AVMA Economic Summit highlights veterinary income, job marketDecember 15, 2017At the fifth American Veterinary Medical Association Economic Summit, held Oct. 23-24 in Rosemont, Ill., the latest AVMA pet demographic survey highlighted interesting findings regarding ownership and veterinary income. According to the report, which will be released in 2018, the number of dog-owning households is the highest since the AVMA began measuring pet ownership, the number of cat owners has dropped drastically, horse and pet bird ownership are declining, and backyard poultry ownership is increasing. In the scheme of ups and downs, Frederic Ouedraogo, Ph.D., assistant director of the AVMA Veterinary Economics Division, said that real veterinary income has been declining for more than seven years. Further, veterinarians are likely to experience peak income of about $125,000 annually by age 59, and those who become practice owners soon after graduation earn more than those who become owners later in their career. "If you're not an owner after 10 years postgraduation, continue being a nonowner," he said. "Owners make money in the first years after graduation … nonowners have low income initially, but after 30 years, their income is equal to owners'." Charlotte Hansen, a statistical analyst in the AVMA Veterinary Economics Division, compared the value of …
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