Optometrist Salary, Skills & Requirements (2026)
Advertised pay, starting pay, skills and experience from 4,386 US job postings by 301 employers. Data as of October 2026.
What US employers post for optometrists: advertised pay, the skills and experience they ask for, and the job titles they use, from 4,386 open job postings (October 2026).
- The median advertised pay for optometrists in US job postings is $152,000 a year (806 postings from 67 employers, October 2026).
- The middle half of those postings offer $130,000 to $170,000.
- The skills that most set optometrist postings apart are optometry, compassionate, interpersonal skills.
Optometrist job postings in the US, October 2026
- $152,000
- Median advertised pay (806 postings)
- $130,000–$170,000
- Middle 50% of postings
- 4,386
- US job postings from 301 employers
How much does an optometrist make?
The median advertised pay is $152,000 a year, from 806 US job postings by 67 employers that state pay. One in ten postings offers $200,000 or more.
Advertised pay in 806 US optometrist job postings: median $152,000 a year, middle half $130,000 to $170,000.
- Median: $152,000
- 25th percentile: $130,000
- 75th percentile: $170,000
The figures as a table
| Annual pay | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| $10K–$20K | 0.4% |
| $30K–$40K | 1.5% |
| $40K–$50K | 1.9% |
| $60K–$70K | 0.4% |
| $80K–$90K | 11.6% |
| $90K–$100K | 3.5% |
| $100K–$110K | 1.9% |
| $110K–$120K | 0.8% |
| $120K–$130K | 2.7% |
| $130K–$140K | 3.5% |
| $140K–$150K | 10.4% |
| $150K–$160K | 21.6% |
| $160K–$170K | 13.1% |
| $170K–$180K | 7.0% |
| $180K–$190K | 3.1% |
| $190K–$200K | 2.7% |
| $200K–$210K | 10.8% |
| $210K–$220K | 2.3% |
Midpoint of each posting's pay range, hourly pay × 2,080 hours; at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026.
| Median | Middle 50% | Postings | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pay postings, annualised | $152,000 | $130K–$170K | 806 |
For comparison, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the national median annual wage of Optometrists (29-1041) at $137,000 (May 2025). Postings advertise pay; the BLS measures what people earn, across all employers and levels.
What is the starting salary for an optometrist?
Figure withheld: fewer than 250 US postings list pay. How we decide.
Highest-paying optometrist jobs
Specializations with at least 250 postings that state pay.
| Specialization | Median pay | Postings with pay | Employers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Optometrist (general) | $153,000 | 779 | 57 |
Optometrist pay by state
Single-location US postings; states with at least 100 postings that state pay. States with pay-transparency laws (such as California, Colorado, New York and Washington) are over-represented among postings that state pay.
| State | Median pay | Middle 50% | Postings with pay | Share of postings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | $151,000 | $140,000–$167,000 | 138 | 6.9% |
Skills employers ask for in optometrist job postings
| Skill | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| Communication | 21% |
| Interpersonal skills | 12% |
| Compassionate | 10% |
| Attention to detail | 9% |
| Organizational skills | 7% |
| Work independently | 6% |
| Optometry | 6% |
| Vision therapy | 5% |
| Leadership | 5% |
| Self-discipline | 5% |
Skills named in the posting text; at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026. Methodology.
Skills that set optometrists apart
- Optometry876.5× as often as in all postings · 6%
- Compassionate3.5× as often as in all postings · 10%
Skills named in at least 5% of these postings and at least 3 times as often as in job postings overall.
Have a optometrist job posting in front of you? See which of its skills your resume is missing.
What does an optometrist do?
Employers post these jobs as Medical Optometrist, Doctor of Optometry, Comprehensive Optometrist, Full Time Optometrist, Pediatric Optometrist and other titles.
The closest official occupation is Optometrists (29-1041.00). Its most important tasks:
- Examine eyes, using observation, instruments, and pharmaceutical agents, to determine visual acuity and perception, focus, and coordination and to diagnose diseases and other abnormalities, such as glaucoma or color blindness.
- 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.
- Educate and counsel patients on contact lens care, visual hygiene, lighting arrangements, and safety factors.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
Other names for an optometrist: job titles employers use
| Job title | Employers using it |
|---|---|
| Optometrist | 232 (77.1%) |
| Medical Optometrist | 12 (4.0%) |
| Doctor of Optometry | 8 (2.7%) |
| Comprehensive Optometrist | 7 (2.3%) |
| Full Time Optometrist | 7 (2.3%) |
| Pediatric Optometrist | 6 (2.0%) |
| Mobile Optometrist | 4 (1.3%) |
| Associate Optometrist | 4 (1.3%) |
| Medically Focused Optometrist | 4 (1.3%) |
| Independent Optometrist | 3 (1.0%) |
| Staff Optometrist | 3 (1.0%) |
| Neuro-Optometrist | 3 (1.0%) |
| Full-time Medical Optometrist | 3 (1.0%) |
| Medical Optometrist with OD/MD Practice | 3 (1.0%) |
| Medical Optometrist opening with OD/MD practice | 3 (1.0%) |
| Part-Time or Full-time Medical Optometrist | 3 (1.0%) |
| Clinical Optometrist | 3 (1.0%) |
Titles read in our audit and used by at least 3 employers.
Optometrist compared with similar careers
| Career | Median pay | Median experience | Postings | Shares N of top 25 skills |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Optometrist | $152K | – | 4,386 | – |
| Dentist | $234K | 2 years | 6,288 | 13 |
| Podiatrist | – | – | 292 | 9 |
| Physician | $312K | 2 years | 26,725 | 13 |
| Physical Therapist Assistant | $34.52/hr | 1 year | 12,964 | 11 |
Similar careers
| Career | Shares N of the top 25 skills | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Dentist | 13 | $234K |
| Podiatrist | 9 | – |
| Physician | 13 | $312K |
| Physical Therapist Assistant | 11 | $34.52/hr |
| Veterinarian | 9 | $148K |
| Physical Therapist | 11 | $104K |
Applying for optometrist jobs?
- Optometrist resume examples: one-page examples for these roles
- Match your resume to a job: paste a posting and see the skills your resume is missing
- Check your resume: see how an applicant tracking system reads it
- Find optometrist jobs: search open postings
Frequently asked questions
How much does an optometrist make?
Source and method
Open US job postings collected from employers' applicant tracking systems, de-duplicated, counted only when their job title was read in our audit. Shares count at most 20 postings per employer, and franchise locations of one brand count as one employer. Pay uses hourly and annual figures only; a figure is shown when leaving out the largest employer moves it by 10% or less. Every figure states its number of postings. Methodology and measured accuracy.
Accuracy check: we read 20 randomly chosen postings counted on this page in full; 19 of them were this career or a closely related one (October 2026).
Download the figures on this page (CSV): every number above with its count of postings. Aggregate figures are licensed CC BY 4.0; cite the page when you reuse them.