Optometry

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Total Degrees
Awarded in 2022

1,746

declining 4.17%

Median In-State
Public Tuition

$10,769

growing 2.9%

Median Out-of-State
Private Tuition

$34,500

growing 2.95%

Average Wage

$87,543

growing 7.57%

People in Workforce

4.66M

growing 3.36%

Average Employee Age

42.6

declining 0.529%

About

In 2022, the locations with the highest concentration of Optometry degree recipients are Boston, MA, Chicago, IL, and Memphis, TN. The most common degree awarded to students studying Optometry is a professional doctorate.

Health Optometry

Institutions

Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Optometry and the types of students that study this field.

Tuition costs for Optometry majors are, on average, $10,769 for in-state public colleges, and $34,500 for out of state private colleges.

The most common sector, by number of institutions, that offers Optometry programs are Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above institutions (14 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above (1,195 completions).

Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

$10,769

Median In-State Public

$34,500

Median Out of State Private

The following bar chart shows the state tuition for the top 5 institutions with the most degrees awarded in Optometry.

Degrees Awarded by County

Counties with the Most Degrees Awarded in Optometry

Suffolk County, MA
173 degrees awarded
Montgomery County, PA
147 degrees awarded
Cook County, IL
139 degrees awarded

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest number of degrees awarded in Optometry by year.

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Health graduates and on wages and locations for those in the field.

The average salary for Health majors is $87,543 and the most common occupations are Registered nurses, Pharmacists, and Nurse practitioners & nurse midwives.

The industry that employs the most Health majors is General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, though the highest paying industry, by average wage, is Farm supplies merchant wholesalers.

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Optometry is from the 2 Digit Course Health.

$87,543

Average Wage in Workforce

± $877

7.57%

1 Year Growth

± 1.33%

The average salary for Health majors is $87,543 and the most common occupations are Registered nurses, Pharmacists, and Nurse practitioners & nurse midwives.

This chart shows the average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Health majors.

Highest Paying Locations

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Optometry is from the 2 Digit Course Health.

Highest Paying Pumas

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States colored by the average salary of Health majors.

Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Health majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Optometry is from the 2 Digit Course Health.

The most common occupations Health majors, by number of employees, are Registered nurses, Pharmacists, and Nurse practitioners & nurse midwives.

Most Specialized

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Optometry is from the 2 Digit Course Health.

Compared to other majors, there are an unusually high number of Health majors working as .

Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Optometry is from the 2 Digit Course Health.

The highest paid occupations by median income for Health majors are Surgeons, Physicians, and Nurse anesthetists.

Occupations by Share

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Optometry is from the 2 Digit Course Health.

4.66M

2022 Workforce

± 52,192

3.36%

1 Year Growth

± 1.54%

The number of Health graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 3.36%, from 4.51M in 2021 to 4.66M in 2022.

The largest single share of Health graduates go on to work as Registered nurses (36.5%). This chart shows the various jobs filled by those with a major in Health by share of the total number of graduates.

Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Optometry is from the 2 Digit Course Health.

The most common industries that employ Health majors, by number of employees, are General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, Outpatient care centers, and Elementary & secondary schools.

Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Optometry is from the 2 Digit Course Health.

The highest paying industries of Health majors, by average wage, are Farm supplies merchant wholesalers, Aerospace products & parts manufacturing, and Metals & minerals (except petroleum) merchant wholesalers.

Industries by Share

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Optometry is from the 2 Digit Course Health.

4.66M

2022 Workforce

± 52,192

3.36%

1 Year Growth

± 1.54%

The number of Health graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 3.36%, from 4.51M in 2021 to 4.66M in 2022.

The industry which employs the most Health graduates by share is General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, followed by Outpatient care centers. This visualization shows the industries that hire those who major in Health.

Specialty Locations

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Optometry is from the 2 Digit Course Health.

PUMAS with a relatively high number of Health majors

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States where there are a relatively high population of Health majors.

Diversity

Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Health in the United States.

The average age of a person in the workforce with a degree in Health is 42.6.

The most common degree type these workers hold is a Professional Doctorate. Female employees are more likely to hold Health degrees, and White students are the most common race/ethnicty group awarded degrees in Health (824 students).

Workforce Age

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Optometry is from the 2 Digit Course Health.

42.6

Average Age in 2022

± 0.149 Years

0.529%

1 Year Change

± 0.499%

This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Health. The most common ages of employees with this major are 30 and 31 years old, which represent 3.06% and 3% of the population, respectively.

Degrees Awarded

The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Optometry are Professional Doctorate and Post-Masters Certificate.

Workforce Degrees

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Optometry is from the 2 Digit Course Health.

The most common degree types held by the working population in Health are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Professional degree.

Sex Imbalance for Common Institutions

Female (67.8%)

Most Common Sex with a Degree in this Field

This chart shows the granted degrees by sex at the false institutions that graduate the most students in Optometry.

Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

Most Common Race or Ethnicity

White
824 degrees awarded
Asian
465 degrees awarded
Non-resident Alien
132 degrees awarded

This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Optometry for each race & ethnicity. White students earned the largest share of the degrees with this major.

Race & Ethnicity by Sex

This chart illustrates the differences by sex for each race & ethnicity of Professional Doctorate recipients in Optometry.

Global Diversity

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Optometry is from the 2 Digit Course Health.

Most Common Countries of Origin

Philippines
202,070 degree recipients
India
87,039 degree recipients
Mexico
36,759 degree recipients

High Relative Number of Students

Philippines
5.03 times more than expected
Cameroon
3.6 times more than expected
Nigeria
3.1 times more than expected

There are a relatively high number of people that were born in Philippines that hold Health degrees (5.03 times more than expected), and the most common country of origin by total numbers for non-US students earning a degree in this field is Philippines (202,070 degree recipients).

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Optometry field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Optometry majors need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Optometry majors need more than the average amount of Operation and Control, Troubleshooting, and Science.

These two visualizations, one a radial chart and one a bar chart, show the same information, a rating of how necessary the following skills are for Optometry majors. Toggle between "value" and "RCA" to see the absolute rating of that skill (value) and the revealed comparative advantage (RCA), or how much greater or lesser that skill's rating is than the average. The longer the bar or the closer the line comes to the circumference of the circle, the more important that skill is. The importance of Operation and Control is very distinctive for majors, but the Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, and Critical Thinking are the three most important skills for people in the field.

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

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