Chiropractors
Median $79,200
Occupation · SOC 29-1041
Optometrists: pay and where the jobs are
What optometrists earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$136,570 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $141,550
- Median hourly wage
- $65.66
- Mean hourly wage
- $68.05
- Employment
- 42,790
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 29-1041.
Check your pay
See where your pay falls among optometrists nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
Enter your pay to see where it falls.
Use these numbers
How much do optometrists make?
The median annual wage for optometrists was $136,570 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $74,870 and the highest-paid 10% more than $202,180. As an hourly rate, the median is $65.66. About 42,790 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Alaska ($170,310), Maryland ($165,840) and North Carolina ($161,560). Alaska also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for optometrists looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $74,870 | $35.99 | $6,239 | $5,125 |
| 25th percentile | $109,400 | $52.59 | $9,117 | $7,149 |
| Median | $136,570 | $65.66 | $11,381 | $8,718 |
| 75th percentile | $165,120 | $79.39 | $13,760 | $10,344 |
| 90th percentile | $202,180 | $97.20 | $16,848 | $12,455 |
Optometrists: pay by state
52 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$124,466 take-home in national prices
2
$122,718 take-home in national prices
3
$117,760 take-home in national prices
Where a median optometrist paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 60 | $170,310 | $98,530 | $218,180 | $127,402 | $124,466 |
| Maryland | 780 | $165,840 | $50,560 | $215,420 | $116,673 | $111,161 |
| North Carolina | 1,140 | $161,560 | $94,320 | $215,340 | $115,755 | $122,718 |
| Delaware | 190 | $161,270 | $77,980 | $188,490 | $111,546 | $111,761 |
| New York | 2,390 | $161,140 | $95,460 | $203,040 | $112,495 | $104,238 |
| New Jersey | 1,380 | $159,040 | $104,730 | $232,960 | $111,171 | $102,174 |
| Minnesota | 710 | $158,700 | $96,670 | $206,960 | $109,414 | $110,944 |
| Washington | 760 | $157,560 | $103,880 | $217,900 | $116,773 | $109,120 |
| Hawaii | 230 | $154,620 | $107,090 | $205,390 | $106,550 | $96,907 |
| Maine | 180 | $154,110 | $102,600 | $241,200 | $106,056 | $109,280 |
| Colorado | 880 | $152,000 | $65,910 | $212,120 | $108,510 | $105,296 |
| Massachusetts | 950 | $151,730 | $95,780 | $196,470 | $106,909 | $101,089 |
| Florida | 2,350 | $151,670 | $62,490 | $196,210 | $114,932 | $111,138 |
| Connecticut | 490 | $150,340 | $99,200 | $214,040 | $105,501 | $101,825 |
| South Carolina | 480 | $145,950 | $51,740 | $172,060 | $104,385 | $111,345 |
| Illinois | 1,540 | $145,620 | $93,350 | $190,620 | $103,734 | $103,777 |
| Alabama | 460 | $145,090 | $56,740 | $196,600 | $104,598 | $117,760 |
| New Mexico | 130 | $144,660 | $88,160 | $202,980 | $104,384 | $113,200 |
| Wisconsin | 790 | $139,720 | $75,390 | $203,670 | $100,000 | $106,276 |
| Kansas | 660 | $138,580 | $85,010 | $192,720 | $99,052 | $109,975 |
| Vermont | 90 | $137,290 | $60,290 | $194,190 | $98,532 | $100,586 |
| California | 6,890 | $136,300 | $99,890 | $213,710 | $94,224 | $85,101 |
| Michigan | 1,410 | $135,650 | $98,110 | $213,850 | $98,468 | $102,340 |
| Nevada | 430 | $135,650 | $74,530 | $181,520 | $103,983 | $104,005 |
| Indiana | 1,040 | $135,500 | $76,860 | $193,270 | $99,913 | $107,054 |
| Pennsylvania | 1,720 | $135,400 | $92,970 | $173,380 | $99,560 | $102,038 |
| Ohio | 1,300 | $134,850 | $63,650 | $190,630 | $100,164 | $107,966 |
| District of Columbia | 50 | $134,840 | $102,570 | $207,570 | $94,936 | $86,383 |
| Rhode Island | 250 | $134,520 | $71,670 | $215,640 | $97,323 | $95,153 |
| Tennessee | 660 | $134,170 | $47,630 | $167,420 | $102,971 | $112,084 |
| Missouri | 630 | $133,810 | $64,610 | $175,270 | $97,373 | $107,219 |
| Puerto Rico | 280 | $132,790 | $44,190 | $300,250 | — | — |
| North Dakota | 140 | $132,110 | $74,610 | $178,900 | $100,246 | $112,688 |
| Oregon | 560 | $132,020 | $83,830 | $161,480 | $90,228 | $87,294 |
| Virginia | 1,110 | $131,570 | $62,430 | $235,980 | $94,443 | $93,412 |
| Kentucky | 430 | $128,860 | $82,240 | $254,630 | $94,949 | $105,313 |
| Georgia | 870 | $128,830 | $51,030 | $189,610 | $93,641 | $97,246 |
| Texas | 4,110 | $126,000 | $54,180 | $164,420 | $97,387 | $100,340 |
| New Hampshire | 210 | $125,560 | $76,360 | $205,560 | $97,086 | $93,204 |
| Iowa | 450 | $125,380 | $73,660 | $175,460 | $92,851 | $105,798 |
| Nebraska | 340 | $125,040 | $65,170 | $205,450 | $91,921 | $102,018 |
| Arkansas | 320 | $124,470 | $57,960 | $181,520 | $91,936 | $105,750 |
| Arizona | 1,080 | $122,250 | $99,570 | $171,490 | $92,161 | $91,542 |
| Utah | 380 | $119,070 | $44,470 | $172,480 | $87,297 | $88,300 |
| Louisiana | 250 | $118,060 | $45,420 | $183,670 | $88,730 | $100,593 |
| West Virginia | 150 | $118,010 | $69,830 | $198,570 | $87,334 | $97,583 |
| Wyoming | 90 | $111,400 | $51,580 | $178,860 | $87,200 | $94,076 |
| Mississippi | 240 | $108,070 | $63,470 | $215,640 | $81,266 | $93,460 |
| Montana | 140 | $104,280 | $58,450 | $163,030 | $77,660 | $82,054 |
| Idaho | 160 | $103,390 | $52,000 | $189,570 | $77,193 | $80,836 |
| South Dakota | 190 | $102,320 | $90,560 | $174,920 | $80,812 | $91,224 |
| Oklahoma | 570 | $97,350 | $59,990 | $174,620 | $73,480 | $83,650 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 29-1041. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.