Grad Student Competition
Factors associated with veterinarian compensation in rural practice
| Date/Time: |
8/28/2026
08:45
|
| Author: |
Caroline Wingert |
| Clinic: |
Kansas State University, Beef Cattle Institute |
| City, State, ZIP: |
Manhattan, KS 66502 |
B.J. White, DVM, MS
1
;
J.L. Ward, DVM, DACVIM
2
;
T.G. Gunderson, DVM, MS, ACVPM
1
;
C.K.Wingert, BS
1
;
1Clinical Science, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, United States
2Veterinary Clinical Science, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, United States
Introduction:
Rural veterinary practice is associated with lower veterinarian compensation compared to urban practice, though compensation varies among rural veterinarians. The study objective was to determine factors associated with financial compensation of rural veterinarians
Materials and methods:
An anonymous electronic survey was distributed to veterinary alumni of Kansas and Iowa State Universities and national/state veterinary associations. Inclusion criteria were consent, rurality, answering questions past the inclusion questions, and indicating that they were either an owner or an associate. Practice owners and associate veterinarians indicated their salary range. Continuous proxy variables were generated from the median of each range, and by adding/subtracting $25,000 to/from the upper and lower bounds of the extreme categories. For example, <$50k became $25,000, and $51-100k became $75,000. Separate multivariable regression models were fitted via manual forward selection with owner / associate veterinarian salary as the outcome and other survey responses as potential covariates (p<0.05 required for inclusion). Following model development, any non-significant variables were removed.
Results:
Variables significantly associated with owner salary included gender, region of the United States, population, practice status (full-time/part-time), clinic contribution to retirement funds, practice financial statement review frequency, and monthly housing cost. Variables that were significantly associated with associate salary included: gender, income derived from small animal clients, clinic contribution to retirement funds, and partnering with an external pharmacy.
Significance:
Gender and clinic contribution to retirement funds were the only variables significant for both owners and associates. Programs intended to aid in financial compensation for rural veterinarians should consider veterinary demographics, clinic management, location, and business structure.
