Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations

Optometrists Salary in the United States

DOL-verified data from 922 government filings, with BLS survey comparison.

DOL Median Salary
$114,400
BLS median: $134,830
DOL Median Salary
$114,400
From 922 DOL filings
BLS Median Salary
$134,830
BLS OEWS 2024 survey
Total Employers
309
Companies with DOL filings
Total Employment
41,890
Estimated US workers (BLS)

DOL Filings vs BLS Survey

What Employers File with DOL

$114,400
DOL-Filed Salary Range
$34,000$100,000$114,400$125,000$275,000

This figure comes from 922 employer filings with the US Department of Labor under legal obligation. Employers file this salary when sponsoring workers for PERM green cards or H-1B visas.

What BLS Says the Market Pays

$134,830
BLS Survey Salary Range
$70,060$103,310$134,830$163,710$203,210

This figure comes from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey of 41,890 establishments. This is an independent survey-based estimate of what all workers in this occupation earn.

DOL-filed salaries are 15.2% lower than BLS survey data, which may reflect that sponsored positions concentrate in high-cost locations or experience-intensive roles.

Salary Distribution

Top Paying Employers for Optometrists

Ranked by median salary from DOL filings
RankEmployerMedian SalaryFilingsvs Market
1MyEyeDr. Optometry of Virginia, PLLC$135,0006+0.1%
2EYECARE-PRO, P.A.$131,9506-2.1%
3Empire Vision Center, Inc.$130,00014-3.6%
4CRYSTAL CLEAR EYE ASSOCIATES OF FLORIDA PA$125,00024-7.3%
5TEXAS EYE AND VISION ASSOCIATES, PA$125,0007-7.3%
6REDWOOD SAGE PC$125,0006-7.3%
7Doctor's Exchange of Arizona, P.C.$125,00021-7.3%
8MYEYEDR OPTOMETRY OF MARYLAND, LLC$123,60010-8.3%
9CM CUMMINS OD PA$120,6405-10.5%
10Doctor's Exchange of Washington, P.C.$120,00017-11%
11PETER M. HO, M.D., P.A.$120,0007-11%
12NL ELGUT MD AND ASSOCIATES, LLC$120,00019-11%
13JAND, Inc$120,0005-11%
14National Vision Inc.$120,000120-11%
15Capital Vision Services, LLC$120,00022-11%
16Advanced Eye Physician PLLC$118,5607-12.1%
17Doctor's Exchange Of Colorado, P.C.$110,0009-18.4%
18SVS Vision, Inc.$110,00027-18.4%
19DAmbrosio Eye Care, Inc.$110,0006-18.4%
20VISION ASSOCIATES OF ROCHESTER, INC$110,0005-18.4%
21Regional Vision Consultants LLC$110,0007-18.4%
22LUXOTTICA RETAIL NORTH AMERICA INC.$109,20027-19%
23EMPIRE VISION CENTERS, INC.$107,4287-20.3%
24John Magalhaes and Associates, Inc.$101,9207-24.4%
25NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY$94,1758-30.2%
26New England College of Optometry$92,50013-31.4%
27EYEXAM OF CALIFORNIA$92,4976-31.4%
28Optometric Providers of New Hampshire, PLLC$91,6246-32%
29MASS OPTOMETRIC ASSOCIATES PLLC$89,76210-33.4%
30KOPOLOW & GIRISGEN, OD PC$71,51011-47%
31Johns Hopkins University$71,0015-47.3%
32PREFERRED EYE CARE PC$60,3206-55.3%
33PATRICK M. HSUEH, M.D. LTD.$43,5145-67.7%
34ANTHONY V PERRY OD & ASSOCIATES PLCN/A5N/A

View all companies hiring Optometrists

Salary by Metro Area

Metro AreaMedianvs NationalFilingsEmployers
Washington, DC$124,300+8.7%107
New York, NY$118,560+3.6%108
Boston, MA$104,000-9.1%137
Chicago, IL$102,000-10.8%237

Salary by State

StateMedianvs NationalFilings
Alaska$200,000+20.6%1
West Virginia$175,000+34.4%5
Vermont$151,840-2.7%1
Minnesota$136,950-8.7%10
Arkansas$132,500+32.5%6
Louisiana$130,000+8.3%4
Wisconsin$125,000-9.2%7
Florida$125,000-3.5%75
District of Columbia$123,600-19.9%14
Virginia$123,600N/A13
Nebraska$122,512+4.9%46
New Jersey$120,000-23.1%15
Connecticut$120,000-16.1%4
Washington$118,061-25.1%16
New York$117,500-27.9%91
Pennsylvania$117,200-8.6%10
Indiana$116,294-8.5%8
Arizona$115,003-14.5%14
Maryland$115,000-27.1%23
Michigan$114,400-13.1%44
Colorado$111,467-18.9%6
Texas$110,000-14.3%27
Oregon$110,000-8.3%5
Tennessee$106,444-3.8%10
Massachusetts$102,960-31.7%56
South Carolina$102,125-25.7%4
Illinois$102,000-25.1%53
Georgia$102,000-21.4%8
Ohio$100,000-23.1%6
California$100,000-27%20
Rhode Island$96,006-33.5%8
Maine$94,848-28.9%4
Kentucky$92,976-29.6%3
New Hampshire$90,812-30.3%10
North Carolina$88,275-42.6%1
Missouri$87,500-22.6%2
Kansas$80,000-37.8%3
Oklahoma$76,045-23.1%1
Alabama$75,000-42.2%3
Nevada$47,300-67.8%6

Salary Trend - DOL Data

Education Requirements

From PERM filings

For Optometrists positions, 0% of PERM filings required a Bachelor's degree, 0% required a Master's degree, and 0% required no formal degree.

Education by Top Employer

Most common minimum education from PERM filings
EmployerMost Common EducationMedian Salary
National Vision Inc.Other$120,000
SVS Vision, Inc.Doctorate$110,000
LUXOTTICA RETAIL NORTH AMERICA INC.Not specified$109,200
CRYSTAL CLEAR EYE ASSOCIATES OF FLORIDA PANot specified$125,000
Capital Vision Services, LLCNot specified$120,000
Doctor's Exchange of Arizona, P.C.Not specified$125,000
NL ELGUT MD AND ASSOCIATES, LLCNot specified$120,000
Doctor's Exchange of Washington, P.C.Other$120,000
Empire Vision Center, Inc.Not specified$130,000
New England College of OptometryNot specified$92,500

Salary by Industry

Same occupation, different industries (NAICS)

The highest-paying industry for Optometrists is Health Care and Social Assistance at $112,401. The lowest-paying industry with significant hiring is Retail Trade at $111,227.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a Optometrists make?

Based on 922 DOL filings, the median salary for a Optometrists is $114,400, ranging from $100,000 to $125,000.

What is the highest salary for a Optometrists?

The 90th percentile salary is $203,210 according to BLS data.

Which city pays the most for Optometrists?

Based on DOL filings, Washington, DC offers the highest median at $124,300.

Does this data include all Optometrists salaries or only visa-sponsored workers?

DOL filing data covers positions where the employer filed for PERM green card sponsorship or an H-1B visa. These filings represent a subset of all Optometrists positions. We compare this data against BLS OEWS data which covers all workers in this occupation.

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Source: US Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) public disclosure files (PERM Form ETA-9089 and LCA Form ETA-9035), and US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Salary figures represent employer filings and government survey estimates, not individual worker pay.