Chapter 11.3, Problem 79E

To determine

To analyzing: the number of veterinarians employed in the United States.

Explanation of Solution

Given information:

Calculation:

The number of people employed as Veterinarians has been growing at a rate of 13.9%, from 73,235 people in 2017 to 83,394 people in 2018.

Veterinarians, also called doctors of veterinary medicine, study, treat, and control animal injuries and diseases. They immunize healthy animals against disease and inspect animals and meat products to be used as food. Veterinarians also perform surgery, set broken bones, establish diet and exercise routines, and prescribe medicines for animals.

The veterinary employment statistics were segmented into six groups by the number of people employed in each establishment, or as we’ll say, practices:

Group 1: 0−4 employees

Group 2: 5−9 employees

Group 3: 10−19 employees

Group 4: 20−99 employees

Group 5: 100−499 employees

Group 6: 500+ employees

Veterinary Practices and Locations

Group	Employees	Practices	Locations	Total Employees
1	0-4	8,737	8,793	16,984
2	5-9	8,050	8,066	55,462
3	10-19	7,837	7,964	105,356
4	20-99	3,690	4,101	112,842
5	100-499	95	268	14,117
6	500+	22	2,013	48,890
	TOTAL	28,431	31,205	353,651

There are a total of 28,431 unique practices that offer veterinary services. They have 31,205 veterinary locations for an average of just 1.1 locations per practice.

Now, that’s interesting to me. I have to ask  why  nearly all veterinary practices are single-location operations. Perhaps vet practice owners are content with running just one location, or they don’t see the value in adding another one.

But if their veterinary practices are profitable, and they’re the best in their local areas at helping companion animals, wouldn’t they want to expand in order to make more money and help more pets?

With 353,651 employees across 31,205 locations, the average veterinary location employs 11 people.