Veterinarian.
Chicago.
$140,000
median salary, 11% above the national average
$109,000 to $180,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
If you are evaluating a Veterinarian offer in Chicago, IL, here is the reality: $109,000 to $180,000, with $140,000 as the midpoint. 11% above the national average. Practice type is the primary differentiator, with emergency, specialty, and equine or large animal vets earning above companion animal general practitioners. Do not accept the first number. These figures are Orbyt estimates, computed rather than measured, and must not be cited as Bureau of Labor Statistics figures; the published BLS wage for the occupation this role maps to is shown separately on this page.
Salary range.
Where do you fall?
Orbyt estimate for Veterinarian in Chicago, modelled from national occupation wages adjusted for local cost of living. The published government benchmark for this occupation is below.
Government benchmark for this occupation
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $148,730 for Veterinarians (SOC 29-1131) in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metropolitan area, based on 1,530 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$80,770
25th percentile
$114,540
Median
$148,730
75th percentile
$196,430
90th percentile
$289,310
Workers surveyed
1,530
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Veterinarians (SOC 29-1131) rather than Veterinarian specifically. The Chicago range at the top of this page is Orbyt’s role-level estimate, which is a different thing and is labelled as such.
View the BLS source for SOC 29-1131Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $126,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$91,000
to $112,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$119,000
to $147,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$154,000
to $182,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$175,000
to $217,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $29,000 to the total package.
Base
$140,000
Equity
$15,000
Bonus
$11,000
Signing
$3,000
Estimated total: $169,000
How Chicago compares.
Chicago, IL
$140,000
Cost of living: 7% above average
National Average
$126,000
Chicago is $14,000 above
Veterinarian salary by city.
Salary by role in Chicago.
What you should know.
Here is what the Veterinarian market actually looks like in Chicago. Chicago's economy is anchored by finance, manufacturing, and a rapidly expanding tech sector. The city has become a major hub for fintech, enterprise SaaS, and e-commerce. With lower living costs than coastal cities and a deep talent pool from top universities, Chicago offers strong salary to cost of living ratios for professionals across industries. Practice type is the primary differentiator, with emergency, specialty, and equine or large animal vets earning above companion animal general practitioners. Board certification in specialties like surgery, internal medicine, or oncology adds 30 to 60% over general practice. Geographic areas with vet shortages offer signing bonuses and premium salaries.
New graduate vets start at $88,000 to $100,000 in general practice. Mid-career vets with strong client bases earn $115,000 to $140,000. Practice owners or board-certified specialists can reach $160,000 to $250,000 depending on specialty and practice revenue. In Chicago, cost of living sits near the national average, so the numbers you see are roughly what you keep.
Base salary is not the full picture. Veterinarians commonly receive production bonuses of 18 to 22% of personal production above a base salary. Benefits include CE allowances of $2,500 to $5,000, DEA license reimbursement, professional liability coverage, and increasingly, student loan repayment assistance programs. And on the tax side: illinois has a flat 4.95% state income tax. Chicago does not levy a separate city income tax, making the overall burden moderate compared to coastal metros. When someone quotes you $140,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Reference the Bay Area or NYC salary band for your role, then negotiate a modest discount. Chicago employers routinely offer 85 to 90% of coastal pay. The range for Veterinarians in Chicago runs from $109,000 to $180,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Sources: BLS OES, H-1B LCA (DOL). COL: BEA Regional Price Parities (2025). Data verified by Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer. Last verified July 1, 2026. Full methodology
Considering a related role?
- An AI Infrastructure Engineer in Chicago earns $141,000 (1% more)
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Common questions.
Veterinarian salary in other cities.
Other salaries in Chicago.
Related salary pages
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Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"Veterinarian Salary in Chicago, IL." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/veterinarian/chicago
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