Food Animal Veterinarians

• Veterinarians who specialized exclusively in food animals had a median income of $103,000 in 2009, according to a 2010 report from the AMVA. Those whose practice consisted predominantly of food animals earned a median pre-tax income of $91,000.
  
  

Companion Animal Veterinarians

• If the practice consisted exclusively of companion animals, the 2009 median income was $97,000 per the AMVA's 2010 report. If the practice consisted predominantly of companion animals, the median earnings were $91,000 annually.
  
  

Equine Veterinarians

• Veterinarians who specialized in equine medicine earned a median annual income of $85,000 in 2009, according to data provided by the AVMA in 2010.
  
  

Mixed Animal Veterinarians

• Veterinarians in private practice who treated a variety of animals earned $85,000 in 2009 per a 2010 report from the AMVA.
  
  

Other Private Practice Veterinarians

• The AMVA's 2010 report stated that all other veterinarians in private practice earned $79,000 in 2009.
  
  

Veterinarians in Private Practice---Overall

• The AMVA reported in 2010 that overall, veterinarians in the United States had pre-tax earnings of $97,000 in 2009.
  
  

Average Starting Salaries in 2010

• The AMVA reported that in 2010, first-year average salaries were $68,933 for practices devoted exclusively to food animals and $62,086 for practices that were predominantly for food animals. If the practice was exclusively devoted to companion animals, the average first-year salary was $71,462 and it was $68,826 for practices predominantly focused on companion animals. Mixed animal practices reported average earning in the first year of $62,327 and practices devoted to equine patients reported $38,468.