Veterinarians
SOC Code: 29-1131
Veterinarians carries a 32% AI exposure score (Medium automation risk), with a median annual wage of $125,510 and +9.6% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 86,400 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 32% AI exposure, Veterinarians sits 5 points below the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 37% of them. Most of its core tasks still require human judgment.
Career outlook score
84/100
Veterinarians, weighted across 3 of 3 tracked dimensions
A weighted composite of median wage, projected growth, and AI-automation security (inverted exposure), each benchmarked against every other tracked occupation. It describes this occupation's standing across those three dimensions, not a guarantee of future outcomes.
- Median wage A+ $125,510
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth A+ +9.6%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) C+ 32% exposure
Lower O*NET task-automability scores lower risk; this dimension scores security, not exposure
Home health and personal care aides is #1 of 832 occupations by employment (4.3M, AI exposure rank #392 at 35%) vs. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks #1 by AI task exposure (95%, employment rank #17 at 1.6M).
Automation-risk inventory
Exclusive cut of 832 occupations by PlainWorkforce automation-risk band. Orthogonal to the continuous AI-exposure distribution chart below and to this occupation's single risk badge, this is the corpus band mix, with Veterinarians in the Medium band.
Credential × growth standing
Graduate credential among the thinner entry shelves
Veterinarians is in the Graduate band (113 of 832) with BLS pace Fast growth (67/832). Graduate entry is a minority shelf - pairing it with fast growth growth is the standing that separates this SOC from bachelor-dominated neighbors.
Where Veterinarians sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Veterinarians sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
32% Lower than most lower than 63% of 832 occupations
Occupations, banded by AI-exposure score
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor) · BLS 2024–2034
Source: O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor); AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis. As of BLS 2024–2034.
Veterinarians vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Veterinarians is marked in rose; the top-left corner is the most future-proof.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 (growth) and O*NET (AI-exposure analysis by PlainWorkforce).
Employment Projections
Where This Score Comes From
Veterinarians's Medium automation-risk tier is computed from O*NET Database 30.0 task-level analysis, where each documented task the occupation performs is evaluated against current generative AI, robotic process automation, and machine-learning capabilities. A score below 40% reflects tasks anchored in physical dexterity, unstructured environments, or high-touch human interaction that current AI cannot reliably replicate.
The employment, wage, and education figures above come from a second, separate federal source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034, matched to the O*NET task data by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 29-1131) code, with the wage figure cross-validated against the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 survey. BLS figures are presented exactly as published, with no adjustment on our part; the SOC-code match is what lets Veterinarians be compared directly against every other tracked occupation on the same basis, not just roles that happen to share a job title.
For career planners, this profile should be read alongside the task, skill, and knowledge breakdowns below and the list of employers whose workforce composition includes Veterinarians. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Treat sick or injured animals by prescribing medication, setting bones, dressing wounds, or performing surgery.
- 2. Inoculate animals against various diseases, such as rabies or distemper.
- 3. Examine animals to detect and determine the nature of diseases or injuries.
- 4. Collect body tissue, feces, blood, urine, or other body fluids for examination and analysis.
- 5. Operate diagnostic equipment, such as radiographic or ultrasound equipment, and interpret the resulting images.
- 6. Educate the public about diseases that can be spread from animals to humans.
- 7. Counsel clients about the deaths of their pets or about euthanasia decisions for their pets.
- 8. Specialize in a particular type of treatment, such as dentistry, pathology, nutrition, surgery, microbiology, or internal medicine.
- 9. Direct the overall operations of animal hospitals, clinics, or mobile services to farms.
- 10. Advise animal owners regarding sanitary measures, feeding, general care, medical conditions, or treatment options.
Key Skills Required
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Active Learning
- Speaking
- Science
- Critical Thinking
- Complex Problem Solving
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Writing
- Service Orientation
Knowledge Areas
- Biology
- Medicine and Dentistry
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Mathematics
- Education and Training
- Chemistry
- Personnel and Human Resources
- Administration and Management
- Psychology
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Veterinarians?
Veterinarians has an AI exposure score of 32%, indicating a medium level of automation risk. The majority of tasks in this role require human judgment, creativity, or physical presence that AI cannot easily replicate.
What is the job outlook for Veterinarians?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Veterinarians is projected to grow by 9.6% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 86,400 workers.
What skills are needed for Veterinarians?
Key skills for Veterinarians include Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Active Learning, and others. Typical entry-level education is Doctoral or professional degree.
How much do Veterinarians earn?
The median annual wage for Veterinarians is $125,510, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024). Actual earnings vary by location, experience, industry, and employer. The BLS publishes detailed wage percentiles by region in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
What education is required for Veterinarians?
The typical entry-level education for Veterinarians is Doctoral or professional degree. Employers generally expect None of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves None. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Veterinarians?
Veterinarians roles exist across many industries and employers. Workforce composition is estimated from BLS industry-occupation employment distributions matched to SEC-registered public companies.
AI Exposure Rating
Medium automation risk based on 10 analyzed tasks. Most tasks require human judgment and are resistant to automation.
Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles
Two data-derived peer sets for Veterinarians: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (32% here).
- Architecture teachers, postsecondary · AI exposure 32%
- Area, ethnic, and cultural studies teachers, postsecondary · AI exposure 32%
- Audiovisual equipment installers and repairers · AI exposure 32%
- Bus drivers, school · AI exposure 32%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (+9.6% here).
- Personal financial advisors · growth +9.6%
- Audiologists · growth +9.5%
- Chiropractors · growth +9.5%
- Electricians · growth +9.5%
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on published BLS + O*NET metrics among occupations with ≥10,000 workers in 2024; corpus ranks above sort the full tracked set.
Related Occupations
Showing 6 of 45 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Veterinarians' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Veterinarians side by side against another occupation on wage, growth, and AI exposure. Workforce comparison tool
- Understand how the AI exposure score above is actually calculated before treating it as a verdict. Reading AI exposure scores
- See the full ranked list of occupations with the lowest automation exposure nationwide. Safest occupations from AI
AI exposure scores estimate task automatability from O*NET data; they are not a certainty of job loss, and BLS growth projections are estimates, not guarantees.
Data sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024–2034 and O*NET Database 30.0. Employment figures are rounded. Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (OES).