Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 29-1041

Optometrists

The published band from $74,870 to $202,180 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Pediatric Surgeons.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Optometrists: Pediatric Surgeons ($559K) , Orthodontists ($289K) , Dermatologists ($329K) , Cardiologists ($496K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Optometrists publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 29-1041 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Examine eyes, using observation, instruments, and pharmaceutical agents, to determine visual acuity and perception, focus, and coordinati…
  2. 2. Analyze test results and develop a treatment plan
  3. 3. Prescribe, supply, fit and adjust eyeglasses, contact lenses, and other vision aids
  4. 4. Prescribe medications to treat eye diseases if state laws permit
  5. 5. Educate and counsel patients on contact lens care, visual hygiene, lighting arrangements, and safety factors
  6. 6. Remove foreign bodies from the eye
  7. 7. Provide patients undergoing eye surgeries, such as cataract and laser vision correction, with pre- and post-operative care
  8. 8. Consult with and refer patients to ophthalmologist or other health care practitioner if additional medical treatment is determined necessary
  9. 9. Prescribe therapeutic procedures to correct or conserve vision
  10. 10. Provide vision therapy and low-vision rehabilitation

Optometrists: O*NET ranks Reading Comprehension first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 29-1041 - lead skill Reading Comprehension at 4.1 ; lead knowledge Medicine and Dentistry. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Reading Comprehension 4.1
  2. 2. Active Listening 4.1
  3. 3. Critical Thinking 4.1
  4. 4. Writing 4.0
  5. 5. Speaking 4.0
  6. 6. Social Perceptiveness 3.9
  7. 7. Science 3.8
  8. 8. Coordination 3.4

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Medicine and Dentistry 4.8
  2. 2. Biology 4.5
  3. 3. Customer and Personal Service 4.4
  4. 4. English Language 3.9
  5. 5. Mathematics 3.6
  6. 6. Education and Training 3.6
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$74,870 to $202,180
median $136,570 · ~2.7× spread
$137K
National median
↑ +8%
Growth 2024-2034
2,400
Annual openings
42,790
Estimated US jobs
Pediatric Surgeons
Highest-pay peer · $559K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Doctoral or professional degree

Top Paying States for Optometrists

1. Alaska $170,310
2. Delaware $161,270
3. Hawaii $154,620
4. Minnesota $158,700
5. Washington $157,560
6. North Carolina $161,560
7. New York $161,140
8. New Jersey $159,040
9. Maryland $165,840
10. Maine $154,110

Other Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations titles

  1. 1. Dermatologists $328,730
  2. 2. Pediatric Surgeons $559,030
  3. 3. Orthodontists $289,140
  4. 4. Cardiologists $496,010
  5. 5. Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric $358,550
  6. 6. Radiologists $420,860

The OEWS band for Optometrists runs from $74,870 (10th) to $202,180 (90th), about 2.7× wide, with median $136,570. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +8% change between 2024 and 2034 (faster than average vs baseline 3.1%). About 2,400 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: Alaska at $170,310. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Pediatric Surgeons at $559,030. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Optometrists pay-rank #27 in Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations

Optometrists sits at pay-rank #27 of 71 detailed Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations, the middle third of the major-group median table. ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.

Other mid-table 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.

The 10th-to-90th percentile spread for Optometrists is unusually wide, so the state map and peer comparison carry more signal than the median alone.

Optometrists salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 29-1041

Alaska · top state for Optometrists

$170K published median

Delaware · #2 state pay

$161K · behind Alaska

Pediatric Surgeons

Highest-pay peer vs Optometrists · $559K

Orthodontists

Lower-pay peer beside Optometrists · $289K

Compare Optometrists

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Optometrists 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

Is Optometrists mid-table among Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations? ▼
Yes: pay-rank #27 of 71 detailed Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations, the middle third. Mid-table neighbors: Physician Assistants ($136K), Nurse Midwives ($134K), Nurse Practitioners ($132K), Pharmacists ($141K). ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.
What do optometrists do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Optometrists. Leading ones include: Examine eyes, using observation, instruments, and pharmaceutical agents, to determine visual acuity and perception, focus, and coordinati…; Analyze test results and develop a treatment plan; Prescribe, supply, fit and adjust eyeglasses, contact lenses, and other vision aids; Prescribe medications to treat eye diseases if state laws permit. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for optometrists? ▼
For SOC 29-1041, O*NET importance scores lead with Reading Comprehension (4.1), Active Listening (4.1), Critical Thinking (4.1), Writing (4.0). Knowledge areas emphasize Medicine and Dentistry, Biology, Customer and Personal Service. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Optometrists? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $74,870 and the 90th at $202,180 for Optometrists (2.7× spread). The national median is $136,570. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Optometrists? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Optometrists is +8%. Projected annual openings: about 2,400. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: faster than average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Optometrists? ▼
BLS assigns Doctoral or professional degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Optometrists. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Optometrists? ▼
Alaska ($170,310), Delaware ($161,270), Hawaii ($154,620) 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 Optometrists card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 29-1041. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Optometrists. 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