Optometrists

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Total Workforce

37.6k

Average Age

46.6

Average Salary

$127,466

Average Male Salary

$154,995

Average Female Salary

$96,573

About

Employment

Diversity

Education

Skills

About

Optometrists are most often employed by the Offices of optometrists industry. The average yearly wage for Optometrists was $127,466 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Optometrists by wage are Sales engineers, Economists, and Financial analysts.

Optometrists are part of the Healthcare practitioners & technical occupations, along with Chiropractors, Dentists, Dietitians & nutritionists, Optometrists, Pharmacists, and 37 more.

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 occupations Healthcare practitioners & technical occupations Healthcare 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 Outpatient care centers. Optometrists are paid most in Shelby County PUMA, AL but are relatively concentrated in false.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$127,466

AVERAGE SALARY

± $13,188

In 2018, Optometrists earned an average of $127,466, $73,578 more than than the average national salary of $53,888.

Economists make somewhat more than Optometrists while Sales engineers 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

0.364

WAGE GINI

In 2018, Optometrists had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.364, 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

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, General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, and Offices of physicians.

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Highest Paying

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

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Industries by Share

37.6k

2018 Workforce

± 4,757

6.47%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 17.1%

The number of people employed as Optometrists has been growing at a rate of 6.47%, from 35,276 people in 2017 to 37,559 people in 2018.

This graphic shows the share of Optometrists employed by various industries. Offices of optometrists employs the largest share of Optometrists at 74.8%, followed by General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals with 7.67% and Offices of physicians with 5.73%.

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Diversity

Demographic information on Optometrists in the US. The average age of male Optometrists in the workforce is 51.4 and of female Optometrists is 41.2, and the most common race/ethnicity for Optometrists is White (Non-Hispanic).

Gender Composition

19.9k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 3,460

17.7k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 3,266

52.9% 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

White (Non-Hispanic)
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)

71.2% of Optometrists are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 21.9% of Optometrists, Asian (Non-Hispanic) 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

51.4

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 2.34

41.2

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 1.93

The median age of Optometrists is 46.6, and Male employees are generally 10.2 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

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

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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.