician Salary, Adjusted for Cost of Living
Veterinary technicians earn the most in District of Columbia ($61,270/yr) — but once you adjust for what a dollar actually buys there, District of Columbia drops to #3, and Minnesota pays the most real money ($58,071 in U.S.-average buying power).
| # | State | Nominal / yr | Cost of living | Real pay / yr | COL shift |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | $57,270 | 99 | $58,071 | ▲ 4 | |
| Washington | $59,740 | 107 | $55,825 | ▲ 1 | |
| District of Columbia | $61,270 | 110 | $55,750 | ▼ 2 | |
| North Dakota | $48,790 | 89 | $54,845 | ▲ 12 | |
| California | $60,630 | 111 | $54,760 | ▼ 3 | |
| New York | $59,010 | 108 | $54,679 | ▼ 2 | |
| Oregon | $55,810 | 103 | $53,995 | ▼ 1 | |
| Maine | $50,810 | 97 | $52,354 | ▲ 1 | |
| Indiana | $48,720 | 93 | $52,202 | ▲ 9 | |
| Iowa | $45,560 | 88 | $51,913 | ▲ 21 | |
| Ohio | $47,990 | 93 | $51,728 | ▲ 10 | |
| Michigan | $49,710 | 96 | $51,664 | ▼ 1 | |
| Virginia | $52,090 | 101 | $51,521 | ▼ 6 | |
| South Dakota | $45,300 | 89 | $51,137 | ▲ 19 | |
| Kansas | $45,810 | 90 | $50,862 | ▲ 15 | |
| Vermont | $49,490 | 98 | $50,522 | ▼ 2 | |
| North Carolina | $47,620 | 94 | $50,484 | ▲ 5 | |
| Nevada | $50,250 | 100 | $50,261 | ▼ 8 | |
| Wisconsin | $47,020 | 94 | $49,971 | ▲ 5 | |
| Connecticut | $50,950 | 104 | $49,175 | ▼ 12 | |
| New Mexico | $44,790 | 92 | $48,573 | ▲ 13 | |
| Nebraska | $43,680 | 90 | $48,478 | ▲ 13 | |
| Delaware | $48,370 | 100 | $48,463 | ▼ 3 | |
| Colorado | $49,650 | 103 | $48,180 | ▼ 12 | |
| Missouri | $43,520 | 91 | $47,921 | ▲ 11 | |
| Pennsylvania | $46,430 | 98 | $47,585 | ▲ 1 | |
| Massachusetts | $49,540 | 106 | $46,843 | ▼ 14 | |
| New Hampshire | $48,780 | 104 | $46,830 | ▼ 11 | |
| Tennessee | $42,810 | 92 | $46,598 | ▲ 9 | |
| Illinois | $46,440 | 100 | $46,460 | ▼ 4 | |
| Arizona | $46,300 | 101 | $45,989 | ▼ 2 | |
| Alaska | $46,480 | 102 | $45,409 | ▼ 7 | |
| Maryland | $47,350 | 105 | $45,113 | ▼ 10 | |
| New Jersey | $49,050 | 109 | $45,081 | ▼ 19 | |
| Florida | $46,380 | 103 | $44,849 | ▼ 7 | |
| Georgia | $43,060 | 96 | $44,718 | ▲ 1 | |
| Oklahoma | $39,100 | 88 | $44,511 | ▲ 7 | |
| Rhode Island | $45,310 | 102 | $44,300 | ▼ 6 | |
| Hawaii | $48,550 | 110 | $44,156 | ▼ 20 | |
| Arkansas | $38,360 | 87 | $44,124 | ▲ 7 | |
| Idaho | $42,120 | 96 | $44,107 | ▼ 2 | |
| Kentucky | $39,590 | 90 | $43,911 | — | |
| Montana | $41,170 | 95 | $43,499 | ▼ 3 | |
| West Virginia | $37,700 | 90 | $42,124 | ▲ 4 | |
| Mississippi | $36,380 | 87 | $41,839 | ▲ 5 | |
| Wyoming | $38,650 | 93 | $41,698 | — | |
| South Carolina | $39,020 | 94 | $41,622 | ▼ 2 | |
| Alabama | $36,590 | 89 | $41,194 | ▲ 1 | |
| Utah | $40,560 | 99 | $41,026 | ▼ 8 | |
| Texas | $39,410 | 97 | $40,605 | ▼ 7 | |
| Louisiana | $35,530 | 88 | $40,280 | — |
How to read this
Nominal pay is the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) median wage for veterinary technicians in each state. Real pay divides that by the state's cost of living (BEA Regional Price Parity, U.S. average = 100), so it reflects what the salary is actually worth locally. A state with high nominal pay but high costs can rank lower on real pay than a cheaper state — that's the COL shift column.
Methodology: nominal medians from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) (May 2025 release); cost of living from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities (all items, 2024). Real pay = nominal ÷ (RPP ÷ 100). Cite as “WageAtlas Real Pay Index.”
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