Healthcare

Veterinarian Salary in District Of Columbia (2026)

The average Veterinarian in District Of Columbia earns around $130,000/year. After taxes, your estimated take-home is $92,040/year ($7,670/month).

Take-Home Pay Breakdown

CategoryAmount
Annual Take-Home Pay
$92,040
Monthly Take-Home Pay
$7,670
Biweekly Take-Home Pay
$3,540
Hourly Take-Home Pay

based on 2,080 hrs/year

$44/hr
Federal Tax
$19,934
State Tax
$8,082
FICA Taxes
$9,945
Effective Tax Rate

total taxes ÷ gross salary

29.2%
Estimates only — not tax advice. · Full disclaimer →

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Veterinarian Salary Ranges in District Of Columbia

Entry Level (0–3 yrs)

$95,000

/year

See tax breakdown →

Mid Level (3–7 yrs)

$130,000

/year

See tax breakdown →

Senior Level (7+ yrs)

$185,000

/year

See tax breakdown →

Not all Veterinarians earn the same — not even close

DC's veterinarian market is anchored by DC private practice cluster (Friendship Hospital for Animals Tenleytown + AtlasVet + City Paws Animal Hospital + Banfield Pet Hospital + VCA Animal Hospitals + BluePearl Specialty + Emergency + Pet + the substantial DC corporate vet rollup), post-2020 Georgetown + Cleveland Park + Foxhall + Chevy Chase + Capitol Hill cash-pay private practice (the substantial DC federal employee + Capitol Hill + lobbyist UHNW driving substantial DC cash-pay vet growth), DC Department of Health DOH animal control + the substantial DC public health vet, Smithsonian National Zoological Park + the substantial Smithsonian + DC zoological vet, plus DC has NO in-state DVM-granting institution (closest: University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine Philadelphia + Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine VMCVM + Cornell + Tufts Cummings + the substantial DC DVM pipeline reliance on UPenn + VMCVM + Cornell + Tufts).

Sr Specialist Vet (Oncology / Cardio / Surgery)

$155,000–$275,000+ bonus

Boarded DACVO + DACVS + DACVIM at BluePearl + VCA specialty DC

Sr Emergency / Critical Care Vet (BluePearl)

$135,000–$215,000+ bonus

BluePearl DC 24/7 ER + ICU · post-2020 DC pet emergency growth

Sr Small Animal GP (Friendship / AtlasVet / Corporate)

$118,000–$172,000+ bonus

Friendship + AtlasVet + Banfield + VCA · DC Tenleytown + Capitol Hill

Sr Cash-Pay Private Practice (Georgetown / Cleveland Park UHNW)

$135,000–$285,000+ bonus

Cash-pay private · Georgetown + Cleveland Park + Foxhall + Chevy Chase

Sr Exotic / Zoological Vet (Smithsonian National Zoo)

$108,000–$185,000+ bonus

Smithsonian National Zoological Park + the substantial Smithsonian + DC zoological

Sr Mobile / House-Call Vet

$108,000–$175,000+ bonus

Mobile vet · DC Georgetown + Cleveland Park + Foxhall + Capitol Hill

Sr Shelter Medicine Vet (Humane Rescue Alliance)

$95,000–$138,000+ bonus

Humane Rescue Alliance + DC Animal Welfare + Animal Shelter Association

Sr Federal Vet (USDA APHIS / Smithsonian)

$108,000–$162,000+ GS-12/13

USDA APHIS Riverdale MD cross-border + Smithsonian + FDA + federal civilian

Mid-Level Vet (3-6 yrs)

$95,000–$132,000+ bonus

Functional vet at DC practices · transitioning to senior band

New Grad Vet (DVM)

$98,000–$118,000+ bonus

DC new grad · UPenn + VMCVM + Cornell + Tufts DVM pipeline

Worth knowing: Friendship Hospital for Animals + DC private practice cluster + Georgetown + Cleveland Park UHNW cash-pay + Smithsonian National Zoo + DC NO in-state DVM-granting institution tetra-anchor is one of the country's distinctive concentrated US single-state heritage urban + UHNW cash-pay + Smithsonian zoological + no in-state DVM vet cluster and a feature most national vet surveys understate for DC. DC private practice cluster (Friendship Hospital for Animals Tenleytown + AtlasVet + City Paws Animal Hospital + Banfield + VCA + BluePearl). post-2020 Georgetown + Cleveland Park + Foxhall + Chevy Chase + Capitol Hill cash-pay private practice (the substantial DC federal employee + Capitol Hill + lobbyist UHNW). DC DOH animal control + DC public health vet. Smithsonian National Zoological Park + DC zoological + the substantial Smithsonian. Humane Rescue Alliance. DC has NO in-state DVM-granting institution (closest: University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine Philadelphia + Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine VMCVM + Cornell + Tufts Cummings). USDA APHIS Riverdale MD cross-border + FDA federal civilian. DC progressive top 10.75% + DC NLC since 2024 anchor the DC vet proposition.

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