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The differences between speech pathologists and optometrists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an optometrist has an average salary of $187,654, which is higher than the $62,640 average annual salary of a speech pathologist.
The top three skills for a speech pathologist include patients, language and speech. The most important skills for an optometrist are patients, patient care, and diagnosis.
| Speech Pathologist | Optometrist | |
| Yearly salary | $62,640 | $187,654 |
| Hourly rate | $30.12 | $90.22 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 22,779 | 20,993 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 36% |
| Average age | 40 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 2 | - |
The job of speech pathologists is to diagnose, treat, and prevent speech, social communication, language, swallowing, and cognitive-communication disorders in both children and adults. They are responsible for providing aural rehabilitation for people with hearing impairment and hearing loss, and alternative and augmentative systems for people with severe language comprehension disorders such as progressive neurological disorders and the autism spectrum. Speech pathologists may also work with individuals without language, swallowing, or speech disorders, but are eager to know how to communicate more effectively.
A licensed optometrist is primarily responsible for the vision and eye care of clients, treating different conditions such as astigmatism, nearsightedness, and farsightedness. Their duties mostly revolve around performing eye and vision tests, diagnosing issues, providing consultations, prescribing corrective glasses and lenses, and educating clients on proper eye care methods. Furthermore, an optometrist must maintain records of all cases and treatment plans, and supervise support staff should they choose to work at a private clinic or a similar setting.
Speech pathologists and optometrists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Speech Pathologist | Optometrist | |
| Average salary | $62,640 | $187,654 |
| Salary range | Between $43,000 And $89,000 | Between $94,000 And $373,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Greensboro, NC |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | North Carolina |
| Best paying company | Mayo Clinic | Mayo Clinic |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a speech pathologist and an optometrist in terms of educational background:
| Speech Pathologist | Optometrist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 36% |
| Most common major | Communication Disorders Sciences | Optometry |
| Most common college | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | University of California, Berkeley |
Here are the differences between speech pathologists' and optometrists' demographics:
| Speech Pathologist | Optometrist | |
| Average age | 40 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 11.9% Female, 88.1% | Male, 25.9% Female, 74.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 4.5% White, 77.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 1.4% Unknown, 3.0% Hispanic or Latino, 5.2% Asian, 17.1% White, 72.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 18% |