Average optometry major salary

Updated September 14, 2023

$124,142

$65,00010%

$124,142Median

$236,00090%

What is the average optometry major salary in the US?

As an optometry major graduate in the USA, you can expect to earn on average $124,142 per year or $59.68 per hour.Those in the bottom 10 percent make under $65,000 a year, and the top 10 percent make over $236,000.health care companies and non profits companies are the best when it comes to the number of employment opportunities.The top 5 states when it comes to salaries for optometry major graduates are North Carolina, West Virginia, Connecticut, North Dakota, and Vermont.

Best paying cities

$137,803

$136,309

$131,217

Average optometry salary by company

Optometry major graduates report their job security as good. But just as in every field, some employers pay higher wages than others.The most abundant employment opportunities for optometry majors are in health care companies and non profits companies.Kaiser Permanente and The Boston Foundation are the best paying companies for optometry major graduates.Companies like Palo Alto VA Hospital and GENERAL JOHN J PERSHING MEMORIAL HOSPITAL also report very competitive wages for optometry major graduates.

Average salary by company

Rank	Company	Zippia score	Average optometry salary
1	1.Kaiser Permanente	4.7	$159,812
2	2.The Boston Foundation	3.6	$153,930
3	3.Palo Alto VA Hospital	4.0	$152,495
4	4.GENERAL JOHN J PERSHING MEMORIAL HOSPITAL	3.5	$148,861
5	5.Rochester Regional Health	4.3	$145,263
6	6.Northeastern Eye Institute	3.7	$142,426
7	7.Associated Eye Care	4.0	$142,003
8	8.New England Vision Care	4.4	$140,082
9	9.American Optometric Association	4.3	$139,170
10	10.Ossip Optometry + Ophthalmology	3.8	$138,074
11	11.Vision Care Specialists	4.1	$136,836
12	12.Avenal Community Health Center	3.6	$136,422
13	13.eyecarecenter	4.1	$135,979
14	14.The Eye Care Institute	3.4	$135,609
15	15.Eye Center of Central PA	3.5	$134,879
16	16.Private Practice	4.2	$134,534
17	17.Dr. Tavel	3.9	$130,597
18	18.Stalwart	4.0	$129,461
19	19.Century Care Center	3.7	$129,010
20	20.Shopko Optical	4.8	$127,944

Average optometry major salary by city

Optometry major graduates in the United States of America make on average $124,142 a year or $59.68 per hour.Durham, NC reports the highest salaries for optometry major graduates at $137,803 per year.The average starting salary in Durham, NC for optometry major graduates is $75,000.Washington, DC, Minneapolis, MN, New York, NY, Baltimore, MD, Omaha, NE, and Philadelphia, PA also have great salaries for optometry major graduates.The highest earning states when it comes to salaries for optometry major graduates are North Carolina, West Virginia, Connecticut, North Dakota, and Vermont.Oklahoma, Idaho, Montana, Arkansas, and New Mexico are the lowest earners.

Average salary by location

Rank	City	Average optometry salary	Salary range
1	Durham, NC	$137,803	$85k $189k
2	Washington, DC	$136,309	$85k $189k
3	Minneapolis, MN	$131,217	$85k $189k
4	New York, NY	$129,640	$85k $189k
5	Baltimore, MD	$129,029	$85k $189k
6	Omaha, NE	$128,318	$85k $189k
7	Philadelphia, PA	$126,823	$85k $189k
8	Detroit, MI	$125,972	$85k $189k
9	Madison, WI	$125,693	$85k $189k
10	Chicago, IL	$124,911	$85k $189k
11	Columbus, MS	$124,271	$85k $189k
12	Columbus, OH	$124,229	$85k $189k
13	Charlottesville, VA	$123,106	$85k $189k
14	Salt Lake City, UT	$122,206	$85k $189k
15	Kansas City, KS	$121,365	$85k $189k
16	Indianapolis, IN	$121,144	$85k $189k
17	Seattle, WA	$121,129	$85k $189k
18	Portland, OR	$120,903	$85k $189k
19	San Francisco, CA	$120,070	$85k $189k
20	Denver, CO	$119,927	$85k $189k

Average optometry major salary by state

The darker areas on the map show where optometry majors earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average salary

Optometry major average salary by state

State	Average optometry major salary	Average hourly rate
North Carolina	$134,460	$64.64
West Virginia	$133,249	$64.06
Connecticut	$132,045	$63.48
North Dakota	$131,158	$63.06
Vermont	$130,483	$62.73
Minnesota	$128,212	$61.64
Alaska	$127,914	$61.50
New York	$127,108	$61.11
Maryland	$126,456	$60.80
New Jersey	$126,102	$60.63
Delaware	$125,704	$60.43
Nebraska	$124,859	$60.03
Pennsylvania	$124,579	$59.89
Iowa	$123,853	$59.54
Michigan	$123,651	$59.45
Kentucky	$123,306	$59.28
Wisconsin	$123,192	$59.23
Wyoming	$122,736	$59.01
Illinois	$122,332	$58.81
Ohio	$121,903	$58.61
Mississippi	$120,782	$58.07
Virginia	$120,680	$58.02
South Carolina	$120,062	$57.72
Utah	$119,832	$57.61
Indiana	$118,960	$57.19
Washington	$118,776	$57.10
Oregon	$118,499	$56.97
Kansas	$117,773	$56.62
Colorado	$117,644	$56.56
Massachusetts	$117,578	$56.53
California	$116,533	$56.03
Missouri	$115,976	$55.76
New Hampshire	$115,543	$55.55
Alabama	$115,457	$55.51
Louisiana	$114,421	$55.01
Georgia	$114,408	$55.00
Nevada	$112,888	$54.27
Florida	$112,811	$54.24
Arizona	$112,668	$54.17
Texas	$111,417	$53.57
Rhode Island	$111,343	$53.53
South Dakota	$109,916	$52.84
Tennessee	$108,118	$51.98
Maine	$106,794	$51.34
Oklahoma	$104,874	$50.42
Idaho	$103,967	$49.98
Montana	$98,979	$47.59
Arkansas	$96,096	$46.20
New Mexico	$91,053	$43.78
Hawaii	$84,863	$40.80

Highest paying jobs for optometry majors

Rank	Job title	Average salary	Open jobs
1	Optometrist	$187,653	20,993
2	Medical Science Liaison	$145,718	57,208
3	Optical Engineer	$99,814	26,628
4	Optometric Assistant	$98,734	142,550
5	Scientist	$97,343	62,467
6	Certified Optician	$47,902	38,462
7	Dispensing Optician	$45,679	4,434
8	Optician	$38,411	4,717
9	Optometric Technician	$30,927	33,412

Average optometry major salary by industry

Wages for optometry major graduates can differ based on the industry they work in.Our data shows that retail companies, health care companies, and manufacturing companies tend to have the highest salaries for optometry major graduates.Salaries for optometry major graduates in retail companies average $73,194 annually, while health care companies and manufacturing companies pay $56,892 and $52,034, respectively.The types of companies that pay optometry majors the least are in the non profits industry, where the average annual salary is $30,579.

Average salary by industry

Rank	Industry	Average optometry major salary	Range
1	Retail	$73,194	$21k $115k
2	Health Care	$56,892	$21k $115k
3	Manufacturing	$52,034	$21k $115k
4	Government	$42,217	$21k $115k
5	Non Profits	$30,579	$21k $115k

Salary history for optometry major graduates

This data shows the national average salary between 2011-2020 among Optometry major graduates.

Optometry major salary by experience level

Average salary by experience level salaries by experience level

The salary for an optometry major graduate can range from $92,221 to $66,244 depending on the amount of work experience that the person has. Data on how experience level affects salary is provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) as part of their National Compensation Survey, which is based on factors such as knowledge, complexity, contacts, and environment.

Experience level	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
Entry-level average salary by experience level	$92,200	$44.34
Mid-level average salary by experience level	$114,000	$54.62
Senior-level average salary by experience level	$66,200	$31.85

Salaries for related majors

Rank	Major	Average salary	Range
1	Medicine	$106,115	$27k $154k
2	Pharmacy	$76,511	$27k $154k
3	Dental Assisting	$68,269	$27k $154k
4	Occupational Therapy	$64,747	$27k $154k
5	Nursing	$61,445	$27k $154k
6	Physical Therapy	$60,923	$27k $154k
7	Speech-Language Pathology	$60,244	$27k $154k
8	Communication Disorders Sciences	$58,170	$27k $154k
9	Health/Medical Preparatory Programs	$53,733	$27k $154k
10	Nursing Assistants	$52,588	$27k $154k
11	Medical Technician	$52,556	$27k $154k
12	Dietetics	$52,085	$27k $154k
13	Public Health	$51,317	$27k $154k
14	Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science	$50,245	$27k $154k
15	Mental Health Counseling	$48,153	$27k $154k
16	Health Sciences And Services	$47,683	$27k $154k
17	Rehabilitation Science	$46,618	$27k $154k
18	Health And Wellness	$43,051	$27k $154k
19	Health Care Administration	$36,054	$27k $154k
20	Medical Assisting Services	$33,822	$27k $154k