Optometrists

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Total Workforce

35.3k

Average Age

45.8

Estimated Job Growth

17.9%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$110,359

Average Male Salary

$127,659

Average Female Salary

$91,952

About

Employment

Diversity

Education

Skills

Growth Projections

About

Optometrists are most often employed by the Offices of optometrists industry. The average yearly wage for Optometrists was $110,359 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Optometrists by wage are Other financial specialists, Software developers, applications & systems software, and Computer & information systems managers.

Optometrists are part of the Healthcare practitioners & technical occupations, along with Chiropractors, Dentists, Dietitians & nutritionists, Optometrists, Pharmacists, Physicians & surgeons, Physician assistants, Podiatrists, Occupational therapists, Physical therapists, Radiation therapists, Recreational therapists, Respiratory therapists, Speechlanguage pathologists, Other therapists, including exercise physiologists, Veterinarians, Registered nurses, Nurse anesthetists, Audiologists, Health diagnosing & treating practitioners, all other, Nurse practitioners & nurse midwives, Clinical laboratory technologists & technicians, Dental hygienists, Diagnostic related technologists & technicians, Emergency medical technicians & paramedics, Health practitioner support technologists & technicians, Licensed practical & licensed vocational nurses, Medical records & health information technicians, Opticians, dispensing, Miscellaneous health technologists & technicians, and Other healthcare practitioners & technical Occupations

The top 3 locations that employ the most Optometrists are . The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Optometrists are .

Photo by David Lee

Management, business, science, & arts occupationsHealthcare practitioners & technical occupations

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Optometrists and on wages and locations for those in the field. Offices of optometrists is the industry that employs the most Optometrists, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Optometrists, by average wage, is Offices of physicians. Optometrists are paid most in Shelby County PUMA, AL but are relatively concentrated in false.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$110,359

AVERAGE SALARY

± $10,634

In 2017, Optometrists earned an average of $110,359, $58,294 more than than the average national salary of $52,065.

Computer & information systems managers make somewhat more than Optometrists while Other financial specialists make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Optometrists as measured by average annual salary in the US.

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Wage Distribution

0.335

WAGE GINI

In 2017, Optometrists had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.335, which is lower than than the national average of 0.479. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Optometrists (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

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Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

  1. Shelby County PUMA, AL

  2. Huntington Beach City PUMA, CA

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Optometrists.

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Spatial Concentration

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Optometrists.

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Industries

Most Common

The most common industries employing Optometrists, by number of employees, are Offices of optometrists, Health & personal care, except drug, stores , and Hospitals.

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Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Optometrists, by average wage, are Offices of physicians, Hospitals, and Offices of optometrists.

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Industries by Share

35.3k

2017 Workforce

± 4,611

10.5%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 17.2%

The number of people employed as Optometrists has been growing at a rate of 10.5%, from 31,930 people in 2016 to 35,276 people in 2017.

This graphic shows the share of Optometrists employed by various industries. Offices of optometrists employs the largest share of Optometrists at  76.5%, followed by Health & personal care, except drug, stores  with 6.9% and Hospitals with 5.66%.

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Diversity

Demographic information on Optometrists in the US. The average age of male Optometrists in the workforce is 50.6 and of female Optometrists is 40.6, and the most common race/ethnicity for Optometrists is White.

Gender Composition

18.2k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 3,311

17.1k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 3,209

51.6% of Optometrists are Male, making them the more common gender in the occupation. This chart shows the gender breakdown of Optometrists.

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Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Optometrists

  1. White

  2. Asian

  3. Two or More Races

80.6% of Optometrists are White, making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 17.7% of Optometrists, Asian is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Optometrists.

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Age by Gender

50.6

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 2.4

40.6

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 1.82

The median age of Optometrists is 45.8, and Male employees are generally 9.97 years older than than their Female counterparts.

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Education

Data on higher education choices for Optometrists from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Optometrists is Biology but a relatively high number of Optometrists hold a major in Biology.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

MOST COMMON MAJORS

  1. Biology

  2. Health

  3. Psychology

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

  1. Biology

  2. Interdisciplinary Studies

  3. Physical Sciences

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Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Optometrists from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Optometrists need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Critical Thinking, and Reading Comprehension. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Optometrists need more than the average amount of Science, Operation and Control, and Management of Material Resources.

Radar Distribution

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Bar Chart

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Growth Projections

Projections on wages and job growth for Optometrists from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The ten-year national workforce is projected to grow 7.4%, but Optometrists are expected to see a growth of 17.9% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow higher than the national average.

Job Growth

17.9%

ESTIMATED GROWTH

7.4%

NATIONAL AVERAGE

This line chart shows the 10-year projected employment growth (from 2016 to 2026) for Optometrists. This profession is expected to grow faster than 7.4%, the average rate of national job growth.

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