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The average salary for a Veterinary Medicine Scientist in the United States is approximately $80,940 per year, translating to about $39 per hour. Salaries can vary based on several factors, including geographic location, years of experience, and specific sectors within veterinary medicine.
According to recent data, entry-level positions typically start around $60,000, while experienced professionals can earn upwards of $100,000 annually. This variation reflects the demand for skilled scientists in veterinary medicine and the complexity of their work.
States with higher demand for veterinary professionals, such as California, New York, and Texas, often offer competitive salaries. Cities like San Francisco and New York City are among the highest paying locations for veterinary medicine scientists.
Research shows that ongoing education and specialization in fields like toxicology or epidemiology can further enhance earning potential.
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The average veterinary medicine scientist salary in California, Oregon, and New York are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average veterinary medicine scientist salary states are Nebraska, Montana, and Louisiana.
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $87,092 | $41.87 |
| 2 | Oregon | $88,080 | $42.35 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $81,408 | $39.14 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $79,199 | $38.08 |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | $80,513 | $38.71 |
| 6 | Maryland | $81,072 | $38.98 |
| 7 | Maine | $76,432 | $36.75 |
| 8 | California | $94,568 | $45.47 |
| 9 | Rhode Island | $80,187 | $38.55 |
| 10 | Nevada | $80,743 | $38.82 |
| 11 | Vermont | $73,601 | $35.39 |
| 12 | New Hampshire | $71,029 | $34.15 |
| 13 | Delaware | $72,447 | $34.83 |
| 14 | Idaho | $73,643 | $35.41 |
| 15 | Washington | $74,921 | $36.02 |
| 16 | North Carolina | $68,237 | $32.81 |
| 17 | Utah | $72,696 | $34.95 |
| 18 | Virginia | $70,632 | $33.96 |
| 19 | Arkansas | $71,363 | $34.31 |
| 20 | Ohio | $68,042 | $32.71 |
| 21 | New Mexico | $66,232 | $31.84 |
| 22 | North Dakota | $63,444 | $30.50 |
| 23 | Florida | $69,008 | $33.18 |
| 24 | Texas | $68,047 | $32.71 |
| 25 | West Virginia | $66,857 | $32.14 |
| 26 | Michigan | $66,629 | $32.03 |
| 27 | Connecticut | $64,238 | $30.88 |
| 28 | Arizona | $68,797 | $33.08 |
| 29 | Minnesota | $65,009 | $31.25 |
| 30 | South Carolina | $66,784 | $32.11 |
| 31 | Hawaii | $63,891 | $30.72 |
| 32 | Tennessee | $65,622 | $31.55 |
| 33 | District of Columbia | $73,936 | $35.55 |
| 34 | Colorado | $64,831 | $31.17 |
| 35 | Wyoming | $60,036 | $28.86 |
| 36 | Illinois | $60,806 | $29.23 |
| 37 | Iowa | $63,160 | $30.37 |
| 38 | Indiana | $61,083 | $29.37 |
| 39 | Missouri | $58,187 | $27.97 |
| 40 | Georgia | $62,199 | $29.90 |
| 41 | Wisconsin | $52,466 | $25.22 |
| 42 | Alabama | $59,183 | $28.45 |
| 43 | Kansas | $53,772 | $25.85 |
| 44 | South Dakota | $43,849 | $21.08 |
| 45 | Montana | $49,086 | $23.60 |
| 46 | Alaska | $44,218 | $21.26 |
| 47 | Kentucky | $53,266 | $25.61 |
| 48 | Nebraska | $49,553 | $23.82 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $53,363 | $25.66 |
| 50 | Louisiana | $49,076 | $23.59 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $44,185 | $21.24 |
The highest-paying cities for veterinary medicine scientists are San Francisco, CA, South San Francisco, CA, and Brisbane, CA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $103,986 | $49.99 |
| 2 | South San Francisco, CA | $103,878 | $49.94 |
| 3 | Brisbane, CA | $103,878 | $49.94 |
| 4 | San Carlos, CA | $103,773 | $49.89 |
| 5 | Hayward, CA | $103,614 | $49.81 |
| 6 | Sacramento, CA | $102,740 | $49.39 |
| 7 | Fresno, CA | $100,795 | $48.46 |
| 8 | Thousand Oaks, CA | $93,456 | $44.93 |
| 9 | Santa Monica, CA | $92,474 | $44.46 |
| 10 | Los Angeles, CA | $92,368 | $44.41 |
| 11 | Plainview, NY | $87,883 | $42.25 |
| 12 | Del Mar, CA | $87,477 | $42.06 |
| 13 | San Diego, CA | $86,976 | $41.82 |
| 14 | Santee, CA | $86,885 | $41.77 |
| 15 | Lakeside, CA | $86,884 | $41.77 |
| 16 | Alpine, CA | $86,702 | $41.68 |
| 17 | Spring Valley, CA | $86,629 | $41.65 |
| 18 | Imperial Beach, CA | $86,386 | $41.53 |
| 19 | Pen Argyl, PA | $81,643 | $39.25 |
| 20 | Bridgewater, NJ | $81,175 | $39.03 |
A veterinary medicine scientist's salary ranges from $50,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $130,000 at the 90th percentile.

| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $130,000 | $10,833 | $63 |
| 75th Percentile | $104,000 | $8,667 | $50 |
| Average | $80,940 | $6,745 | $39 |
| 25th Percentile | $62,000 | $5,167 | $30 |
| 10th Percentile | $50,000 | $4,167 | $24 |
The highest paying types of veterinary medicine scientists are animal doctor, doctor of veterinary medicine, and veterinarian.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Health Veterinarian | $62,550 | $5,212 | $30.07 | 63,067 |
| Emergency Veterinarian | $94,518 | $7,877 | $45.44 | 34,931 |
| Scientist | $97,344 | $8,112 | $46.80 | 62,467 |
| Veterinarian | $109,524 | $9,127 | $52.66 | 13,255 |
| Staff Scientist | $93,941 | $7,828 | $45.16 | 121,054 |
| Doctor Of Veterinary Medicine | $136,242 | $11,354 | $65.50 | 27,902 |
Top companies hiring veterinary medicine scientists now:
Veterinary medicine scientist salaries at Amgen and Bristol-Myers Squibb are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average veterinary medicine scientist salary at companies like Boehringer Ingelheim and Critical Path Institute are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amgen | $105,959 | $50.94 |
| 2 | Bristol-Myers Squibb | $103,423 | $49.72 |
| 3 | Boehringer Ingelheim | $100,009 | $48.08 |
| 4 | Critical Path Institute | $99,618 | $47.89 |
| 5 | Zoetis | $95,354 | $45.84 |
| 6 | Enanta Pharmaceuticals | $94,855 | $45.60 |
| 7 | Arcus Biosciences | $93,253 | $44.83 |
| 8 | ORIC Pharmaceuticals | $93,184 | $44.80 |
| 9 | Gilead Sciences | $89,941 | $43.24 |
| 10 | Nurix | $89,294 | $42.93 |
| 11 | Instil Bio | $88,128 | $42.37 |
| 12 | Ethos Veterinary Health | $86,553 | $41.61 |
| 13 | Blueprint Medicines | $85,877 | $41.29 |
| 14 | Banfield Pet Hospital | $84,699 | $40.72 |
| 15 | Ferring Pharmaceuticals | $84,687 | $40.71 |
| 16 | Frontier Medicines | $81,974 | $39.41 |
| 17 | Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. | $80,872 | $38.88 |
| 18 | BluePearl Vet | $80,399 | $38.65 |
| 19 | Sunovion Pharmaceuticals | $80,257 | $38.59 |
| 20 | Sanofi US | $79,581 | $38.26 |
The average veterinary medicine scientist salary has risen by $13,334 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average veterinary medicine scientist earned $67,606 annually, but today, they earn $80,940 a year. That works out to a 12% change in pay for veterinary medicine scientists over the last decade.
Compare veterinary medicine scientist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Compare veterinary medicine scientist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $80,900 | $38.91 | +3.8% |
| 2025 | $77,800 | $37.43 | +1.7% |
| 2024 | $76,500 | $36.79 | +3.6% |
| 2023 | $73,700 | $35.45 | +1.8% |
| 2022 | $72,400 | $34.80 | +0.3% |
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ratio Therapeutics, Inc. | Scientist II, Medicinal Chemistry | Boston, MA | 10/07/2024 | $141,500 |
| Zeno Management, Inc. | Scientist, Medicinal Chemistry | San Diego, CA | 07/19/2024 | $110,000 |
| Neomorph, Inc. | Scientist II, Medicinal Chemistry | San Diego, CA | 07/11/2024 | $129,251 |
| Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. | Scientist, Medicinal Chemistry | San Diego, CA | 04/22/2024 | $100,859 |
| Dicerna Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | Scientist I, Medicinal Chemistry | Lexington, MA | 04/16/2024 | $130,410 |
| Nurix Therapeutics, Inc. | Scientist I, Medicinal Chemistry | The Woodlands, TX | 04/16/2024 | $90,000 |
| R2M Pharma, Inc. | Scientist of Medicinal Chemisttry | South San Francisco, CA | 04/10/2024 | $120,000 |
| Eikon Therapeutics, Inc. | Scientist, Medicinal Chemistry | Hayward, CA | 04/10/2024 | $138,362 |
| Treeline Biosciences, Inc. | Scientist II, Medicinal Chemistry | Watertown Town, MA | 04/10/2024 | $138,600 |
| Treeline Biosciences, Inc. | Scientist I, Medicinal Chemistry | Watertown Town, MA | 04/10/2024 | $120,000 |
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