Vet assistant pay in Washington
Vet assistants in Washington: $19 to $25 an hour in job ads
From 134 job ads at 46 employers, updated Nov 9, 2026
$22 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 Washington sits
Pay by metro
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$19 to $27 an hour median $23, 75 ads
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA$20 to $26 an hour median $22, 36 ads
Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA$17 to $21 an hour median $21, 9 ads
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA$20 to $24 an hour median $21, 11 ads
Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA$19 to $21 an hour median $20, 5 ads
Kennewick-Richland, WA$18 to $21 an hour median $19, 12 ads
Only metros with 5 or more ads are shown. BLS medians are May 2025.
What the jobs offer
CE allowance20% (42 of 207 ads)
Mentorship17% (36 of 207 ads)
New grads welcome6% (13 of 207 ads)
Four-day week2% (4 of 207 ads)
Counted only where the ad's own words say it, out of all 207 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 Washington
- Veterinary Assistant at Veterinary Practice Partners, Kennewick$17.13 to $25 an hour
- Relief Veterinary Assistant at BluePearl Pet Hospital Olympia, Olympia$20.30 to $30.10 an hour
- Veterinary Assistant at Spanaway Veterinary Clinic, Spanaway$16.66 to $20 an hour
Questions
How much do vet assistants make in Washington?
Job ads in Washington offer vet assistants $19 to $25 an hour, median $22, from 134 ads at 46 employers (Nov 9, 2026). The BLS median for vet assistants in Washington was $21.23 an hour in May 2025.
How does Washington compare with the US?
The median vet assistant job ad in Washington offers $22 an hour (134 ads), $2 more than the US median of $20 (3,115 ads), as of Nov 9, 2026.
Which Washington cities pay vet assistants the most?
In job ads, the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA area has the highest median for vet assistants, $23 an hour from 75 ads. Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA: $22 (36 ads); Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA: $21 (9 ads); Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA: $21 (11 ads). Only metros with 5 or more ads are counted (Nov 9, 2026).
What benefits do vet assistant jobs in Washington offer?
Of 207 vet assistant ads in Washington, 42 mention a CE allowance, 36 mention mentorship, 13 mention welcoming new grads, 4 mention a four-day week, as of Nov 9, 2026. Only what the ad itself says is counted.
Sources
- Job ads, Nov 9, 2026. 134 open vet assistant ads in Washington that state hourly pay, at 46 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 Washington, $21.23 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 207 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.