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Best states for an optometrist

Quoted expert
Michael Rothschild
  • Rank 1 - 10
  • 11 - 20
  • 21 - 30
  • 31 - 40
  • 41 - 51
Do you want to become an optometrist at National Vision Administrators, and you wonder what that means or entails? We have the full list of best states for optometrists that you can check out, before you begin your journey. Our research found that West Virginia is the best state for optometrists, while North Carolina and West Virginia are ranked highest in terms of median salary. West Virginia has a median salary of $175,120 and North Carolina has the highest median salary among all 50 states for optometrists.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for optometrists. West Virginia is the best state for optometrists, where the median salary is $175,120.We found that West Virginia is the best state for optometrist jobs, whereas Hawaii is the worst.

10 best states for optometrists in 2025

  1. West Virginia #1 best state for optometrists

    1. West Virginia

    Total optometrist jobs:40
    Average annual salary:$175,120
    Lowest 10 percent earn:$116,000
    Highest 10 percent earn:$262,000
    Location Quotient:
    2.16
  2. Nebraska #2 best state for optometrists

    2. Nebraska

    Total optometrist jobs:39
    Average annual salary:$167,768
    Lowest 10 percent earn:$108,000
    Highest 10 percent earn:$259,000
    Location Quotient:
    1.44
  3. North Carolina #3 best state for optometrists

    3. North Carolina

    Total optometrist jobs:115
    Average annual salary:$177,597
    Lowest 10 percent earn:$119,000
    Highest 10 percent earn:$264,000
    Location Quotient:
    0.99
  4. Iowa #4 best state for optometrists

    4. Iowa

    Total optometrist jobs:54
    Average annual salary:$163,803
    Lowest 10 percent earn:$105,000
    Highest 10 percent earn:$255,000
    Location Quotient:
    1.22
  5. Connecticut #5 best state for optometrists

    5. Connecticut

    Total optometrist jobs:68
    Average annual salary:$168,546
    Lowest 10 percent earn:$110,000
    Highest 10 percent earn:$257,000
    Location Quotient:
    1.69
  6. Vermont #6 best state for optometrists

    6. Vermont

    Total optometrist jobs:11
    Average annual salary:$169,991
    Lowest 10 percent earn:$110,000
    Highest 10 percent earn:$260,000
    Location Quotient:
    1.18
  7. Wisconsin #7 best state for optometrists

    7. Wisconsin

    Total optometrist jobs:107
    Average annual salary:$160,611
    Lowest 10 percent earn:$102,000
    Highest 10 percent earn:$252,000
    Location Quotient:
    1.59
  8. Alaska #8 best state for optometrists

    8. Alaska

    Total optometrist jobs:14
    Average annual salary:$163,910
    Lowest 10 percent earn:$103,000
    Highest 10 percent earn:$259,000
    Location Quotient:
    1.38
  9. Minnesota #9 best state for optometrists

    9. Minnesota

    Total optometrist jobs:71
    Average annual salary:$171,524
    Lowest 10 percent earn:$112,000
    Highest 10 percent earn:$262,000
    Location Quotient:
    0.88
  10. Kentucky #10 best state for optometrists

    10. Kentucky

    Total optometrist jobs:47
    Average annual salary:$160,986
    Lowest 10 percent earn:$103,000
    Highest 10 percent earn:$250,000
    Location Quotient:
    1.05

