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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2019

29-1041 Optometrists

Diagnose, manage, and treat conditions and diseases of the human eye and visual system. Examine eyes and visual system, diagnose problems or impairments, prescribe corrective lenses, and provide treatment. May prescribe therapeutic drugs to treat specific eye conditions. Ophthalmologists are included in “Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric” (29-1241).


National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
39,420 2.6 % $59.12 $122,980 1.2 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $28.46 $42.20 $55.41 $68.65 $93.32
Annual Wage (2) $59,200 $87,780 $115,250 $142,790 $194,100


Industry profile for this occupation:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Offices of Other Health Practitioners 22,590 2.36 $56.92 $118,390
Offices of Physicians 6,750 0.25 $66.54 $138,410
Health and Personal Care Stores 6,250 0.59 $56.74 $118,030
Outpatient Care Centers 1,440 0.15 $74.41 $154,770
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 650 0.01 (8) (8)

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Offices of Other Health Practitioners 22,590 2.36 $56.92 $118,390
Health and Personal Care Stores 6,250 0.59 $56.74 $118,030
Offices of Physicians 6,750 0.25 $66.54 $138,410
Outpatient Care Centers 1,440 0.15 $74.41 $154,770
Offices of Dentists 270 0.03 $80.11 $166,620

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Offices of Dentists 270 0.03 $80.11 $166,620
Outpatient Care Centers 1,440 0.15 $74.41 $154,770
Offices of Physicians 6,750 0.25 $66.54 $138,410
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 350 0.01 $64.52 $134,200
Management of Companies and Enterprises 50 (7) $62.19 $129,350


Geographic profile for this occupation:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 4,270 0.25 0.92 $63.92 $132,950
Texas 2,930 0.24 0.88 $58.07 $120,790
Illinois 2,080 0.35 1.29 $60.39 $125,610
Florida 1,980 0.23 0.84 $47.38 $98,550
New York 1,910 0.20 0.75 $65.64 $136,530




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Nebraska 480 0.49 1.82 $48.43 $100,730
Oklahoma 730 0.45 1.69 $49.34 $102,620
Kansas 520 0.38 1.40 $58.01 $120,660
Illinois 2,080 0.35 1.29 $60.39 $125,610
Iowa 510 0.33 1.21 $67.52 $140,450




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
North Dakota 140 0.32 1.20 $83.79 $174,290
Vermont 80 0.25 0.95 $69.78 $145,150
West Virginia 170 0.24 0.89 $69.12 $143,760
Alaska 80 0.27 0.99 $69.01 $143,540
Iowa 510 0.33 1.21 $67.52 $140,450





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 1,980 0.20 0.76 $63.85 $132,810
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 1,730 0.37 1.38 $62.28 $129,540
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 1,610 0.26 0.96 $59.66 $124,090
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 910 0.25 0.93 $52.76 $109,740
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 910 0.33 1.21 $67.40 $140,190
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 820 0.26 0.96 $64.50 $134,160
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 760 0.26 0.98 $77.02 $160,200
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 710 0.36 1.34 $65.83 $136,920
Pittsburgh, PA 700 0.61 2.26 $52.68 $109,570
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI 700 0.35 1.31 $61.99 $128,950




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort, SC 60 0.74 2.74 $54.02 $112,360
Lebanon, PA 30 0.68 2.55 (8) (8)
Wheeling, WV-OH 40 0.67 2.51 $66.92 $139,190
East Stroudsburg, PA 40 0.62 2.30 (8) (8)
Altoona, PA 40 0.62 2.31 $66.25 $137,800
Pittsburgh, PA 700 0.61 2.26 $52.68 $109,570
Waterbury, CT 40 0.60 2.22 $82.28 $171,140
York-Hanover, PA 110 0.60 2.22 $45.39 $94,410
State College, PA 40 0.60 2.24 $53.59 $111,480
Johnson City, TN 40 0.58 2.15 $54.31 $112,960




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Champaign-Urbana, IL (8) (8) (8) $114.64 $238,460
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT (8) (8) (8) $101.20 $210,490
Evansville, IN-KY 70 0.43 1.61 $88.16 $183,380
Waterbury, CT 40 0.60 2.22 $82.28 $171,140
New Haven, CT (8) (8) (8) $81.91 $170,380
Shreveport-Bossier City, LA 30 0.19 0.70 $81.80 $170,150
Greensboro-High Point, NC 80 0.23 0.85 $81.57 $169,670
Ann Arbor, MI (8) (8) (8) $81.35 $169,210
Kennewick-Richland, WA (8) (8) (8) $80.78 $168,020
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA 500 0.33 1.25 $79.48 $165,320

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 170 0.42 1.56 $55.30 $115,020
South Nebraska nonmetropolitan area 150 1.03 3.85 $49.57 $103,110
Northeastern Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area 110 0.57 2.11 $53.89 $112,100
Eastern Ohio nonmetropolitan area 80 0.59 2.18 $53.62 $111,530
Southeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area 80 0.35 1.31 $70.09 $145,790

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
South Nebraska nonmetropolitan area 150 1.03 3.85 $49.57 $103,110
Northwest Nebraska nonmetropolitan area 30 0.77 2.88 $86.66 $180,260
West South Dakota nonmetropolitan area 40 0.60 2.25 $43.64 $90,770
Eastern Ohio nonmetropolitan area 80 0.59 2.18 $53.62 $111,530
East North Dakota nonmetropolitan area 40 0.58 2.17 $98.36 $204,580

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southern Ohio non-metropolitan area 60 0.35 1.30 $104.05 $216,430
Northwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area 50 0.27 1.00 $99.67 $207,320
East North Dakota nonmetropolitan area 40 0.58 2.17 $98.36 $204,580
West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area 50 0.36 1.34 $87.40 $181,780
Northwest Nebraska nonmetropolitan area 30 0.77 2.88 $86.66 $180,260


About May 2019 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate--50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2019 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: July 6, 2020