Veterinarian pay in California
Veterinarians in California: $130,000 to $230,000 a year in job ads
From 492 job ads at 241 employers, updated Oct 15, 2026
Hourly and yearly ads, kept apart
Posted hourly
$30 to $162
25 ads, median $66
Posted yearly
$130,000 to $230,000
492 ads, median $165,000
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $123,000 to $245,000 a year | 23 | $165,260 |
| Modesto, CA | $147,000 to $186,000 a year | 7 | $162,160 |
| Visalia, CA | $166,000 to $213,000 a year | 5 | $133,370 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $141,000 to $236,000 a year | 38 | $160,080 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | $118,000 to $173,000 a year | 5 | $144,020 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $122,000 to $187,000 a year | 10 | $158,770 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $148,000 to $239,000 a year | 9 | $158,810 |
| Fresno, CA | $148,000 to $222,000 a year | 7 | $157,460 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $108,000 to $195,000 a year | 9 | $208,080 |
| Chico, CA | $143,000 to $175,000 a year | 6 | $160,180 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $123,000 to $172,000 a year | 12 | $192,160 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $145,000 to $181,000 a year | 12 | $160,860 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $130,000 to $242,000 a year | 23 | $159,750 |
Only metros with 5 or more ads are shown. BLS medians are May 2025.
What the jobs offer
14%
CE allowance, 147 of 1,054 ads
21%
mentorship, 219 of 1,054 ads
6%
new grads welcome, 67 of 1,054 ads
0%
four-day week, 5 of 1,054 ads
2%
signing bonus, 23 of 1,054 ads
Counted only where the ad's own words say it, Oct 15, 2026.
Hiring now in California
- Veterinarian at Banfield Pet Hospital - Riverside, Riverside$124,587 to $179,959 a year
- Locum Veterinarian at VCA California Veterinary Specialists - Murrieta, Murrieta$1,700 to $1,900 a day
- Veterinarian at Banfield Pet Hospital - Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz$130,250 to $188,139 a year
Questions
What does a veterinarian make in California?
Job ads in California offer veterinarians $130,000 to $230,000 a year, median $165,000, from 492 ads at 241 employers (Oct 15, 2026). The BLS median for veterinarians in California was $163,920 a year in May 2025.
How does California compare with the US?
The median veterinarian job ad in California offers $165,000 a year (492 ads), $25,000 more than the US median of $140,000 (2,447 ads), as of Oct 15, 2026.
Which California cities pay veterinarians the most?
In job ads, the Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA area has the highest median for veterinarians, $190,000 a year from 23 ads. Modesto, CA: $180,000 (7 ads); Visalia, CA: $175,000 (5 ads); Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: $170,000 (38 ads). Only metros with 5 or more ads are counted (Oct 15, 2026).
What benefits do veterinarian jobs in California offer?
Of 1,054 veterinarian ads in California, 147 mention a CE allowance, 219 mention mentorship, 67 mention welcoming new grads, 5 mention a four-day week, 23 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.