Pay for optometrists is unusually consistent across the country: $75,730 at the bottom of the range, $175,810 at the top, a spread of only 2.32×. Where you work matters less for this role than it does for most — which usually points to pay being set by structure (scales, licensure, collective agreements) rather than local bidding.
Ten per cent of optometrists earn below $74,870 and ten per cent above $202,180 — a 2.7× band. The upside from median to 90th percentile is 48%, which is a normal amount of room for experience and specialisation to matter. An offer below the 25th percentile is worth questioning; one above the 75th is worth taking seriously.
La Crosse-Onalaska (WI-MN) leads and Southeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area () trails, but the gap is modest. For a role like this the more useful comparison is not between cities but between the 10th and 90th percentile within one — see the band above.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Crosse-Onalaska WI-MN | $175,810 | $84.52 | 1.72 | 40 |
| Asheville NC | $167,980 | $80.76 | 0.82 | 40 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $167,810 | $80.68 | 0.74 | 420 |
| Anchorage AK | $167,000 | $80.29 | 0.62 | 30 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill NC | $166,880 | $80.23 | 0.44 | 40 |
| Peoria IL | $166,600 | $80.10 | 1.2 | 50 |
| Albuquerque NM | $165,810 | $79.71 | 0.59 | 70 |
| Dover DE | $165,660 | $79.64 | 1.64 | 30 |
| Buffalo-Cheektowaga NY | $165,640 | $79.63 | 1.12 | 160 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma CA | $165,360 | $79.50 | 1.42 | 80 |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy NY | $164,020 | $78.85 | 1.02 | 130 |
| Wilmington NC | $163,800 | $78.75 | 2.29 | 120 |
| Raleigh-Cary NC | $163,290 | $78.51 | 1.15 | 240 |
| Fort Collins-Loveland CO | $163,240 | $78.48 | 1.66 | 80 |
| Birmingham AL | $162,890 | $78.31 | 0.78 | 110 |
| North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota FL | $162,690 | $78.21 | 0.83 | 80 |
| Winston-Salem NC | $162,540 | $78.14 | 0.96 | 70 |
| Eastern North Carolina nonmetropolitan area | $162,010 | $77.89 | 0.89 | 60 |
| Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh NY | $161,850 | $77.81 | 1.26 | 90 |
| Jacksonville FL | $161,560 | $77.67 | 0.72 | 150 |
| Cape Coral-Fort Myers FL | $161,540 | $77.67 | 1 | 80 |
| Portland-South Portland ME | $161,220 | $77.51 | 1.26 | 100 |
| Huntsville AL | $161,170 | $77.49 | 0.64 | 50 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $161,030 | $77.42 | 0.99 | 2,580 |
| Daphne-Fairhope-Foley AL | $160,680 | $77.25 | 1.76 | 40 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area | $75,730 | $36.41 | 1.56 | 80 |
| St. George UT | $79,990 | $38.46 | 1.33 | 30 |
| High Desert Utah nonmetropolitan area | $81,710 | $39.28 | 1.06 | 30 |
| Provo-Orem-Lehi UT | $86,250 | $41.47 | 0.76 | 60 |
| Coast Oregon nonmetropolitan area | $86,680 | $41.67 | 1.1 | 30 |
| Northeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area | $93,760 | $45.08 | 1.97 | 60 |
| East South Dakota nonmetropolitan area | $97,530 | $46.89 | 1.56 | 60 |
| Tulsa OK | $100,250 | $48.20 | 1.47 | 190 |
| Southeast Missouri nonmetropolitan area | $102,150 | $49.11 | 0.69 | 30 |
| Cedar Rapids IA | $102,860 | $49.45 | 1.3 | 50 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albany GA | $134,250 | $64.54 | 2.58 | 40 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels TX | $111,780 | $53.74 | 2.36 | 730 |
| Traverse City MI | $118,030 | $56.75 | 2.34 | 40 |
| Wilmington NC | $163,800 | $78.75 | 2.29 | 120 |
| Amherst Town-Northampton MA | $150,520 | $72.36 | 2.17 | 40 |
| Vallejo CA | $155,950 | $74.97 | 2.15 | 90 |
| Northeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area | $93,760 | $45.08 | 1.97 | 60 |
| Kalamazoo-Portage MI | $131,770 | $63.35 | 1.95 | 70 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $135,330 | $65.06 | 1.87 | 580 |
| Southwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area | $129,620 | $62.32 | 1.87 | 60 |
| Manchester-Nashua NH | $124,470 | $59.84 | 1.86 | 100 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville CA | $122,150 | $58.73 | 1.84 | 50 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $161,030 | $77.42 | 0.99 | 2,580 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $138,940 | $66.80 | 1.37 | 2,360 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX | $124,640 | $59.92 | 1.38 | 1,250 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $142,580 | $68.55 | 1.81 | 1,180 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $145,630 | $70.01 | 0.93 | 1,160 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD | $153,980 | $74.03 | 1.11 | 890 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $140,790 | $67.69 | 0.78 | 870 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler AZ | $115,960 | $55.75 | 1.31 | 860 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach FL | $125,530 | $60.35 | 1.05 | 820 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $154,690 | $74.37 | 0.89 | 770 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels TX | $111,780 | $53.74 | 2.36 | 730 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $154,970 | $74.51 | 0.96 | 710 |
Figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, May 2025 release, SOC code 29-1041. OEWS surveys employers, so it reports what is actually paid rather than what job advertisements claim, and it excludes the self-employed. Estimates are published for 241 of 528 metropolitan areas; the remaining 287 had too few survey responses for BLS to publish without risking disclosure, so they are absent here rather than estimated. For a specialised role that is normal. Read the methodology.