Salary AI Book a Demo

Associate Optometrist Salary in the United States

How much does an Associate Optometrist make in the United States?

As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for an Associate Optometrist in the United States is $140,941 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $68.

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

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $162,134
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $133,317 to $152,034
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $126,376
Salary Factors Salary-Boosting Skills Salary by Experience Related Job Salaries Top Paying Cities Explore Related Jobs

Key Factors That Influence Associate Optometrist Salaries

An Associate 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 Associate Optometrist Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of an Associate 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): $138,294
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $138,823
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $142,381
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $147,481
  • Expert (over 8 years): $148,391
Levels Salary
Entry Level Associate Optometrist$138,294
Intermediate Level Associate Optometrist$138,823
Senior Level Associate Optometrist$142,381
Specialist Level Associate Optometrist$147,481
Expert Level Associate Optometrist$148,391
View as Graph

How Do Associate 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 Associate Optometrists. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
  • District of Columbia: $156,050.
  • California: $155,458.
  • Massachusetts: $153,386.

Top Paying Cities for Associate 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: $177,769
  • San Francisco: $175,822
  • Oakland: $172,117

What Skills Can Increase an Associate 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 Associate 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 $156,445
11%
Financial Risk $155,035
10%
Innovation $153,626
9%
Get Latest Data

Associate Optometrist Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Associate 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, Associate Optometrist positions in Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit typically offer lower base pay, as this sector often view Associate Optometrist as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industry for an Associate Optometrist

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Healthcare$183,223$88.030%

How Education impacts an Associate Optometrist's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Associate 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 an Associate Optometrist with a Bachelor's Degree is between $138,756 and $146,430).

Associate Optometrist Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Associate 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%
View as Graph

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

Understanding how an Associate 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
$133,317
Average $140,941/year
$152,034
$11,110
Average $11,745/month
$12,670
$2,564
Average $2,710/week
$2,924
$64
Average $68/hour
$73
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $152,034 $12,670 $2,924 $73
Average $140,941 $11,745 $2,710 $68
25th Percentile $133,317 $11,110 $2,564 $64

Most common benefits for Associate Optometrist

  • Social Security
  • 401 (k)
  • Disability
  • Healthcare
  • Pension
  • Time Off (days)

Common company salaries for Associate Optometrist

Here are companies hiring for Associate Optometrist and their salaries, click below for more details.

Find Your Next Associate Optometrist Job

Ready to take the next step in your career? Browse thousands of current Associate 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

FAQ about Associate Optometrist

1. What industry pays the highest salary for Associate Optometrist?

The Healthcare industry offers the highest average compensation for Associate Optometrist roles, with salaries approximately 30% above the market median.

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.)

With the most extensive online, real-time compensation data available, Salary.com helps you pinpoint 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