Fast Facts for Veterinary Assistants in Florida
Florida veterinary assistant schools can prepare you for a rewarding career assisting veterinarians and providing much-needed care to animals. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers were spread out among the following regions in Florida in 2013:
Pensacola-Ferry-Pass-Brent: 120
Panama City-Lynn Haven-Panama City Beach: 40
Tallahassee: 160
Northeast Florida nonmetropolitan area: 130
Jacksonville: 350
Gainesville: 130
Ocala: 120
Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach: 60
Lakeland-Winter Haven: 140
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford: 560
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater: 560
Cape Coral-Fort Myers: 160
Naples-Marco Island: 40
West Palm Beach- Boca Raton- Boynton Beach: 420
Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Deerfield Beach: 250
Miami-Miami Beach- Kendall: 170
Data from the BLS shows that the state of Florida has the third highest employment level for this occupation in the nation. Meanwhile, U.S. Department of Labor shows that employment for veterinary assistants in Florida could increase by as much as 3 percent during the decade leading up to 2022.
Salaries for Veterinary Assistants in Florida
Many veterinary assistants learn the skills required for this career during hands-on training. However, veterinary assistant schools in Florida can prepare individuals for this type of work ,as well. In addition, Florida veterinary assistant schools also provide students with a path toward certification as an Approved Veterinary Assistant (AVA) through the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America.
U.S. Department of Labor figures show that veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers in Florida earned an annual median wage of $20,600 in 2013. However, the top ten percent of earners in the state made a mean wage of $29,500. Meanwhile, the national annual median wage for this career was slightly more that same year at $23,500.
Nationally, the industries who paid out the highest annual mean wages on a national level in 2013 are as follows:
Local Government: $39,880
Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing: $35,720
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals: $35,500
Junior Colleges: $34,920
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools: $33,000
Florida Veterinary Assistant Schools
(no updates)
More Florida Veterinary Assistant Schools
This data reflects the 2013-2014 school year, and is sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics.
School Name | Campus | Highest Award | Enrolled |
CHOICE High School and Technical Center | Fort Walton Beach | Certificate | 349 |
Daytona State College | Daytona Beach | Bachelor's | 14,865 |
Eastern Florida State College | Cocoa | Bachelor's | 16,711 |
Hillsborough Community College | Tampa | Associate | 26,590 |
Institute of Technical Arts | Casselberry | Associate | 263 |
Marion County Community Technical and Adult Education Center | Ocala | Certificate | 427 |
Miami Dade College | Miami | Bachelor's | 66,298 |
Pensacola State College | Pensacola | Bachelor's | 11,235 |
Sanford-Brown Institute | Fort Lauderdale | Associate | 477 |
Sanford-Brown Institute | Jacksonville | Associate | 360 |
Sanford-Brown Institute | Tampa | Associate | 317 |
Sarasota County Technical Institute | Sarasota | Certificate | 670 |
St. Petersburg College | Clearwater | Bachelor's | 31,820 |
Westside Tech | Winter Garden | Certificate | 703 |
Job Popularity in Metro Areas for Veterinary Assistants
(no updates)
Metro Areas Rated for Salary and Popularity
Listed below are metro areas in Florida with their respective annual mean wages in 2013 as well as employment figures per 1,000 residents. All data was gathered from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' May 2013 Occupational Employment and Wages data set:
Region | Employment per 1,000 Residents | Annual Mean Wage in 2013 |
Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall | .17 | $24,920 |
Ocala | 1.33 | $24,620 |
Naples-Marco Island | .35 | $23,830 |
Panama City-Lynn Haven-Panama City Beach | .54 | $23,680 |
Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach | .38 | $23,670 |
Jacksonville | .60 | $23,370 |
West Palm Beach- Boca Raton- Boynton Beach | .80 | $23,260 |
Northeast Florida nonmetropolitan area | .93 | $22,490 |
Cape Coral-Fort Myers | .75 | $22,490 |
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater | .48 | $22,030 |
Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Deerfield Beach | .34 | $21,880 |
Pensacola-Ferry-Pass-Brent | .79 | $20,200 |
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford | .54 | $19,980 |
Tallahassee | .99 | $19,870 |
Gainesville | 1.04 | $19,920 |
Lakeland-Winter Haven | .73 | $19,850 |
BLS data clearly shows that the regions with the highest paying jobs for veterinary assistants in Florida were the Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall area, Ocala, and Naples-Marco Island. Meanwhile, Ocala and Gainesville boasted the highest level of employment in this field among other regions in the state.
Sources:
"Bureau of Labor Statistics," U.S. Department of Labor, "Occupational Outlook Handbook 2014-15 Edition," http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/veterinary-assistants-and-laboratory-animal-caretakers.htm#tab-1
"Bureau of Labor Statistics," U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2013, http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes319096.htm
"CareerOneStop," U.S. Department of Labor, Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers, http://www.careerinfonet.org/occ_rep.asp?next=occ_rep&Level=&optstatus=111111111&jobfam=31&id=1&nodeid=2&soccode=319096&menuMode=&stfips=12&x=67&y=21
"National Center for Education Statistics," College Navigator,http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?s=FL&p=51.0808
Listed below are metro areas ranked by the popularity of jobs for Veterinary Assistants relative to the population of the city. Salary data was obtained from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
2019 Occupational Employment Statistics and 2018-28 Employment Projections, Bureau of Labor Statistics, BLS.gov
Metro Area | Jobs | Annual Median Salary |
---|---|---|
Cape Coral-Fort Myers | 170 | $28,890 |
Sebastian-Vero Beach | 70 | $32,570 |
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford | 520 | $23,610 |
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville | 190 | $30,000 |
North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton | N/A | $27,630 |
Gainesville | N/A | $25,680 |
Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach | 290 | $29,240 |
Jacksonville | N/A | $27,750 |
Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island | 40 | $26,520 |
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater | 1190 | $27,190 |
Port St. Lucie | N/A | $43,200 |
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach | 1340 | $29,560 |
Punta Gorda | N/A | $28,760 |