Veterinarian pay in California
Veterinarians in California: $111,000 to $228,000 a year in job ads
From 523 job ads at 105 employers, updated Nov 9, 2026
$165,000 a year, median in job ads
Updated Nov 9, 2026. Each employer counts once, however many ads it posts. Yearly ads only, never converted.
Hourly and yearly ads, kept apart
Posted hourly$49 to $163 median $68
Posted yearly$111,000 to $228,000 median $165,000
Each range runs from the 10th to the 90th percentile across employers. Each employer counts once, at the middle of its own ads' stated pay, so a group hiring at many hospitals is one employer. An ad that states no unit is not counted, and hourly is never converted to yearly.
Where California sits
Pay by metro
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA$146,000 to $198,000 a year median $188,000, 5 ads
Fresno, CA$163,000 to $209,000 a year median $175,000, 10 ads
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$116,000 to $236,000 a year median $175,000, 43 ads
Visalia, CA$157,000 to $198,000 a year median $175,000, 7 ads
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$128,000 to $229,000 a year median $170,000, 21 ads
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$119,000 to $240,000 a year median $167,000, 52 ads
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA$144,000 to $223,000 a year median $166,000, 13 ads
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$110,000 to $226,000 a year median $165,000, 150 ads
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA$145,000 to $207,000 a year median $163,000, 21 ads
Modesto, CA$126,000 to $199,000 a year median $160,000, 15 ads
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA$134,000 to $212,000 a year median $159,000, 38 ads
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA$120,000 to $193,000 a year median $156,000, 47 ads
Chico, CA$137,000 to $175,000 a year median $153,000, 7 ads
Stockton-Lodi, CA$122,000 to $169,000 a year median $153,000, 8 ads
Vallejo, CA$130,000 to $181,000 a year median $149,000, 9 ads
Salinas, CA$121,000 to $208,000 a year median $147,000, 5 ads
Redding, CA$128,000 to $199,000 a year median $145,000, 7 ads
Bakersfield-Delano, CA$131,000 to $139,000 a year median $135,000, 5 ads
Only metros with 5 or more ads are shown. BLS medians are May 2025.
What the jobs offer
CE allowance15% (202 of 1,304 ads)
Mentorship14% (187 of 1,304 ads)
New grads welcome7% (87 of 1,304 ads)
Signing bonus2% (22 of 1,304 ads)
Four-day week1% (8 of 1,304 ads)
Counted only where the ad's own words say it, out of all 1,304 open veterinarian 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 California
- Emergency Veterinarian at Dana Park Veterinary Hospital, Redding$200,000 to $225,000 a year
- Veterinarian at Banfield Pet Hospital - Riverside, Riverside$124,587 to $179,959 a year
- Veterinarian - Full Time at Banfield Pet Hospital - Antioch West, Antioch$141,576 to $204,499 a year
Questions
How much do veterinarians make in California?
Job ads in California offer veterinarians $111,000 to $228,000 a year, median $165,000, from 523 ads at 105 employers (Nov 9, 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 (523 ads), $17,000 more than the US median of $148,000 (2,787 ads), as of Nov 9, 2026.
Which California cities pay veterinarians the most?
In job ads, the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA area has the highest median for veterinarians, $188,000 a year from 5 ads. Fresno, CA: $175,000 (10 ads); San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA: $175,000 (43 ads); Visalia, CA: $175,000 (7 ads). Only metros with 5 or more ads are counted (Nov 9, 2026).
What benefits do veterinarian jobs in California offer?
Of 1,304 veterinarian ads in California, 202 mention a CE allowance, 187 mention mentorship, 87 mention welcoming new grads, 8 mention a four-day week, 22 mention a signing bonus, as of Nov 9, 2026. Only what the ad itself says is counted.
Sources
- Job ads, Nov 9, 2026. 523 open veterinarian ads in California that state yearly pay, at 105 employers. 41 hourly ads are shown apart. 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 veterinarians in California, $163,920 a year, 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 1,304 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 or add your pay anonymously.