Optometrists Salary: $146,732 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 41,890 optometrists nationally earn a mean of $146,732. Employment in the series shown rose about 10% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 6.9% annual growth.
Key Statistics
Optometrists: what the data shows
Common questions about optometrists careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a optometrists?
Optometrists is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 29-1041.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 41,890 workers.
What does a optometrists do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Assisting and Caring for Others, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Documenting/Recording Information, Getting Information, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a optometrists make?
BLS national median annual wage: $134,830 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $146,732 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $73,813 |
| 25th percentile | $111,254 |
| Median (50th) | $140,795 |
| 75th percentile | $171,436 |
| 90th percentile | $219,220 |
What education do you need?
For Optometrists, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Writing, Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, and knowledge areas including Medicine and Dentistry, Biology, Customer and Personal Service, English Language. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is optometrists in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 6.9% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 39.5%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 94.5%.
Current U.S. headcount: 41,890.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do optometristss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 41,890 | 17.7% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 41,150 | 17.4% |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 35,300 | 14.9% |
| Ambulatory Health Care Services | 34,720 | 14.7% |
| Offices of Other Health Practitioners | 25,790 | 10.9% |
| Offices of Optometrists | 25,710 | 10.8% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Optometrists in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Optometrists workforce.
Employment Over Time
41,890 Workforce in 2023
The Optometrists workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Optometrists.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$146,732 Average Wage
In 2023, Optometrists earned an average of $146,732.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Optometrists.
Salary distribution for Optometrists.
Employment Growth Projections
6.9% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
37,598 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 39.5%
52,434 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 94.5%
This occupation is projected to grow at 6.9% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Optometrists.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Optometrists and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Optometrists employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Optometrists.
Wage Trends by Industry
0.1% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Optometrists.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Optometrists.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 6,790 employees, $142,850 avg wage
- TX: 3,180 employees, $132,370 avg wage
- NY: 2,500 employees, $158,600 avg wage
- FL: 2,280 employees, $132,350 avg wage
- IL: 1,670 employees, $134,250 avg wage
- PA: 1,530 employees, $135,880 avg wage
- OH: 1,450 employees, $131,550 avg wage
- NC: 1,400 employees, $159,420 avg wage
- MI: 1,330 employees, $133,610 avg wage
- VA: 1,120 employees, N/A avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Optometrists.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 2,720 employees, $133,320 avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 2,410 employees, $154,620 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 1,280 employees, $137,710 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 980 employees, $158,500 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 930 employees, $125,000 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 780 employees, $149,760 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 760 employees, $155,960 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 720 employees, $167,900 avg wage
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: 710 employees, $137,430 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 710 employees, $169,880 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Optometrists.
Diversity
Demographic information on Optometrists in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Optometrists in 2023 was 41,890 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Optometrists.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Optometrists.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Optometrists.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Optometrists in 2023 were Business Administration, Health Sciences, Business.
Common majors for Optometrists.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Optometrists workers.
Education level distribution for Optometrists.
Skills
Optometrists need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Writing, Speaking.
Required skills for Optometrists.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Optometrists.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Optometrists include Medicine and Dentistry, Biology, Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Mathematics.
Knowledge areas required for Optometrists.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Optometrists include Problem Sensitivity, Oral Expression, Inductive Reasoning, Near Vision, Written Comprehension.
Required abilities for Optometrists.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Optometrists.
Daily Activities
Optometrists spend their time on activities such as Assisting and Caring for Others, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Documenting/Recording Information, Getting Information.
Most important work activities for Optometrists.
About
Optometrists
The average yearly wage for Optometrists was $146,732 in 2023.
SOC Code
29-1041 - Optometrists
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Optometrists reports an average salary of $146,732, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 41,890 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 6.9%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.