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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2022

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)
40,640 3.1 % $ 63.99 $ 133,100 1.9 %

Percentile wage estimates for Optometrists:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 29.88 $ 46.63 $ 60.38 $ 75.01 $ 92.03
Annual Wage (2) $ 62,150 $ 96,980 $ 125,590 $ 156,030 $ 191,430


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:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Offices of Other Health Practitioners 24,720 2.31 $ 57.98 $ 120,590
Offices of Physicians 7,270 0.26 $ 80.29 $ 167,010
Outpatient Care Centers 1,600 0.16 $ 83.50 $ 173,690
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) 530 0.03 $ 38.50 $ 80,080
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 440 0.01 $ 61.01 $ 126,910

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Optometrists:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Offices of Other Health Practitioners 24,720 2.31 $ 57.98 $ 120,590
Offices of Physicians 7,270 0.26 $ 80.29 $ 167,010
Outpatient Care Centers 1,600 0.16 $ 83.50 $ 173,690
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals 140 0.05 $ 43.83 $ 91,170
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) 530 0.03 $ 38.50 $ 80,080

Top paying industries for Optometrists:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Other Ambulatory Health Care Services (8) (8) $ 83.92 $ 174,560
Outpatient Care Centers 1,600 0.16 $ 83.50 $ 173,690
Offices of Physicians 7,270 0.26 $ 80.29 $ 167,010
Management of Companies and Enterprises 40 (7) $ 77.36 $ 160,900
Health and Personal Care Retailers (8) (8) $ 67.13 $ 139,630


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.



Map of employment of optometrists by state, May 2022


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 7,750 0.44 1.60 $ 61.62 $ 128,160
Texas 2,720 0.21 0.76 $ 70.01 $ 145,610
New York 2,170 0.24 0.87 $ 67.65 $ 140,720
Florida 2,000 0.22 0.79 $ 52.32 $ 108,820
Ohio 1,710 0.32 1.16 $ 58.19 $ 121,040


Map of location quotient of optometrists by state, May 2022


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)
Hawaii 290 0.48 1.75 $ 66.98 $ 139,320
North Dakota 190 0.47 1.70 $ 64.90 $ 135,000
California 7,750 0.44 1.60 $ 61.62 $ 128,160
Iowa 600 0.39 1.43 $ 60.26 $ 125,340
Alaska 110 0.36 1.32 $ 86.77 $ 180,470


Map of annual mean wages of optometrists by state, May 2022


Top paying states for Optometrists:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska 110 0.36 1.32 $ 86.77 $ 180,470
North Carolina 1,000 0.22 0.78 $ 75.05 $ 156,110
Kentucky 430 0.22 0.82 $ 73.12 $ 152,100
Massachusetts 730 0.21 0.75 $ 72.36 $ 150,500
Texas 2,720 0.21 0.76 $ 70.01 $ 145,610



Map of employment of optometrists by area, May 2022


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 3,360 0.55 2.00 $ 57.22 $ 119,020
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 2,220 0.24 0.88 $ 68.41 $ 142,290
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 1,070 0.45 1.63 $ 72.81 $ 151,440
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 950 0.22 0.79 $ 66.01 $ 137,300
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 760 0.34 1.25 $ 66.03 $ 137,340
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 750 0.25 0.90 $ 55.27 $ 114,960
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 750 0.27 0.98 $ 71.65 $ 149,040
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 740 0.19 0.70 $ 82.43 $ 171,450
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 710 0.23 0.85 $ 67.36 $ 140,110
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 640 0.25 0.89 $ 42.71 $ 88,840


Map of location quotient of optometrists by area, May 2022


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)
Rocky Mount, NC 50 0.95 3.46 $ 58.97 $ 122,650
Albany, GA 50 0.84 3.05 $ 62.86 $ 130,750
Rochester, MN 80 0.72 2.63 $ 71.06 $ 147,810
Carbondale-Marion, IL 40 0.70 2.56 $ 56.82 $ 118,190
St. Cloud, MN 70 0.67 2.44 $ 65.26 $ 135,750
Redding, CA 40 0.65 2.37 $ 52.24 $ 108,670
Erie, PA 70 0.61 2.24 $ 51.20 $ 106,500
Bismarck, ND 40 0.61 2.21 $ 65.74 $ 136,740
Dothan, AL 30 0.57 2.08 $ 72.14 $ 150,060
Wausau, WI 40 0.55 2.01 $ 65.84 $ 136,950


Map of annual mean wages of optometrists by area, May 2022


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 0.54 1.97 $ 103.93 $ 216,180
Boulder, CO 50 0.28 1.03 $ 89.71 $ 186,590
Anchorage, AK 70 0.41 1.50 $ 88.55 $ 184,190
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 740 0.19 0.70 $ 82.43 $ 171,450
Syracuse, NY 80 0.27 0.99 $ 79.28 $ 164,900
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX 30 0.22 0.81 $ 79.04 $ 164,410
St. Louis, MO-IL 420 0.32 1.16 $ 77.43 $ 161,050
Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV 30 0.34 1.23 $ 76.38 $ 158,870
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX 270 0.25 0.92 $ 76.16 $ 158,420
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT 130 0.34 1.22 $ 75.84 $ 157,740

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Optometrists:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 100 0.25 0.92 $ 55.49 $ 115,410
Eastern New Mexico nonmetropolitan area 90 0.60 2.19 (8) (8)
West Northwestern Ohio nonmetropolitan area 90 0.38 1.37 $ 54.73 $ 113,840
Northeastern Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area 90 0.46 1.68 $ 67.14 $ 139,640
Southeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area 90 0.41 1.51 $ 61.73 $ 128,400

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

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Eastern New Mexico nonmetropolitan area 90 0.60 2.19 (8) (8)
Hawaii / Kauai nonmetropolitan area 50 0.55 1.99 $ 69.16 $ 143,850
Southwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area 40 0.52 1.89 $ 54.69 $ 113,760
Nevada nonmetropolitan area 50 0.48 1.74 $ 48.98 $ 101,880
Northeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area 50 0.48 1.73 $ 62.07 $ 129,110

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Optometrists:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Piedmont North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 50 0.18 0.66 $ 117.84 $ 245,110
North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area 30 0.30 1.10 $ 73.16 $ 152,180
Southeast Minnesota nonmetropolitan area 50 0.35 1.28 $ 69.99 $ 145,580
North Arkansas nonmetropolitan area 30 0.26 0.96 $ 69.78 $ 145,130
Hawaii / Kauai nonmetropolitan area 50 0.55 1.99 $ 69.16 $ 143,850


About May 2022 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 2022 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: April 25, 2023