Start with the answer
Veterinarians pay in Fort Wayne, IN and San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
The May 2025 BLS OEWS median for Veterinarians is $124,970 per year in Fort Wayne, IN. It is $208,080 per year in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA. Fort Wayne, IN is 39.9% below San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA on the published median.
Both rows use SOC 29-1131 and the same annual wage metric. Median means the middle of each area's published wage spread. It is not one worker's pay. The larger median is not proof that one place gives a better job or a better result. It is one wage fact from one source period.
BLS lists 80 wage and salary jobs in Fort Wayne, IN and 1,350 in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA. Those are survey job counts, not open posts. Read pay, job scale, local share, and price level as separate facts before you make a choice.
Evidence: bls-oews-may-2025 · Rule: same-soc-same-metric-pair · nominal-median-gap · employment-not-openings