Practice Ledger

Where U.S. multi-doctor vet practices sit on no-shows, turnover, and capacity.

Updated weekly from operator submissions. At launch, the page reads from cited 2024 industry sources. As operators submit through the calculator, the page flips to real submission medians at the 5-submission floor per cell.

Launch state · industry-cited defaults

01National view

How the two live pain ranges look across U.S. companion-animal practices. Median plus 25th and 75th percentile bands. Values shown as industry rates; the calculator translates rate to your annual dollar number based on your practice inputs.

No-show rate · appointments missed without notice

Companion-animal practice industry distribution.

0%10%20%30%
25th pct8%estimated
Median11%AAHA-cited
75th pct15%estimated

Median is the AAHA-cited industry figure. The 25th and 75th percentiles are estimated quartile range interpolations between the cited median and the cited AAHA overall range of 5% to 15%, presented as illustrative rather than primary citations. Quartiles flip to real submission medians once any practice-size or state cell crosses the 5-submission floor.

What this means at the median Band 2 practice. A 3-to-8-vet practice running 750 monthly appointments at an average $185 transaction loses roughly $183,150 annually at the median 11% no-show rate (9,000 annual appointments times 11% missed times $185). Practices at the 75th percentile lose closer to $249,750 annually. Smaller and larger practices scale linearly with their own volume. Use the calculator for your number against your actual inputs.

Staffing turnover · annual separation rate by role

AAHA Compensation and Benefits via AVMA; cross-confirmed by Merck Animal Health 2023.

0%17%33%50%
25th pct18%estimated
Median23.4%AAHA / AVMA
75th pct30%estimated

Median is the AAHA via AVMA figure (cross-confirmed by Merck Animal Health 2023). VetPartners 2024 reports 25% as the late-2024 trend; the median may climb. The 25th and 75th percentiles are estimated quartile range interpolations from the cited median and the cross-confirmed late-2024 trajectory, presented as illustrative rather than primary citations.

What this means at the median Band 2 practice. A 3-to-8-vet practice carrying ~14 techs and ~2 managers runs annual staffing turnover cost around $74,000 at the median rates (verified against the calculator working example, Spec V1.2 Section 4). Cost-per-separation runs four months of comp plus $3,000 to $6,000 direct recruiting for techs and six months of comp plus $6,000 to $12,000 direct for managers, per Work Institute 2022 and SHRM ranges. Manager turnover runs roughly half the tech rate; AAHA via AVMA puts manager median at 10.3%, associate vet at 16.0%, receptionist at 32.5%. Use the calculator for your annual dollar impact.

02State view

State-by-state medians populate once a state crosses 5 submissions. Until then, the row reads industry default with an open recruit prompt.

Day 1 launch state

No state has yet crossed the 5-submission floor required for state-level reporting. Every row below shows industry-cited defaults. The page will flip cells to real submission medians as operators submit. If your state is missing the floor, the fastest way to see your state report is to recruit a peer to submit. Submit yours first if you have not, then share the link.

State Submissions Median no-show rate Median tech turnover State data status
All states011.0%23.4%below threshold · industry default shown

The full 50-state table activates the moment any state crosses 5 submissions. Until then, this single row holds the industry-cited reference. Submit to seed your state.

03Practice size view

Four bands by veterinarian headcount. Staff ratio defaults derived from AAHA's 4.0 total FTE staff per FTE vet (companion animal) and AVMA's 2.7 FTE techs and assistants per FTE vet.

Band 1 · 1 to 2 vets
Solo and small-partner practices. One owner-operator or a working pair.
Median no-show rate11.0%
Tech turnover23.4%
Manager turnover10.3%
Default staff count~2 techs · ~1 admin
State databelow threshold
Band 2 · 3 to 8 vets
Mid-market multi-doctor partnerships. The Vet Brief default audience.
Median no-show rate11.0%
Tech turnover23.4%
Manager turnover10.3%
Default staff count~14 techs · ~2 admins
State databelow threshold
Band 3 · 9-plus vets
Large independent multi-doctor hospitals.
Median no-show rate11.0%
Tech turnover23.4%
Manager turnover10.3%
Default staff count~25 techs · ~4 admins
State databelow threshold
Band 4 · Corporate
Corporate-owned chains. 15-vet typical hospital footprint.
Median no-show rate11.0%
Tech turnover23.4%
Manager turnover10.3%
Default staff count~40 techs · ~6 admins
State databelow threshold

Rate medians read the same across bands at launch because the underlying AAHA and AVMA distributions are industry-wide rather than size-stratified. Bands diverge as submissions accumulate. Staff-count defaults vary by band per the AAHA ratio.

Run your numbers next.

The calculator returns a single annual dollar figure for your practice in under three minutes. Submit your row and the state report fills in faster.

04Methodology

The benchmark page draws from two layers. The launch layer uses fetched, citation-bearing industry sources from 2023 to 2025 surveys, the values listed below. The growth layer replaces the launch layer cell-by-cell once a state or size band crosses 5 submissions through the calculator. Operator submissions are anonymized at write time. No PII is stored on the benchmark dataset. Personal contact information lives only in HubSpot, isolated from this page.

Refresh cadence: weekly. Day 30 rigor gate runs June 22, 2026, evaluating total submission count and per-state depth. If total submissions are below 50 or no state has 5-plus submissions, distribution channels get a re-read.

Full source memo on file: Vet Brief Calculator Benchmark Defaults Research Memo V1, May 8, 2026, eight verified citations across BLS, AVMA, AAHA, Merck Animal Health, VetPartners, iVET360, SHRM, and Work Institute. Two figures carry "estimated" status: operating weeks per year and manager separation direct cost adder.

Sponsoring a state-level report? Vendor and service-provider sponsorship of the state-level benchmark page is opening as submission volume grows. Inquire at [email protected].