Here’s how much optometrists earn in each state.
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Optometrist salary : Optometry is a profession that has recently gained a lot of traction in the United States.
Optometrist employment has been increasing, and according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook, employment of optometrists is expected to grow at a faster rate than the national average, with approximately 4,000 optometrist jobs added between 2018 and 2028, a 10% increase.
We analysed and compiled a list of the average optometrist salary by state in the United States using occupational data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Continue reading to learn where optometrists make the most money and where they make the least.
Optometrists make the most money in these ten states.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national average annual wage for optometrists is $119,980, which is significantly higher than the $51,960 national average annual wage for all occupations.
Depending on the state, the typical optometrist pay can vary greatly.
The average compensation for optometrists in the best-paying state is $55,110 more than the national average.
The top ten highest-paying states for optometrists are listed below.
- The average optometrist salary in North Dakota is $175,090.
- The average optometrist salary in Vermont is $170,550.
- The average optometrist salary in Alaska is $165,640.
- The average optometrist salary in South Carolina is $142,290.
- The average optometrist salary in Massachusetts is $141,890.
- The average optometrist salary in Connecticut is $138,140.
- The average optometrist salary in Maine is $136,510.
- The average optometrist salary in North Carolina is $136,260.
- The average optometrist salary in Wyoming is $135,220.
- The average optometrist salary in Minnesota is $134,270.
It’s worth noting that several of the highest-paying states also have a scarcity of optometrists: No. 3 Alaska has the fewest, with only 70; No. 9 Wyoming has 80; No. 2 Vermont has 90; No. 1 North Dakota has 160; and No. 7 Maine has only 170 optometrists.
Because of the low supply and high demand for such a basic medical service, optometrist salaries in those areas are on the rise.
Optometrists make the least money in these ten states.
The bottom ten states with the lowest pay for optometrists are geographically diverse, while several of the two lowest-paying states are located in the United States West, as defined by the Census Bureau.
The average wage for optometrists in the worst-paying state, Utah, is roughly 38% lower than the national average.
Here are the ten states with the lowest optometrist salaries:
- The average income for an optometrist in Utah is $74,490.
- The average optometrist salary in New Mexico is $86,870.
- The average optometrist salary in Arkansas is $95,500.
- The average optometrist salary in Idaho is $96,070.
- The average optometrist salary in South Dakota is $96,540.
- The average optometrist salary in Oregon is $99,560.
- The average optometrist income in Florida is $102,060.
- The average optometrist salary in Nebraska is $104,010.
- The average optometrist salary in Rhode Island is $104,320.
- The average optometrist salary in Louisiana is $104,360.
Worse, with the exception of two, all of these states have seen their optometrist pay decline over time.
An optometrist’s average yearly wage in Utah was $118,050 in 2013. By 2018, it had dropped to $74,490, a 36.9% decrease.
Over the last five years, the value of real estate in New Mexico has dropped by 33.8 percent, from $131,250 to $86,870.
The fall was even more pronounced in South Dakota, where the average optometrist pay fell by 37.7% from $154,890 in 2013 to $96,540 in 2018.
What Do Optometrists Get Paid in Each State?
From 2013 to 2018, the average annual wage for optometrists in all 50 states is shown below.
The last column shows the percent change in each state’s average optometrist salary over the last five years.
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