Veterinarian salary in
California.
Veterinarians in California earn a median annual wage of $163,920 ($78.81/hr), based on real Bureau of Labor Statistics data for 9,170 veterinarians working in the state. Pay varies significantly by metro area - San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont pays the most within California, at $208,080.
Median salary
$163,920
$78.81/hr
26% above US median
Low · 10th pct
$74,850
High · 90th pct
$286,330
Pay rank
#1of 48 states
Veterinarians
9,170
employed
Full wage range
What vets in California actually earn.
The salary ladder
Annual pay at each step of the scale in California
US median $130,100
10th pct
25th pct
Median
75th pct
90th pct
The middle half earn $125,460–$211,840
Top earners make 3.8× what entry-level vets earn
How California compares.
Median annual salary for veterinarians, from Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Highest-paying metro areas in California
Median annual salary · tap a metro for its full breakdown
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California salary,
answered.
What is the average veterinarian salary in California?
According to BLS OEWS 2025 data, the median annual wage for veterinarians in California is $163,920 ($78.81/hour), with a mean of $169,860. The middle 50% earn between $125,460 and $211,840.
How does California compare to the national average?
The national median veterinarian salary is $130,100 (BLS, May 2025). California's median of $163,920 is above that.
What is the highest-paying city for veterinarians in California?
Among the metro areas BLS tracks in California, San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont has the highest reported median veterinarian salary at $208,080 per year. See the metro table above for the full breakdown.
How much do veterinarians make per hour in California?
The median hourly rate works out to $78.81, based on a standard 2,080-hour work year (BLS's own convention for converting between annual and hourly wage figures).
Is this California salary data real?
Yes. The headline figures come directly from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program (OEWS), the same government source used for official labor market data - not an estimate or a scrape of job postings. Any community breakdown shown is separate, anonymous, self-reported data from real veterinarians.
Writing about vet compensation?
Feel free to cite this data - here's a ready-made attribution you can paste directly into your article.
“The median veterinarian salary in California is $163,920 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).”
Figures are BLS median annual base wages and may not include bonuses, production pay, or benefits. Community breakdowns are separate, anonymous, self-reported submissions.