Local market data · Veterinary clinics · Chicago
AI for veterinary clinics in Chicago
The Chicago metro area had 716 veterinary clinics in 2022, the 5th most of 384 US metros and 2% of all in the country. They employed 11,378 people at an average of $50,377 a year. 45% have fewer than 10 staff, so the same few people answer the phone, book, follow up and do the paperwork. Those are the jobs AI tools take on today.
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A free 30-minute call. You leave knowing which part of your veterinary clinic to hand to AI first, what we would build, and roughly how long it takes.
Veterinary clinics in Chicago vs the US
| Chicago metro | United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Businesses | 716 | 34,000 |
| People employed | 11,378 | 468,624 |
| Average staff per business | 15.9 | 13.8 |
| Average yearly pay per employee | $50,377 | $48,496 |
| Share with fewer than 10 staff | 45% | 50% |
Pay here is 4% higher than the national average for veterinary clinics, so every hour of staff time costs more to spend on admin. The average veterinary clinic here has 15.9 people on payroll, 15% higher than the US figure of 13.8.
How big veterinary clinics in Chicago are
Businesses with paid employees, by number of employees, March 2022.
Veterinary clinics by county in the Chicago area
Cook County has the most, with 314 of the metro's 716 (44%). Among the 10 big metros on this page, Chicago ranks 8th for average pay and 8th for the share of small firms.
| County | Businesses | Employees | Avg pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cook County | 314 | 4,333 | $56,542 |
| DuPage County | 87 | 1,652 | $51,055 |
| Lake County | 72 | 1,194 | $57,394 |
| Will County | 60 | 1,169 | $38,879 |
| Kane County | 49 | 759 | $50,188 |
| McHenry County | 47 | 568 | $47,252 |
| Lake County | 31 | 685 | $34,953 |
| Porter County | 19 | 383 | $37,151 |
| Kendall County | 14 | 225 | $40,831 |
| DeKalb County | 8 | 218 | $51,266 |
| Grundy County | 8 | 113 | $34,053 |
| Jasper County | 6 | 68 | $30,794 |
Census withholds pay where few firms would make it identifiable.
Where AI helps a veterinary clinic first
A veterinary clinic gets the most from AI on the phones and in reminders. Phones ring all day with appointment requests, refill questions and worried owners, while the team is hands-on with animals. AI can answer the routine calls, send vaccine and wellness reminders, and pass urgent cases to a person. Diagnosis and treatment stay with your veterinarians.
What your team's admin hours cost in Chicago
Change any number. The starting values are the Chicago averages above; the hours and the share are yours to set.
Those hours cost you$153,600 a year
The share you would hand off$46,080 a year
Hours your team gets back1,920 a year
See what we would build for thisGuides for veterinary clinics, one job each
- Get more customers for veterinary clinics
- Never miss a call for veterinary clinics
- Follow up automatically for veterinary clinics
- Booking and scheduling for veterinary clinics
- More reviews for veterinary clinics
- Marketing and content for veterinary clinics
- Show up on Google and ChatGPT for veterinary clinics
- Cut admin and paperwork for veterinary clinics
- A dashboard that runs itself for veterinary clinics
Veterinary clinics in other big metros
| Metro | Businesses | Avg pay | Rank of 387 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 1,051 | $57,693 | 2nd |
| New York | 1,224 | $59,416 | 1st |
| Miami | 746 | $53,017 | 4th |
| Dallas | 788 | $45,618 | 3rd |
| Houston | 584 | $46,471 | 7th |
| Atlanta | 611 | $50,446 | 6th |
| Washington | 567 | $55,269 | 8th |
| Philadelphia | 563 | $55,584 | 9th |
| Boston | 415 | $51,321 | 12th |
Where these numbers come from
From the U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2022 (released 2024), industry code NAICS 541940 (Veterinary services), for the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area (13 counties). It counts businesses with paid employees in March 2022, so solo owners with no payroll are not in it. Average pay is total yearly payroll divided by employees. The calculator uses 50 working weeks and 2,080 hours a year. Page checked 2026-11-12.
Find the hours your clinic can get back
A free 30-minute call. You leave knowing which part of your veterinary clinic to hand to AI first, what we would build, and roughly how long it takes.