Gen Z are becoming pet parents because they can’t afford human babies: Now veterinarian is one of the hottest jobs of 2025, says Indeed

Veterinarian is ranked the best job of 2025 according to a new Indeed report, and the role is surging thanks to Gen Z and millennial pet parents splurging on their dogs and cats.

Gen Zers are increasingly becoming pet parents now that raising human babies feels like more of a pipe dream—and it’s propelling a job into the spotlight.

Veterinarians have struck gold, ranked at No. 1 on this year’s Best Jobs of 2025 report from Indeed. The study looks into which roles offer the highest salaries, sustained growth, and flexibility—and thanks to generous Gen Z pet parents who only want the best for their fur babies, veterinarians have made (and topped) the list of best gigs for the first time ever since data collection started in 2019.

Out of the 25 ranked positions, vets are also the most prevalent in the market, with 1,065 job postings per 1 million total jobs. Meanwhile, job shares increased 124% between 2021 and 2024.

And taking care of Gen Z’s beloved cats, dogs, hamsters, lizards, and more pays: Veterinarians rake in a median annual salary of $139,999 a year. In comparison, the average American worker earns $66,621 yearly, according to the 2023 wage index from the U.S. Social Security Administration.

Gen Z is spending $1,056 more than boomers on their pets each year

Americans love having four-legged companions around—about 45.5% of U.S. households own dogs, and about 32.1% own cats, according to a 2024 report from the American Veterinary Medical Association. The average household spends $580 and $433 respectively on each pet per year—but Gen Z surpasses other generations in shelling out for their fur babies.

Gen Z reported an average spending habit of $178 per month on their pets, compared to millennials coughing up $146, Gen X shelling out $115, and baby boomers paying $90, according to a 2024 study from digital insurance company Lemonade. That’s $88 a month more than boomers—and $17,952 over the course of a housecat’s maximum average lifespan of 17 years.

Sadly but perhaps unsurprisingly, Gen Z may be splurging on their beloved pets because these little luxuries are more attainable than owning a home or planning for kids.

Since 2018, the proportion of young U.S. adults who say they’re unlikely to ever have children increased from 37% to 47% by 2023, according to a report from Pew Research Center. About 36% of those respondents reasoned that they couldn’t afford to raise a child, among other top reasons, including concerns about the state of the world, wanting to focus on other things, and simply not wanting them. A four-legged companion may not exactly replace the experience of having kids, but it’s a gateway to increased responsibility and companionship at a lower risk.

And as many Gen Zers and millennials struggle with their mental health, having a pet around can prove to have huge upsides for their own well-being.

The 10 best gigs of 2025, per Indeed

Veterinarian
Sales representative
Physician
Civil engineer
Estimator
Attorney
Territory manager
Clinical psychologist
Fire engineer
Structural engineer

Health care is in, and veterinarian is the new “it” job

This year’s top job had some fierce competition, beating out the likes of attorney, mechanical designer, and realtor. But in an era of well-being consciousness, positions like veterinarian are floating up the ranks. And it’s reflective of a broader shift in quality of life.

Health care roles made a splash on the list this year, with physicians making the cut at third, clinical psychologists coming in at eighth, radiologists taking 14th, registered nurses ranking 18th, and directors of clinical services at 22nd.

The salaries for these roles span from $95,000 annually all the way up to $385,116, and vary in terms of job growth over the years.

The report notes that medical care continues to dominate the job market; the health care industry grew 8.2% between March 2022 and March 2024, more than twice the 3.8% growth rate of all the other sectors combined, according to an Altarum report analyzing data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.