Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 29-1241

Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric

The published band from $100,180 to $489,710 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Cardiologists.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric: Cardiologists ($496K) , Orthodontists ($289K) , Physicians, Pathologists ($312K) , Dermatologists ($329K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 29-1241 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Perform comprehensive examinations of the visual system to determine the nature or extent of ocular disorders
  2. 2. Diagnose or treat injuries, disorders, or diseases of the eye and eye structures including the cornea, sclera, conjunctiva, or eyelids
  3. 3. Provide or direct the provision of postoperative care
  4. 4. Develop or implement plans and procedures for ophthalmologic services
  5. 5. Prescribe or administer topical or systemic medications to treat ophthalmic conditions and to manage pain
  6. 6. Develop treatment plans based on patients' histories and goals, the nature and severity of disorders, and treatment risks and benefits
  7. 7. Perform ophthalmic surgeries such as cataract, glaucoma, refractive, corneal, vitro-retinal, eye muscle, or oculoplastic surgeries
  8. 8. Educate patients about maintenance and promotion of healthy vision
  9. 9. Document or evaluate patients' medical histories
  10. 10. Perform, order, or interpret the results of diagnostic or clinical tests
  11. 11. Provide ophthalmic consultation to other medical professionals
  12. 12. Refer patients for more specialized treatments when conditions exceed the experience, expertise, or scope of practice of practitioner

Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric: O*NET ranks Reading Comprehension first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 29-1241 - lead skill Reading Comprehension at 4.3 ; lead knowledge Medicine and Dentistry. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Reading Comprehension 4.3
  2. 2. Critical Thinking 4.3
  3. 3. Active Listening 4.1
  4. 4. Writing 4.0
  5. 5. Speaking 4.0
  6. 6. Active Learning 4.0
  7. 7. Monitoring 4.0
  8. 8. Social Perceptiveness 4.0

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Medicine and Dentistry 4.5
  2. 2. English Language 4.4
  3. 3. Customer and Personal Service 4.1
  4. 4. Biology 3.8
  5. 5. Administration and Management 3.6
  6. 6. Education and Training 3.5
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$100,180 to $489,710
median $300,080 · ~4.9× spread
$300K
National median
↑ +4%
Growth 2024-2034
300
Annual openings
8,950
Estimated US jobs
Cardiologists
Highest-pay peer · $496K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Doctoral or professional degree

Top Paying States for Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric

1. Rhode Island $450,370
2. New Hampshire $404,330
3. Iowa $394,900
4. Georgia $382,920
5. Minnesota $372,200
6. California $400,150
7. New York $360,050
8. Maine $337,850
9. Florida $399,440
10. Nevada $345,600

Other Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations titles

  1. 1. Physicians, Pathologists $312,400
  2. 2. Dermatologists $328,730
  3. 3. Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric $358,550
  4. 4. Anesthesiologists $391,490
  5. 5. Cardiologists $496,010
  6. 6. Orthodontists $289,140

The OEWS band for Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric runs from $100,180 (10th) to $489,710 (90th), about 4.9× wide, with median $300,080. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +4% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 300 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Doctoral or professional degree as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Rhode Island at $450,370. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Cardiologists at $496,010. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric pay-rank #12 in Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations

Among 71 detailed Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations with a published OEWS median, Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric is pay-rank #12, the upper third of that major group. The order is ROW_NUMBER on national median (title as tiebreak), not a worker-level percentile.

Other upper-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

SOC 29-1241 · national median $300,080 · upper third of Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations (#12/71). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 29-1241

Rhode Island · top state for Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric

$450K published median

New Hampshire · #2 state pay

$404K · behind Rhode Island

Cardiologists

Highest-pay peer vs Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric · $496K

Orthodontists

Lower-pay peer beside Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric · $289K

Compare Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric with another occupation →

Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations titles sit near Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric at the top of the pay table? ▼
Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric is pay-rank #12 of 71 detailed Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Obstetricians and Gynecologists ($293K), Orthodontists ($289K), Prosthodontists ($311K), Physicians, Pathologists ($312K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do ophthalmologists, except pediatric do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric. Leading ones include: Perform comprehensive examinations of the visual system to determine the nature or extent of ocular disorders; Diagnose or treat injuries, disorders, or diseases of the eye and eye structures including the cornea, sclera, conjunctiva, or eyelids; Provide or direct the provision of postoperative care; Develop or implement plans and procedures for ophthalmologic services. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for ophthalmologists, except pediatric? ▼
For SOC 29-1241, O*NET importance scores lead with Reading Comprehension (4.3), Critical Thinking (4.3), Active Listening (4.1), Writing (4.0). Knowledge areas emphasize Medicine and Dentistry, English Language, Customer and Personal Service. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $100,180 and the 90th at $489,710 for Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric (4.9× spread). The national median is $300,080. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric is +4%. Projected annual openings: about 300. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric? ▼
BLS assigns Doctoral or professional degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric? ▼
Rhode Island ($450,370), New Hampshire ($404,330), Iowa ($394,900) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 29-1241. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics