Podiatrists vs Veterinarian: $160K vs $130K Median Pay

Podiatrists vs Veterinarian: what changes?

Consider Podiatrists if you want to diagnose and treat diseases and deformities of the human foot. Consider Veterinarian if you would rather diagnose, treat, or research diseases and injuries of animals. Both list doctoral or professional degree; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Podiatrists and Veterinarian. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Podiatrists

National median pay (2025): $160,300
Route into the job: Doctoral or professional degree; Internship or residency follows qualifying education. Check its duration, pay, and licensing requirements
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: Internship or residency follows qualifying education. Check its duration, pay, and licensing requirements.
Work to investigate: Treat bone, muscle, and joint disorders affecting the feet and ankles.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 200

Know before you choose

Training continues through internship/residency after the degree path.

See the full Podiatrists brief

Veterinarian

National median pay (2025): $130,100
Route into the job: Doctoral or professional degree
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Treat sick or injured animals by prescribing medication, setting bones, dressing wounds, or performing surgery.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 3,100

Know before you choose

The helping mission includes documentation, direct care, and safety-critical routines where a missed detail can affect a patient.

See the full Veterinarian brief

How the national numbers differ

Veterinarian has the edge on projected growth

Veterinarian is at 9.4% projected growth, compared with 2% projected growth for Podiatrists.

Veterinarian has the edge on annual openings

Veterinarian is at 3,100 annual openings, compared with 200 annual openings for Podiatrists.

Podiatrists has the edge on median pay

Podiatrists is at $160,300, compared with $130,100 for Veterinarian.

41/ 100

Podiatrists

64/ 100

Veterinarian

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence