How much do Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers make in Trenton-Princeton, NJ?

Percentile spread

For Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers, the published 10th percentile is $36,880 and the 90th percentile is $53,800. The difference is $16,920, which is 38.3% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $36,880 to the 75th at $44,590, covers $7,710.

The mean annual wage is $44,210, which sits above the median of $44,140. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Trenton-Princeton, NJ median is 15.7% higher than the national median of $38,150 for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers. In 2024 national prices the local median is $42,780, which is 12.1% higher than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 4.4% lower than the New Jersey median of $46,160.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Trenton-Princeton, NJ is 103.180, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $44,140 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers at $42,780 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

23 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers. Trenton-Princeton, NJ ranks 3rd of 24 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

• Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD is 42 miles away, with a median of $39,840 and employment of 2,150. That median is 9.7% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $38,848, against $42,780 here.
• Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ is 51 miles away, with a median of $37,720 and employment of 250. That median is 14.5% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $37,732, against $42,780 here.
• New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ is 57 miles away, with a median of $46,160 and employment of 5,560. That median is 4.6% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $41,008, against $42,780 here.

Employment share

Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers accounts for 0.06% of wage-and-salary employment in Trenton-Princeton, NJ (150 of 240,190). Nationally the occupation is 0.08% of employment (126,580 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.77 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.