Salary AI Book a Demo

Optometrist Salary in Sarasota, FL

How much does an Optometrist make in Sarasota, FL?

As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for an Optometrist in Sarasota, FL is $132,550 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $64.

However, an Optometrist's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $154,392
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $125,903 to $143,983
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $119,851
Salary Factors Salary-Boosting Skills Salary by Experience Related Job Salaries Top Paying Cities Explore Related Jobs

Key Factors That Influence Optometrist Salaries

An Optometrist's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, skills and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Optometrist Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of an Optometrist's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $129,574
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $130,070
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $133,404
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $138,182
  • Expert (over 8 years): $139,035
Levels Salary
Entry Level Optometrist$129,574
Intermediate Level Optometrist$130,070
Senior Level Optometrist$133,404
Specialist Level Optometrist$138,182
Expert Level Optometrist$139,035
View as Graph

Top Paying Cities for Optometrists

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $175,800
  • San Francisco: $173,875
  • Oakland: $170,211

What Skills Can Increase an Optometrist's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Scheduling (Mentioned in 7.87% Job Postings): Scheduling is the process of arranging, controlling and optimizing work and workloads in a production process or manufacturing process.
  • Long Term Care (Mentioned in 3.28% Job Postings): Long-term care (LTC) is a variety of services which help meet both the medical and non-medical needs of people with a chronic illness or disability who cannot care for themselves for long periods. Long term care is focused on individualized and coordinated services that promote independence, maximize patients' quality of life, and meet patients' needs over a period of time. It is common for long-term care to provide custodial and non-skilled care, such as assisting with normal daily tasks like dressing, feeding, using the bathroom. Increasingly, long-term care involves providing a level of medical care that requires the expertise of skilled practitioners to address the multiple chronic conditions associated with older populations. Long-term care can be provided at home, in the community, in assisted living facilities or in nursing homes. Long-term care may be needed by people of any age, although it is a more common need for senior citizens.
  • Geriatrics (Mentioned in 2.31% Job Postings): Geriatrics, or geriatric medicine, is a medical specialty focused on providing care for the unique health needs of older adults. The term geriatrics originates from the Greek geron meaning "old man", and iatros meaning "healer".
Skills Demand Percentage
Scheduling 7.87%
Long Term Care 3.28%
Geriatrics 2.31%
See More Skills

What skills can make your compensation higher?

Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on an Optometrist's salary.

  • Wholesale: Can increase your salary by up to 11%.
  • Financial Risk: Can increase your salary by up to 10%.
  • Innovation: Can increase your salary by up to 9%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Wholesale $147,131
11%
Financial Risk $145,805
10%
Innovation $144,480
9%
Get Latest Data

Optometrist Salary by Company Size: Startups vs. Enterprise

Optometrist salary potential scales significantly with company size. Data shows that Enterprise companies (5,000+ employees) pay the highest average salary at around $142,070. While startup companies pay approximate $120,622.

Optometrist Salary by Company Size

Company Size Employees Average Salary
Startup 1~50 $120,622
Growth Stage 51~500 $127,453
Established 501~5000 $137,301
Enterprise 5000+ $142,070

Optometrist Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Optometrist roles, the industry you choose can impact your earning potential by as much as 50% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the highest-paying industry, Healthcare, offers compensation 30% above the average. Conversely, Optometrist positions in Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit typically offer lower base pay, as this sector often view Optometrist as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industry for an Optometrist

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Healthcare$181,194$87.030%

Optometrist Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how an Optometrist's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on September 01, 2026
$125,903
Average $132,550/year
$143,983
$10,492
Average $11,046/month
$11,999
$2,421
Average $2,549/week
$2,769
$61
Average $64/hour
$69
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $143,983 $11,999 $2,769 $69
Average $132,550 $11,046 $2,549 $64
25th Percentile $125,903 $10,492 $2,421 $61

Find Your Next Optometrist Job

Ready to take the next step in your career? Browse thousands of current Optometrist job openings on our job board. Use the search bar below to find your perfect match.

For Employees

Analyze the market and your qualifications to negotiate your salary with confidence.

Get a Salary Increase

Search thousands of open positions to find your next opportunity.

Search Job Openings

For Employers

Individualize employee pay based on unique job requirements and personal qualifications.

Adjust Employee Salary

Get the latest market price for benchmark jobs and jobs in your industry.

Price My Industry Jobs

Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third-party data sources. We also provide multiple percentiles of salary information for your reference, click here to know Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial to Getting Pay Equity Right. With more online, real-time compensation data than any other website, Salary.com helps you determine your exact pay target.

Are you an HR manager or compensation specialist?

Salary.com's CompAnalyst platform offers:

  • Detailed skills and competency reports for specific positions
  • Job and employee pricing reports
  • Compensation data tools, salary structures, surveys and benchmarks.
Learn about CompAnalyst