SalaryExplorer

SOC 29-2056 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Veterinary Technologists and Technicians — San Jose

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA · 10 metro areas compared

$67,280 /year
$32.35per hour
470jobs in area
+42.0%vs US median

The median wage for Veterinary Technologists and Technicians in San Jose, CA is $67,280 per year, well above the national median of $47,380.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $47,38010TH$52,72025TH$60,870MEDIAN$67,28075TH$74,72090TH$78,430

How pay has moved

$71,488$46,2432019202020212022202320242025$67,280
$50,450 in 2019 to $67,280 in 2025, +33.4% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to grow faster than average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+9.1%
Openings per year
14,300
Typical entry-level education
Associate's degree

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

The median wage for Veterinary Technologists and Technicians in San Jose, CA is $67,280 per year, well above the national median of $47,380. The gap of 42.0% is among the widest recorded for this occupation. Half of workers earn between $60,870 and $74,720. Beyond that band, the tenth percentile sits at $52,720 and the ninetieth at $78,430.

The area has 470 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 0.4 of every thousand jobs. Within the state, San Francisco records the highest median at $71,090. Of the 574 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 359th.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$52,720+11.3%
25th$60,870+28.5%
Median (50th)$67,280+42.0%
75th$74,720+57.7%
90th$78,430+65.5%
Mean$68,370+44.3%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in California

Median annual wage for Veterinary Technologists and Technicians, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1San Francisco$71,0901,220
2Santa Cruz$62,810150
3Santa Rosa$61,940250
4Salinas$61,330130
5Vallejo$61,230110
6Sacramento$60,9701,010
7Los Angeles$60,6703,640
8Napa$60,41030
9Oxnard$60,410390
10San Diego$60,2801,330

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in San Jose run 10.4% above the national average, so the median of $67,280 buys what $60,942 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way the gap against the national median narrows to 28.6% above the national median in real terms.

Published median

$67,280as reported by BLS

Local price level

110.4US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$60,942US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $67,280 a year, 42.0% above the national median.
  • Published pay spans $52,720 to $78,430 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 470 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is San Francisco, at $71,090.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Veterinary Technologists and Technicians in San Jose, CA?

The median annual wage is $67,280, or $32.35 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $47,380, so pay in San Jose, CA is 42.0% higher. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in San Jose, CA earns more than $78,430 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $52,720 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in San Francisco, at $71,090 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 470 jobs in this occupation in San Jose, CA. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.