Vet tech pay in California
Vet techs in California: $24 to $36 an hour in job ads
From 305 job ads at 169 employers, updated Oct 15, 2026
Hourly and yearly ads, kept apart
Posted hourly
$24 to $36
305 ads, median $30
Each range runs from the 10th to the 90th percentile of the ads' stated pay (the middle of each ad's range). An ad that states no unit is not counted, and hourly is never converted to yearly.
Pay by metro
| Metro | Posted range | Ads | BLS median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $25 to $34 an hour | 9 | $29.78 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $29 to $42 an hour | 17 | $29.17 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $22 to $33 an hour | 9 | $29.31 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $27 to $31 an hour | 5 | $29.04 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $26 to $36 an hour | 12 | $34.18 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $23 to $31 an hour | 22 | $28.98 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $27 to $34 an hour | 9 | $32.35 |
Only metros with 5 or more ads are shown. BLS medians are May 2025.
What the jobs offer
12%
CE allowance, 76 of 620 ads
21%
mentorship, 128 of 620 ads
6%
new grads welcome, 36 of 620 ads
3%
four-day week, 16 of 620 ads
5%
signing bonus, 28 of 620 ads
Counted only where the ad's own words say it, Oct 15, 2026.
Hiring now in California
- Registered Veterinary Technician - The Pet Hospital of La Mesa at AmeriVet, La Mesa$23 to $27 an hour
- Overnight Registered Veterinary Technician - Tulare-Kings Veterinary Emergency Services at PetVet Care Centers, VisaliaPay not stated
- Registered Veterinary Technician at Banfield Pet Hospital - San Diego Hillcrest, San Diego$24.22 to $34.98 an hour
Questions
What does a vet tech make in California?
Job ads in California offer vet techs $24 to $36 an hour, median $30, from 305 ads at 169 employers (Oct 15, 2026). The BLS median for vet techs in California was $29.15 an hour in May 2025.
How does California compare with the US?
The median vet tech job ad in California offers $30 an hour (305 ads), $3 more than the US median of $27 (2,497 ads), as of Oct 15, 2026.
Which California cities pay vet techs the most?
In job ads, the Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA area has the highest median for vet techs, $33 an hour from 9 ads. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: $32 (17 ads); Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA: $32 (9 ads); Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA: $30 (5 ads). Only metros with 5 or more ads are counted (Oct 15, 2026).
What benefits do vet tech jobs in California offer?
Of 620 vet tech ads in California, 76 mention a CE allowance, 128 mention mentorship, 36 mention welcoming new grads, 16 mention a four-day week, 28 mention a signing bonus, as of Oct 15, 2026. Only what the ad itself says is counted.
Job-ad pay is read from employers' own job feeds and careers pages, each figure kept with the ad's own sentence. See also how often vets leave their practice or add your pay anonymously.