Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021
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 Optometrists
Industry profile for Optometrists
Geographic profile for Optometrists
National estimates for Optometrists:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Optometrists:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 38,720 |
3.6 % |
$ 60.31 |
$ 125,440 |
1.2 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Optometrists:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 29.61 |
$ 46.27 |
$ 59.76 |
$ 68.14 |
$ 92.50 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 61,590 |
$ 96,230 |
$ 124,300 |
$ 141,730 |
$ 192,390 |
Industry profile for Optometrists:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Optometrists are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Optometrists, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Optometrists:
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Optometrists:
Top paying industries for Optometrists:
Geographic profile for Optometrists:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Optometrists are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Optometrists, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Optometrists:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
6,730 |
0.41 |
1.48 |
$ 61.80 |
$ 128,540 |
| Texas |
2,980 |
0.24 |
0.89 |
$ 62.55 |
$ 130,110 |
| Florida |
2,310 |
0.27 |
0.97 |
$ 51.54 |
$ 107,200 |
| Pennsylvania |
2,090 |
0.37 |
1.36 |
$ 63.39 |
$ 131,860 |
| Illinois |
1,770 |
0.32 |
1.15 |
$ 53.75 |
$ 111,790 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Optometrists:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Rhode Island |
210 |
0.46 |
1.68 |
(8) |
(8) |
| Nebraska |
420 |
0.43 |
1.58 |
$ 61.16 |
$ 127,210 |
| Montana |
200 |
0.42 |
1.51 |
$ 54.47 |
$ 113,290 |
| California |
6,730 |
0.41 |
1.48 |
$ 61.80 |
$ 128,540 |
| Hawaii |
220 |
0.39 |
1.43 |
$ 66.58 |
$ 138,480 |
Top paying states for Optometrists:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Connecticut |
430 |
0.28 |
1.00 |
$ 74.55 |
$ 155,070 |
| Maryland |
630 |
0.25 |
0.90 |
$ 69.51 |
$ 144,570 |
| Alaska |
80 |
0.27 |
0.97 |
$ 68.88 |
$ 143,260 |
| North Carolina |
1,010 |
0.23 |
0.83 |
$ 67.86 |
$ 141,140 |
| Louisiana |
250 |
0.14 |
0.51 |
$ 66.59 |
$ 138,520 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Optometrists:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
2,820 |
0.49 |
1.79 |
$ 60.58 |
$ 126,010 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
1,530 |
0.18 |
0.64 |
$ 67.56 |
$ 140,520 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
1,390 |
0.33 |
1.20 |
$ 53.72 |
$ 111,740 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
1,100 |
0.49 |
1.78 |
$ 65.05 |
$ 135,310 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
850 |
0.35 |
1.27 |
$ 47.55 |
$ 98,900 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
840 |
0.29 |
1.05 |
$ 54.97 |
$ 114,340 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
820 |
0.28 |
1.02 |
$ 67.32 |
$ 140,020 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
780 |
0.22 |
0.79 |
$ 63.65 |
$ 132,390 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ |
760 |
0.36 |
1.31 |
$ 57.48 |
$ 119,550 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
700 |
0.26 |
0.96 |
$ 75.31 |
$ 156,650 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Optometrists:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Carbondale-Marion, IL |
50 |
0.89 |
3.23 |
$ 57.84 |
$ 120,320 |
| Erie, PA |
90 |
0.82 |
2.97 |
$ 45.10 |
$ 93,810 |
| Rocky Mount, NC |
40 |
0.81 |
2.95 |
$ 64.61 |
$ 134,390 |
| Dothan, AL |
40 |
0.71 |
2.57 |
$ 80.26 |
$ 166,950 |
| Wausau, WI |
50 |
0.68 |
2.49 |
$ 63.87 |
$ 132,850 |
| Albany, GA |
40 |
0.62 |
2.26 |
$ 58.40 |
$ 121,470 |
| Redding, CA |
40 |
0.61 |
2.22 |
$ 53.87 |
$ 112,050 |
| Medford, OR |
50 |
0.56 |
2.04 |
$ 71.67 |
$ 149,070 |
| Wilmington, NC |
70 |
0.56 |
2.03 |
$ 95.37 |
$ 198,370 |
| Pittsburgh, PA |
560 |
0.54 |
1.97 |
$ 55.14 |
$ 114,690 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Optometrists:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Wilmington, NC |
70 |
0.56 |
2.03 |
$ 95.37 |
$ 198,370 |
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT |
120 |
0.23 |
0.83 |
$ 82.78 |
$ 172,190 |
| Norwich-New London-Westerly, CT-RI |
40 |
0.33 |
1.18 |
$ 81.32 |
$ 169,140 |
| Dothan, AL |
40 |
0.71 |
2.57 |
$ 80.26 |
$ 166,950 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT |
120 |
0.31 |
1.14 |
$ 78.65 |
$ 163,590 |
| Columbia, MO |
40 |
0.39 |
1.43 |
$ 78.31 |
$ 162,870 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL |
480 |
0.38 |
1.37 |
$ 75.59 |
$ 157,230 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
700 |
0.26 |
0.96 |
$ 75.31 |
$ 156,650 |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX |
40 |
0.24 |
0.87 |
$ 74.07 |
$ 154,070 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX |
360 |
0.36 |
1.31 |
$ 72.54 |
$ 150,890 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Optometrists:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Optometrists:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Optometrists:
About May 2021 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 OEWS estimates and related information:
May 2021 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: March 31, 2022
United States Department of Labor
