Annual Salary, Salary Range, and Highest Paying States and Industries
Optometrists
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.
Table of contents
- Average salary
- Starting salary
- Salary rank
- Salary range
- Highest paying states
- Highest paying industries
Average salary
Starting salary
Entry-level Optometrists with little to no experience can expect to make anywhere between $60,750 to $91,180 per year or $29 to $44 per hour. Similar to any other job, their salary will increase as they gain experience.
Salary rank
We wanted to make it easy for our readers to compare the salary of Optometrists to all the other careers out there. So we created Salary Rank. We compared the salary of all careers then we gave them a rank of A, B, C, or D depending on where their average salary sit in comparison to other careers.
Salary range
Level | Hourly | Annual |
---|---|---|
Highest (Top 10%) | $94 | $195,810 |
Senior (Top 25%) | $70 | $145,720 |
Middle (Mid 50%) | $57 | $118,050 |
Junior (Bottom 25%) | $44 | $91,180 |
No experience (Bottom 10%) | $29 | $60,750 |
Highest paying states
State | Hourly | Annual |
---|---|---|
DC | $91 | $189,750 |
CT | $86 | $178,530 |
ND | $83 | $172,430 |
AK | $71 | $146,680 |
KY | $69 | $144,320 |
WV | $69 | $143,330 |
NC | $69 | $143,320 |
IL | $69 | $143,270 |
NY | $67 | $139,410 |
MN | $66 | $137,530 |
Another simple way to increase your salary as an Optometrist is to move to a higher paying state. However moving to a higher paying state like DC doesn’t guarantee that you will make more because the expenses at DC might be much higher than where you are currently living at right now.
According to BLS, the highest paid Optometrists are in the states of DC, CT, ND, AK and KY.
Highest paying industries
Salary by industry | Annual | Hourly |
---|---|---|
Outpatient Care Centers | $162870 | $78.30 |
Offices of Dentists | $162320 | $78.04 |
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | $140670 | $67.63 |
Offices of Physicians | $140080 | $67.35 |
Employment Services | $122490 | $58.89 |
Management of Companies and Enterprises | $121890 | $58.60 |
Offices of Other Health Practitioners | $119690 | $57.54 |
Health and Personal Care Stores | $119540 | $57.47 |
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools | $116870 | $56.19 |
Local Government | $111220 | $53.47 |
Federal Executive Branch | $77610 | $37.31 |
Other Ambulatory Health Care Services | $ | $* |