Optometrists

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2019 Workforce

41.1k

Average Age

45.3

Estimated Job Growth

17.9%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$115,843

Average Male Salary

$132,996

Average Female Salary

$95,757

About

Optometrists are most often employed by the Offices of optometrists industry. The average yearly wage for Optometrists was $115,843 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Optometrists by wage are Aerospace engineers, Physician assistants, 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 Huntington Beach City PUMA, CA. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Optometrists are Huntington Beach City PUMA, CA.

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 General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals. Optometrists are paid most in Shelby County PUMA, AL but are relatively concentrated in Huntington Beach City PUMA, CA.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$115,843

AVERAGE SALARY

± $10,014

In 2019, Optometrists earned an average of $115,843, $60,319 more than than the average national salary of $55,524.

Aerospace engineers make somewhat more than Optometrists while Physician assistants make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Optometrists as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.346

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Optometrists had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.346, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Optometrists (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

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.

Spatial Concentration

Huntington Beach City PUMA, CA

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Optometrists

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

Industries

Most Common

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

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Optometrists, by average wage, are Offices of physicians, General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, Outpatient care centers, Offices of optometrists, Offices of physicians, Health & personal care, except drug, stores , Offices of physicians, Hospitals, Offices of physicians, Offices of optometrists, Outpatient care centers, Offices of optometrists, Offices of optometrists, Health & personal care, except drug, stores , Offices of physicians, Offices of optometrists, Hospitals, and Health & personal care, except drug, stores .

Industries by Share

41.1k

2019 Workforce

± 4,978

9.48%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 16%

The number of people employed as Optometrists has been growing at a rate of 9.48%, from 37,559 people in 2018 to 41,118 people in 2019.

This graphic shows the share of Optometrists employed by various industries. Offices of optometrists employs the largest share of Optometrists at 78.8%, followed by Health & personal care, except drug, stores with 4.91% and Offices of physicians with 3.98%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Optometrists in the US. The average age of male Optometrists in the workforce is 49.6 and of female Optometrists is 40.3, and the most common race/ethnicity for Optometrists is White (Non-Hispanic).

Gender Composition

22.2k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 3,656

18.9k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 3,379

53.9% of Optometrists are Male, making them the more common gender in the occupation. This chart shows the gender breakdown of Optometrists.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Optometrists

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

74.1% of Optometrists are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 18.2% 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.

Age by Gender

49.6

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 2.23

40.3

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 1.81

The median age of Optometrists is 45.3, and Male employees are generally 9.31 years older than than their Female counterparts.

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

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

Bar Chart

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 6.85%, 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

6.85%

NATIONAL AVERAGE

This line chart shows the 10-year projected employment growth (from 2018 to 2028) for Optometrists. This profession is expected to grow faster than 6.85%, the average rate of national job growth.