Lead Optometrist Salary in the United States

How much does a Lead Optometrist make in the United States?

As of April 01, 2026, the average salary for a Lead Optometrist in the United States is $144,421 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $69.

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

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $168,709
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $137,097 to $157,134
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $130,429
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View as table View as graph 25% $137,097 10% $130,429 90% $168,709 75% $157,134 $144,421 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click

Lead Optometrist Salaries by Percentile

Annual
Salary		 Monthly
Pay		 Weekly
Pay		 Hourly
Wage
75th Percentile $157,134 $13,095 $3,022 $76
Average $144,421 $12,035 $2,777 $69
25th Percentile $137,097 $11,425 $2,636 $66
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Key Factors That Influence Lead Optometrist Salaries

A Lead 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, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Lead Optometrist Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Lead 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): $140,344
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $140,868
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $144,421
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $149,656
  • Expert (over 8 years): $150,591
Levels Salary
Entry Level Lead Optometrist$140,344
Intermediate Level Lead Optometrist$140,868
Senior Level Lead Optometrist$144,421
Specialist Level Lead Optometrist$149,656
Expert Level Lead Optometrist$150,591
$140,344 0 yr
$140,868 < 2 yrs
$144,421 2-4 yrs
$149,656 5-8 yrs
$150,591 > 8 yrs
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What Am I Worth?

How Do Lead Optometrist Salaries Vary from State to State?

Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Lead Optometrists. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:

  • District of Columbia: $159,903.
  • California: $159,296.
  • Massachusetts: $157,173.

Top Paying Cities for Lead 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: $182,158
  • San Francisco: $180,367
  • Oakland: $176,367

What Skills Can Increase a Lead 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".
See More Skills
Skills Demand Percentage
Scheduling 7.87%
Long Term Care 3.28%
Geriatrics 2.31%
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 a Lead 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
 $160,307
11%
Financial Risk
 $158,863
10%
Innovation
 $157,419
9%
Collaborating
 $157,419
9%
Motivating
 $157,419
9%
Pathology
 $155,975
8%
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How Education impacts a Lead Optometrist's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Lead Optometrists enter the field with a Bachelor's Degree degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for a Lead Optometrist with a Bachelor's Degree is between $138,756 and $146,430).

Lead Optometrist Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Lead Optometrist
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%
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Lead Optometrist Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Lead 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.

  • Hourly
  • Monthly
  • Weekly
  • Yearly
  • Table View
Last Updated on April 01, 2026
$137,097
Average $144,421/year
$157,134
$11,425
Average $12,035/month
$13,095
$2,636
Average $2,777/week
$3,022
$66
Average $69/hour
$76
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $157,134 $13,095 $3,022 $76
Average $144,421 $12,035 $2,777 $69
25th Percentile $137,097 $11,425 $2,636 $66

Salaries of jobs related to Lead Optometrist

Salary Trends for Lead Optometrist

Salaries for a Lead Optometrist can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $115,617 in 2023 to around $115,171 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Lead Optometrist salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Lead Optometrist Over Time

2022
$???
2023
$115,617
2024
$117,016
2025
$115,171
2026
$???
2027
$???
Year Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023 $115,617
2024 $117,016
2025 $115,171
2026
View More
2027
View More

Most common benefits for Lead Optometrist

Social Security
401(k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
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Common company salaries for Lead Optometrist

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Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

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.)

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