Average Earnings

• In 2009 the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics collated wage information from some 54,130 individuals working as veterinarians, including equine specialists, and determined the mean annual salary for the profession to be $90,110. This tallies with the latest figures produced by the American Veterinary Medical Association, which listed the median salary for equine vets as of 2007 as $91,000. The BLS also reported that the bottom 10 percent of earners received an average wage of $47,670 while the top 10 percent of veterinarians achieved an annual salary of $142,910.
  
  

Earnings by Industry

• Employment within different sectors of industry will bring different levels of remuneration to an equine vet. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that while professional, scientific and technical services --- veterinary practices, in other words --- employed the vast majority of veterinarians as of May 2009, the average salary for the sector -- $90,470 --- was below certain others. For instance, scientific research and development services were listed at $97,620. Interestingly, state government agencies paid veterinarians more than their federal counterparts -- $88,820 compared with $84,200.
  
  

Earnings by State

• Geographical location is a second factor that bears a marked influence on the wage level that an equine veterinarian receives. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, an equine vet employed in New Jersey or Connecticut is in line for the best wages -- $117,170 and $116,150 respectively. Oregon offers an average annual salary of around $80,080, while Wisconsin is listed at $74,680 and Montana at $60,430.
  
  

Earnings by City

• SalaryExpert.com conducted its own survey of equine vet salaries in major American cities. It found that the average salary for the occupation in Miami, Florida, was among the highest -- $142,853 -- followed by Dallas, Texas -- $104,692 -- and New York, New York -- $100,209. At the opposite end of the scale Phoenix, Arizona, was listed at $65,253 while Orlando, Florida, offered an average salary to equine vets of $63,992
  
  

Earnings in Comparison

• The American Veterinary Medical Association published an interesting set of figures that compared average salaries for veterinarians in their first year of employment across different specialisms. Equine veterinarians performed poorly, receiving a mean salary of $38,468. In contrast, novice veterinarians who concentrated exclusively on companion animals -- small pets -- earned an average of $71,462 and those who exclusively treated food animals received $68,933.
  
  

Prospects

• The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects the growth rate across all occupations in the United States to be between 7 and 13 percent in the decade from 2008 to 2018. Over the same period it estimates that the market for all types of veterinarians, including equine vets, to grow by around 33 percent. More animal owners are becoming more aware of the availability of advanced care for their animals and are more willing to pay for intensive veterinary care than owners in the past. As such, equine vets should continue to receive very competitive rates of pay.