If you want to know how many veterinarians there are in the United States, you’ll find a variety of figures, each based on flawed counting methods. In accordance with the largest veterinary association, there are 121,461 veterinarians in the United States.
However, according to the US government, the number is either 73,710 or 104,000; obviously, it depends on which method they are counted. The American Veterinary Medical Association’s totals are mainly based on the number of new graduates.
Many in the industry believe the estimate is pushed up, which the association denies. Qualified individuals would obtain a permit from their state veterinary board in order to function as a veterinarian in the United States. But because licensing is not conducted at the national level, taking a nationwide tally is difficult.
The American Association of Veterinary State Boards maintains a specialized directory of certified veterinarians, which embodies all state as well as provincial boards in the United States and Canada. However, it faces difficulties in keeping the directory constantly updated.
Reports and How Practitioner Numbers are Computed
Here are a few findings on how practitioner figures are determined, why they could differ depending on the source, and how they’re officially recorded in other countries.
State Commissions
Just as was noted above, eligible persons will apply for a license from their state veterinary board in order to legally work as a veterinarian in the United States. Because licensure is not handled at the national level, obtaining a nationwide headcount is difficult from the start.
The American Association of Veterinary State Boards maintains a proprietary registry of licensed veterinarians, which encompasses every state as well as provincial boards in the United States and Canada. State-based veterinary medical boards generally depend on businesses or family members to inform them when veterinarians pass away or retire.
The capacity of veterinarians to work across more than one jurisdiction complicates matters even more. A licensee in one state might be licensed in another state at the same time, allowing them to be counted multiple times.
The AVMA
The American Veterinary Medical Association was founded over a century ago to look after the interests of the veterinary profession in the United States. Membership in the AVMA is not required to work; however, numerous veterinarians take part to gain access to perks such as insurance, career guidance, and practice-management tools.
Each year, the AVMA determines the number of veterinarians in the United States. According to the AVMA, the most recent figure is 121,461. The AVMA’s yearly reports are focused on veterinary school graduation data.
The BLS
The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics is another source of veterinary population data (BLS). The federal agency is in charge of generating formal financial statistics including unemployment and inflation statistics, which impact the Federal Reserve’s crucial monetary policy decisions.
According to one frequently accessed portion of its website, the BLS estimates that 73,710 veterinarians were allowed to work in the United States as of May 2020, with an average yearly salary of $108,350. That is 47,751 lesser veterinarians than the AVMA forecast for 2021.
The BLS figure is based on the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, which is conducted annually among approximately 1.1 million businesses. Participants publish data online for the survey, and the outcomes are adapted to generate nationwide figures for the number of people in specific professions and earnings.
The BLS forecasts the spread of working veterinarians across every state utilizing OEWS data. According to the most recent figures, California contains the most veterinarians in any state, with 7,490.
To determine whether certain areas require more veterinarians than some others, the organization computes a “location quotient” with each state, which is a ratio asserting the comparative density of veterinarians. A location quotient higher than one implies that a profession has more than the average percentage of employment.
The BLS does not only qualify veterinarians using the OEWS. It also conducts an independent Current Population Survey (CPS), which in itself is a monthly poll of 60,000 households. Unlike the OEWS, the CPS includes “self-employed” veterinarians as well as some on unpaid leave.
Depending on an estimation of the results of the survey, the study’s number for the country in 2021 is 104,000 veterinarians.
Conclusion
In summary, nations with national registration mechanisms for veterinarians, like the United Kingdom, are able to tally their veterinary population more precisely compared to nations that license practitioners state by state or province by province, like Australia, Canada, and the United States.