Optometrist JobsNear Ashburn, VA

How Zippia determines the best states to be an optometrist

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for an optometrist

RankStateAverage salaryLowest 10% earnPopulationJob count
1West Virginia$175,120$116,0001,815,85740
2Nebraska$167,768$108,0001,920,07639
3North Carolina$177,597$119,00010,273,419115
4Iowa$163,803$105,0003,145,71154
5Connecticut$168,546$110,0003,588,18468
6Vermont$169,991$110,000623,65711
7Wisconsin$160,611$102,0005,795,483107
8Alaska$163,910$103,000739,79514
9Minnesota$171,524$112,0005,576,60671
10Kentucky$160,986$103,0004,454,18947
11North Dakota$175,009$115,000755,3935
12New York$163,064$105,00019,849,399206
13South Carolina$158,084$101,0005,024,36981
14Wyoming$159,555$100,000579,3157
15Pennsylvania$160,204$103,00012,805,537132
16Michigan$161,061$103,0009,962,31174
17Maryland$161,176$104,0006,052,177100
18Indiana$155,795$98,0006,666,81876
19Alabama$154,029$97,0004,874,74756
20Kansas$154,472$97,0002,913,12337
21Delaware$161,070$103,000961,93913
22Mississippi$159,236$102,0002,984,10018
23Illinois$160,735$102,00012,802,023113
24New Jersey$161,374$104,0009,005,64479
25Louisiana$147,339$91,0004,684,33363
26District of Columbia$173,272$115,000693,9724
27Ohio$155,183$98,00011,658,60971
28Utah$152,447$95,0003,101,83334
29Missouri$151,872$94,0006,113,53269
30Georgia$149,657$94,00010,429,379129
31New Hampshire$145,250$89,0001,342,79527
32Florida$146,358$91,00020,984,400213
33Arizona$142,937$87,0007,016,270105
34Virginia$152,872$97,0008,470,020107
35South Dakota$140,135$84,000869,66613
36Tennessee$138,554$84,0006,715,98471
37Colorado$151,100$93,0005,607,15463
38Washington$148,955$91,0007,405,74378
39Texas$143,131$88,00028,304,596211
40Maine$131,774$78,0001,335,90726
41Massachusetts$144,019$88,0006,859,819105
42Oregon$145,527$88,0004,142,77643
43New Mexico$108,314$61,0002,088,07056
44Nevada$139,154$84,0002,998,03921
45California$142,436$87,00039,536,653326
46Oklahoma$133,880$80,0003,930,86420
47Rhode Island$136,244$82,0001,059,6398
48Idaho$128,630$75,0001,716,94314
49Montana$122,588$70,0001,050,49311
50Arkansas$119,770$70,0003,004,27919
51Hawaii$98,991$55,0001,427,5382

Highest paying states for optometrists

RankStateAvg. Optometrist Salary
1West Virginia$175,120
2Nebraska$167,768
3North Carolina$177,597
4Iowa$163,803
5Connecticut$168,546
6Vermont$169,991
7Wisconsin$160,611
8Alaska$163,910
9Minnesota$171,524
10Kentucky$160,986
11North Dakota$175,009
12New York$163,064
13South Carolina$158,084
14Wyoming$159,555
15Pennsylvania$160,204
16Michigan$161,061
17Maryland$161,176
18Indiana$155,795
19Alabama$154,029
20Kansas$154,472
21Delaware$161,070
22Mississippi$159,236
23Illinois$160,735
24New Jersey$161,374
25Louisiana$147,339
26District of Columbia$173,272
27Ohio$155,183
28Utah$152,447
29Missouri$151,872
30Georgia$149,657
31New Hampshire$145,250
32Florida$146,358
33Arizona$142,937
34Virginia$152,872
35South Dakota$140,135
36Tennessee$138,554
37Colorado$151,100
38Washington$148,955
39Texas$143,131
40Maine$131,774
41Massachusetts$144,019
42Oregon$145,527
43New Mexico$108,314
44Nevada$139,154
45California$142,436
46Oklahoma$133,880
47Rhode Island$136,244
48Idaho$128,630
49Montana$122,588
50Arkansas$119,770
51Hawaii$98,991

Expert opinions on the best states for optometrists

  • Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Optometrists to find work opportunities?

    Michael Rothschild

    Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Alabama at Birmingham

    The best places to find opportunities in optometry are in rural areas. These areas are underserved in all aspects of medical care, including eye care. The need is great and OD's can practice full-scope medical care while appreciating respect from other medical providers in the area.

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