Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers Salary

It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $28K, rent takes 101.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $2,044/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $600/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers typically earn — is $28K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,685/month.

Local pay runs 25% below the national median — $28K here vs. $38K nationally.

Southwest Louisiana nonmetropolitan area pays $28K median vs. the U.S. average of $38K — that’s -25%.

The median is $28,430 a year, that works out to about $14 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $28,080, and experienced veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers can clear $34,230. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,008/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,044/month, which eats 101.8% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.

Southwest Louisiana nonmetropolitan area has a Regional Price Parity of 100 (100 is the national average). That's right at the national average. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers salary is worth about $28,430 in national-average purchasing power.

The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.