Vetnews | Augustus 2025 16 « BACK TO CONTENTS The size of the nation’s active veterinary workforce in 2019 was approximately 116,000 members, of whom 63% were female, marking a 12% increase in women veterinarians over the past decade. “From these statistics, along with what we know about the gender distribution of new DVM graduates and veterinary college students, it’s clear that we have a profession that is a majority female and will remain so for the next several decades,” said Frederic Ouedraogo, PhD, AVMA assistant director of economics. These findings were among the latest information about the U.S. market for veterinary services that Dr. Ouedraogo shared at the annual AVMA Economic Summit, held virtually Oct. 26-28. His talk also covered trends in the veterinary workforce, the number of veterinary practices in the U.S., and how clinics have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The percentage of the veterinary workforce under the age of 50 declined from about 61% in 2007 to 58% in 2019. At the same time, the proportion of the workforce over 65 increased from about 4% to 9%. “The question,” Dr. Ouedraogo said, “is, do we have a sustainable replacement plan? By that, I mean do we have enough workers to continuously meet the national demand as our seniors retire from the workforce?” Women practice owners projected to overtake men within a decade Corporate ownership spikes while private holdings fall By R. Scott Nolen Published on December 03, 2020 Updated January 11, 2021 The U.S. veterinary workforce comprises five generations—the silent generation (1928-45), baby boomers (1945-64), Generation X (1965-80), millennials (1981-96) and Generation Z (1997-2012)—making it one of the nation’s most generationally diverse professions. It’s important that we start as a profession to think about ways to promote and encourage ownership. One way to do that is to include business management or startup finance classes in our curriculum. Another way is to advocate for government support for new DVM graduates who want to start a new business. It can be similar to the loan repayment program or any other incentives. Frederic Ouedraogo, AVMA assistant director of economics
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