As of March 01, 2025, the average annual salary for an Optometrist in the United States is $146,398. According to Salary.com, salaries can range from a low of $118,599 to a high of $170,814, with most professionals earning between $131,847 and $159,178.
| Annual Salary |
Monthly Pay |
Weekly Pay |
Hourly Wage |
|
| 75th Percentile | $159,178 | $13,265 | $3,061 | $77 |
| Average | $146,398 | $12,200 | $2,815 | $70 |
| 25th Percentile | $131,847 | $10,987 | $2,536 | $63 |
An entry-level Optometrist with less than 1 year of experience earns about $138,113. With 1-2 years of experience, the average salary increases to $139,185. For 2-4 years of experience, the pay typically rises to $145,489. Senior-level professionals with 5-8 years of experience earn around $150,762, and those with over 8 years of experience can expect an average of $151,704.
| Levels | Salary |
|---|---|
| Entry Level Optometrist | $138,113 |
| Intermediate Level Optometrist | $139,185 |
| Senior Level Optometrist | $145,489 |
| Specialist Level Optometrist | $150,762 |
| Expert Level Optometrist | $151,704 |
| Entry Level | 6% |
| Mid Level | 5% |
| Senior Level | 1% |
| Top Level | 3% |
| Experienced | 4% |
Salaries in the United States differ widely between states due to factors like cost of living, local economies, and industry presence.
What Am I Worth?
Salaries in the United States can vary greatly between cities due to factors like cost of living, local economies, and industry presence.
As of March 01, 2025, our research reveals a significant shift in Optometrist compensation over the past six years. For example, the median salary increased from $112,260 in 2023 to approximately $113,619 in 2024. (For a detailed analysis of Optometrist salary trends, click here.)
Key factors like location, experience, industry demand, and economic growth significantly influence salary variations, making them important to consider.
Salary.com job board provides millions of Optometrist information for you to search for. Click on search button below to see Optometrist job openings or enter a new job title here.
Here are companies hiring for Optometrist and their salaries, click below for more details.
| Core Compensation | ||||
| Core Compensation | Median | % of Total | ||
| Base Salary | $146,398 | 73.0% | ||
| Bonus | $1,747 | 0.9% | ||
| Value of Benefits | ||||
| Core Compensation | Median | % of Total | ||
| Social Security | $11,333 | 5.7% | ||
| 401K/403B | $7,259 | 3.6% | ||
| Disability | $2,370 | 1.2% | ||
| Healthcare | $6,371 | 3.2% | ||
| Pension | $6,222 | 3.1% | ||
| Time Off | $18,803 | 9.4% | ||
| Total Compensation | $200,503 | 100% | ||
| Degree Level | % of user with this level of education |
|---|---|
| No Diploma | 0.9% |
| High School | 3.9% |
| Associates | 1.3% |
| Bachelors | 10.4% |
| Masters | 9.1% |
| Doctorate | 74.5% |
What Am I Worth?
The average annual salary of Optometrist is $146,398. In case you are finding an easy salary calculator, the average hourly pay of Optometrist is $70; the average weekly pay of Optometrist is $2,815; the average monthly pay of Optometrist is $12,200.
An Optometrist's earning potential can vary widely depending on several factors, including location, industry, experience, education, and the specific employer. According to the latest salary data by Salary.com, an Optometrist earns the most in San Jose, CA, where the annual salary of an Optometrist is $183,729.
The highest pay for Optometrist is $170,814.
The lowest pay for Optometrist is $118,599.
Optometrist provides primary care and medical treatment to patients with visual system disorders and diseases. Examines patients' eyes to detect and diagnose vision problems, diseases, and other conditions, such as diabetes or hypertension. Being an Optometrist develops treatment plans and prescribes eyeglasses, contact lenses, and/or medication to treat eye disorders. Educates patients on proper eye care and treatment plans. Additionally, Optometrist requires a doctorate degree. Requires Licensed Optician. Requires State License to Practice. Typically reports to a manager. Optometrist's years of experience requirement may be unspecified. Certification and/or licensing in the position's specialty is the main requirement.
Specify the abilities and skills that a person needs in order to carry out the specified job duties. Each competency has five to ten behavioral assertions that can be observed, each with a corresponding performance level (from one to five) that is required for a particular job.
Scheduling: Scheduling is the process of arranging, controlling and optimizing work and workloads in a production process or manufacturing process.
Long Term Care: 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.
EHR: An electronic health record is the systematized collection of patient and population electronically stored health information in a digital format. These records can be shared across different health care settings
Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.
We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)
With the most extensive online, real-time compensation data available, Salary.com helps you pinpoint your exact pay target.
