How much does a Vet make in Montana?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $82,340 for Vets in Montana as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $62,250 and the 75th-percentile is $125,800.

What is the real (cost-adjusted) Vet salary in Montana?

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 91.0 for Montana), the real-wage equivalent is $90,470 — what the $82,340 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $68,396 to $138,220.

What does the top of the Vet pay scale look like in Montana?

The 90th percentile lands at $154,200. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $125,800.

How many Vets does Montana employ?

BLS OES counts 510 Vets employed in Montana in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.

How wide is the wage spread in Montana?

P10 to P90 spans $46,150 to $154,200. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Montana?

The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Montana.

Has corporate consolidation (Mars/VCA/Banfield) changed vet pay in Montana?

Substantially. The roll-up of independent veterinary practices by Mars Petcare (Banfield, BluePearl, VCA), Patterson Companies, and PE-backed groups has shifted Montana vet employment toward corporate-employed associate roles with structured pay grids and away from owner-operator economics. BLS captures W-2 wages, so corporate associate pay is fully represented; what's UNDERSTATED is the historical small-practice owner income (K-1 distributions excluded from BLS). Net effect in Montana: the BLS median has compressed slightly relative to a decade ago as associate pay has stabilized but practice-owner equity returns shrink.

Veterinarian Salary in Montana (2026): $82K Median, BEA RPP-Adjusted

TL;DR

$82,340 is the BLS median wage for Vets in Montana; $90,470 is the BEA-adjusted purchasing-power equivalent.
BLS percentile breakdown: P10 $46,150 · P25 $62,250 · P75 $125,800 · P90 $154,200.
Cost of living below the national index lifts real wage by $8,130 over the nominal — a take-home arbitrage that nominal-ranking tables miss.
Vet ranking: #48 on the BLS table, #48 once cost of living is in.

Wage breakdown — Montana

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$46,150	$50,706
P25 (lower quartile)	$62,250	$68,396
P50 (median)	$82,340	$90,470
P75 (upper quartile)	$125,800	$138,220
P90 (top tier)	$154,200	$169,424
Mean	$94,250	$103,555
Employment	510 Vets in Montana

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Montana index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	91.0
Goods	96.5
Services	72.8
Rents	76.8

Montana sits below the national baseline (RPP 91.0), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 76.8.

After-tax take-home — Montana (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)

Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Vet)	$82,340	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$9,362	11.4% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$3,751	4.7–5.9% (2 brackets)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$6,299	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$62,929	76.4% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$69,142	÷ (91.0 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Montana state-tax burden means for Vet take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 4.6% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $62,929 (76.4% of gross). After the 91.0 RPP, real take-home is $69,142.

Computed from 2026 IRS federal brackets (Rev. Proc. 2025-32), 2026 state DOR brackets, and 2026 FICA rates. Single filer, standard deduction, no other adjustments. See methodology · tax for limitations (married filers, ITM/SALT itemizers, retirement deferrals, HSA, dependent credits, etc.).

National context

Across the United States, BLS reports a national median of $125,510 for Vets with mean pay of $140,270 and total employment of 80,630. Montana sits at #48 on nominal pay and #48 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. Nominal and real ranking are the same — cost of living and pay scale together.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Vet make in Montana?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $82,340 for Vets in Montana as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $62,250 and the 75th-percentile is $125,800.
What is the real (cost-adjusted) Vet salary in Montana?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 91.0 for Montana), the real-wage equivalent is $90,470 — what the $82,340 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $68,396 to $138,220.
What does the top of the Vet pay scale look like in Montana?: The 90th percentile lands at $154,200. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $125,800.
How many Vets does Montana employ?: BLS OES counts 510 Vets employed in Montana in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
How wide is the wage spread in Montana?: P10 to P90 spans $46,150 to $154,200. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Montana?: The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Montana.
Has corporate consolidation (Mars/VCA/Banfield) changed vet pay in Montana?: Substantially. The roll-up of independent veterinary practices by Mars Petcare (Banfield, BluePearl, VCA), Patterson Companies, and PE-backed groups has shifted Montana vet employment toward corporate-employed associate roles with structured pay grids and away from owner-operator economics. BLS captures W-2 wages, so corporate associate pay is fully represented; what's UNDERSTATED is the historical small-practice owner income (K-1 distributions excluded from BLS). Net effect in Montana: the BLS median has compressed slightly relative to a decade ago as associate pay has stabilized but practice-owner equity returns shrink.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 29-1131, 2024 reference period.
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities, 2023 vintage (all-items, goods, services, rents).
Real-wage figures = nominal BLS wage ÷ (state RPP / 100).
See the methodology page for full computation details and limitations.

By Marcus Liang · Founder & Editor · Last synced 2026-05-07.

Cross-comparison: see how Montana Vet pay ranks against the other 254 state × occupation pages on the Real Wage Atlas → — four-way ranking by real wage, after-tax take-home, state-tax savings, and cost-of-living arbitrage.