Vet assistant pay in Illinois
Vet assistants in Illinois: $18 to $25 an hour in job ads
From 74 job ads at 27 employers, updated Nov 9, 2026
$20 an hour, median in job ads
Updated Nov 9, 2026. Each employer counts once, however many ads it posts. Hourly ads only, never converted.
Where Illinois sits
Pay by metro
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$19 to $26 an hour median $20, 57 ads
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL$19 to $25 an hour median $19, 5 ads
Peoria, IL$17 to $20 an hour median $19, 7 ads
St. Louis, MO-IL$18 to $22 an hour median $19, 25 ads
Only metros with 5 or more ads are shown. BLS medians are May 2025.
What the jobs offer
Mentorship14% (20 of 142 ads)
CE allowance13% (18 of 142 ads)
New grads welcome7% (10 of 142 ads)
Four-day week1% (2 of 142 ads)
Counted only where the ad's own words say it, out of all 142 open vet assistant ads on Nov 9, 2026, including ads that state no pay. The pay figures above use only ads that state hourly or yearly pay. Each ball is 10%.
Hiring now in Illinois
- Veterinary Assistant - 000425 at Banfield Pet Hospital - Orland Hills, Orland Hills$18.12 to $23.15 an hour
- Animal Care Supervisor at Petco, Lake Zurich$18.75 to $29.25 an hour
- Veterinary Assistant at Hawthorne Park Animal Care Center, Bloomington$15 to $21 an hour
Questions
How much do vet assistants make in Illinois?
Job ads in Illinois offer vet assistants $18 to $25 an hour, median $20, from 74 ads at 27 employers (Nov 9, 2026). The BLS median for vet assistants in Illinois was $18.02 an hour in May 2025.
How does Illinois compare with the US?
The median vet assistant job ad in Illinois offers $20 an hour (74 ads), the same as the US median of $20 (3,115 ads), as of Nov 9, 2026.
Which Illinois cities pay vet assistants the most?
In job ads, the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area has the highest median for vet assistants, $20 an hour from 57 ads. Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL: $19 (5 ads); Peoria, IL: $19 (7 ads); St. Louis, MO-IL: $19 (25 ads). Only metros with 5 or more ads are counted (Nov 9, 2026).
What benefits do vet assistant jobs in Illinois offer?
Of 142 vet assistant ads in Illinois, 18 mention a CE allowance, 20 mention mentorship, 10 mention welcoming new grads, 2 mention a four-day week, as of Nov 9, 2026. Only what the ad itself says is counted.
Sources
- Job ads, Nov 9, 2026. 74 open vet assistant ads in Illinois that state hourly pay, at 27 employers. An ad that states pay with no hour or year is left out. Read from employers' own job feeds and careers pages.
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025. Median pay for vet assistants in Illinois, $18.02 an hour, from a survey of employers. A separate source from the job ads, shown beside them and never mixed in.
- Benefits, Nov 9, 2026. Counted across all 142 open ads, whether or not they state pay.
Each job-ad figure is kept with the ad's own sentence. See also how often vets leave their practice.