Veterinarian · Vermont · SOC 29-1131
Veterinarian Salary in Vermont (2026)
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2024 reference period · BEA Regional Price Parity 2023 vintage · Last synced 2026-05-07.
TL;DR
- Veterinarians in Vermont earn a BLS median of $134,240, with real take-home of $138,189 after BEA RPP adjustment.
- Vet ranking: #6 on the BLS table, #6 once cost of living is in.
- Cost of living tracks roughly with the national index, so nominal and real wages stay close.
- P25-P75 spread runs $101,610 to $173,180; P10 floor $84,970, P90 ceiling $208,050.
Wage breakdown — Vermont
| Percentile | Nominal (BLS) | Real (BEA RPP-adjusted) |
|---|---|---|
| P10 (entry tier) | $84,970 | $87,470 |
| P25 (lower quartile) | $101,610 | $104,599 |
| P50 (median) | $134,240 | $138,189 |
| P75 (upper quartile) | $173,180 | $178,275 |
| P90 (top tier) | $208,050 | $214,171 |
| Mean | $155,130 | $159,694 |
| Employment | 340 Vets in Vermont | |
Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity
| Component | Vermont index (US = 100) |
|---|---|
| All-items RPP | 97.1 |
| Goods | 97.9 |
| Services | 122.1 |
| Rents | 82.3 |
Vermont's overall RPP (97.1) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.
After-tax take-home — Vermont (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)
Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median
| Layer | Amount | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Gross BLS P50 (Vet) | $134,240 | nominal median |
| Federal income tax | −$21,036 | 15.7% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied |
| State income tax | −$6,923 | 3.35–8.75% (graduated) |
| FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%) | −$10,269 | SS capped at $183,600 wage base |
| Take-home (after-tax) | $96,012 | 71.5% of gross |
| Real take-home (RPP-adjusted) | $98,837 | ÷ (97.1 / 100) BEA cost-of-living |
What the Vermont state-tax burden means for Vet take-home
Mid-band state-tax burden at 5.2% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $96,012 (71.5% of gross). After the 97.1 RPP, real take-home is $98,837.
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. Vermont sits at #6 on nominal pay and #6 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 are Vermont Vet salaries calculated on this page?
- Nominal wages come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) — annual employer surveys, May 2026 reference period. Real-wage figures use BEA Regional Price Parities (2023 vintage) to adjust for state-level cost of living. No self-report or jobs-board data is mixed in.
- Where does Vermont rank for Vet pay?
- On nominal BLS wages alone, Vermont ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.
- Is Vermont a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Vets?
- No — Vermont's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.
- Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Vermont?
- 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 Vermont.
- When does this data update?
- BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.
- DVM tuition ROI in Vermont — does it still pencil out?
- DVM programs run 4 years post-undergrad at $150K-$320K total tuition + $90K-$150K foregone earnings. Average graduating debt is now $185K-$220K and rising. Against the Vermont vet median in the BLS table on this page, breakeven on the cash investment typically lands 12-20 years post-graduation depending on practice setting and PSLF eligibility (public health / shelter / academia / federal). Specialty board certification (small-animal surgery, oncology, internal medicine, ER) requires 3-4 additional residency years but lifts terminal earning power well above general-practice BLS P90 in Vermont.
- Rural vs urban vs specialty vet pay in Vermont?
- BLS does not segment by practice setting or specialty within 29-1131. In Vermont, rural and food-animal practice typically pays at or below the BLS median but offers loan-repayment incentives (USDA VMLRP, state programs) that effectively boost compensation by $25-75K per year for committed rural practitioners. Urban small-animal practice clusters near or above median. Specialty practice (oncology, cardiology, surgery, ophthalmology, ER/critical care) pays above BLS P75 in Vermont markets with referral hospital infrastructure. Industry vets (pharma, animal-health R&D, regulatory, lab-animal medicine) earn highest of all settings, often above BLS P90.
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.
Cross-comparison: see how Vermont 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.