What Does a Necropsy Technician Do?
Calm, careful people with strong stomachs do best in this line of work. Necropsy technicians work beside veterinary pathologists in diagnostic labs, veterinary schools and research companies, opening animal bodies with care and saving the tissues that show why each one died. The cases range from a farmer's calf or a family dog to rats in a drug safety study.
Other Job Titles for This Work
Workers in this occupation report titles such as Certified Veterinary Technician (CVT), Emergency Veterinary Technician (Emergency Vet Tech), Internal Medicine Veterinary Technician (Internal Medicine Vet Tech), Licensed Veterinary Technician (LVT), Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT), Veterinarian Technician (Vet Tech), Veterinary Laboratory Technician (Vet Lab Tech), Veterinary Nurse (Vet Nurse).
Necropsy Technician Duties and Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of a necropsy technician include:
- Receive animal remains, check submission forms and log each case into the lab system.
- Open carcasses and remove organs for the pathologist, following the lab's dissection routine.
- Weigh and measure organs, photograph lesions and record the findings the pathologist dictates.
- Collect tissue, fluid and swab samples and route them to bacteriology, virology or toxicology.
- Place tissues in formalin, label cassettes and deliver them to the histology lab.
- Clean and disinfect tables, saws and floors between cases to stop disease spreading.
- Operate the walk-in cooler, bone saw and carcass disposal equipment under biosafety rules.
- Wear respirators and full protective gear for rabies suspects and diseases people can catch from animals.
- Package samples for outside labs following courier and dangerous goods shipping rules.
- Restock instruments, blades and supplies, and keep the necropsy room ready for inspection.
Required Skills and Qualifications
To succeed as a necropsy technician, you will need the following skills and qualifications:
- Veterinary technician credential, often preferred
- Animal anatomy and dissection technique
- Biosafety practice and protective equipment
- A strong stomach for odors and difficult cases
- Careful labeling and sample custody records
- Strength for moving large carcasses with hoists
- Sharpening and caring for knives and saws
- Courtesy with farmers and vets who drop off cases
Education and Training
An associate's degree in veterinary technology is the standard route into necropsy work. Lab animal and veterinary assistant jobs offer a second way in, with the training done on the job. Many labs prefer credentialed technicians, and necropsy skills carry over later to histology, lab management or research support.
Salary and Job Outlook
Typical pay: $38,910 - $57,650 per year, with a median of $47,380.
The range covers the middle half of earners nationwide. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Veterinary Technologists and Technicians.
Employment of veterinary technologists and technicians is projected to grow about 9 percent from 2025 to 2035, according to BLS. Most of the group's roughly 13,400 openings a year are likely to be in animal hospitals and clinics, so necropsy posts are far fewer and tend to cluster around veterinary schools and state diagnostic labs.
Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, Veterinary technologists and technicians.
Necropsy Technician Pay Range
| Earners | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| Bottom 10% earn less than | $35,710 |
| Bottom 25% earn less than | $38,910 |
| Median (half earn more, half less) | $47,380 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $57,650 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $63,180 |
Highest-Paying States for Necropsy Technicians
The states with the highest median pay for this occupation are District of Columbia ($61,270), California ($60,630), Washington ($59,740), New York ($59,010), Minnesota ($57,270). Pay is lowest in Alabama ($36,590), Mississippi ($36,380), Louisiana ($35,530).
Median pay in all 51 states with BLS data
| State | Median annual pay |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $36,590 |
| Alaska | $46,480 |
| Arizona | $46,300 |
| Arkansas | $38,360 |
| California | $60,630 |
| Colorado | $49,650 |
| Connecticut | $50,950 |
| Delaware | $48,370 |
| District of Columbia | $61,270 |
| Florida | $46,380 |
| Georgia | $43,060 |
| Hawaii | $48,550 |
| Idaho | $42,120 |
| Illinois | $46,440 |
| Indiana | $48,720 |
| Iowa | $45,560 |
| Kansas | $45,810 |
| Kentucky | $39,590 |
| Louisiana | $35,530 |
| Maine | $50,810 |
| Maryland | $47,350 |
| Massachusetts | $49,540 |
| Michigan | $49,710 |
| Minnesota | $57,270 |
| Mississippi | $36,380 |
| Missouri | $43,520 |
| Montana | $41,170 |
| Nebraska | $43,680 |
| Nevada | $50,250 |
| New Hampshire | $48,780 |
| New Jersey | $49,050 |
| New Mexico | $44,790 |
| New York | $59,010 |
| North Carolina | $47,620 |
| North Dakota | $48,790 |
| Ohio | $47,990 |
| Oklahoma | $39,100 |
| Oregon | $55,810 |
| Pennsylvania | $46,430 |
| Rhode Island | $45,310 |
| South Carolina | $39,020 |
| South Dakota | $45,300 |
| Tennessee | $42,810 |
| Texas | $39,410 |
| Utah | $40,560 |
| Vermont | $49,490 |
| Virginia | $52,090 |
| Washington | $59,740 |
| West Virginia | $37,700 |
| Wisconsin | $47,020 |
| Wyoming | $38,650 |
What the Work Is Like
O*NET surveys people who work as veterinary technologists and technicians about their daily conditions. Of those surveyed:
- 89% say teamwork is very or extremely important in their job
- 83% work indoors in a climate-controlled space every day
- 83% spend more than half the workday on their feet
- 78% are on the phone every day
- 76% say being exact and accurate is very or extremely important
- 65% use their hands on tools, objects or controls for more than half the day
- 59% are exposed to disease or infection every day
Education Workers Say the Job Needs
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| High school diploma or GED | 41% |
| Associate's degree | 26% |
| Post-secondary certificate | 15% |
| Some college | 7% |
Tools and Software Necropsy Technicians Use
Tools and equipment
Software
Is This Job a Good Fit for You?
People who do well in this job tend to enjoy hands-on work with tools, machines or the outdoors as well as analyzing problems and working with ideas.
Skills O*NET rates most important: Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Writing, Monitoring.
Knowledge areas used most: Medicine and Dentistry, Customer and Personal Service, Biology, English Language, Mathematics.
Preparation: O*NET places this occupation in Job Zone 3 of 5, which means medium preparation.
Related Careers
These jobs use similar skills, according to O*NET's related-occupation data:
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Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
- O*NET 30.1 Database, occupation 29-2056.00 (Veterinary Technologists and Technicians). View on O*NET OnLine.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. The Job Explorer has modified some of the information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these changes.