Optometrists · SOC 29-1041

Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Optometristss

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025U.S. metropolitan areas

Metro areas ranked by published median annual wage for optometrists. Areas where BLS suppressed the median are not ranked (2 such areas are excluded here). Higher medians often track higher living costs — this is a pay comparison, not a ranking of where the job is “best”.

Top 25 of 183 metro areas

Optometrists: metro areas with the highest published median annual wages, May 2025
#	Metro area	Median annual	Employment	Per 1,000 jobs
1	La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN	$175,810	40	0.5
2	Asheville, NC	$167,980	40	0.2
3	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	$167,810	420	0.2
4	Anchorage, AK	$167,000	30	0.2
5	Durham-Chapel Hill, NC	$166,880	40	0.1
6	Peoria, IL	$166,600	50	0.3
7	Albuquerque, NM	$165,810	70	0.2
8	Dover, DE	$165,660	30	0.5
9	Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY	$165,640	160	0.3
10	Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	$165,360	80	0.4
11	Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY	$164,020	130	0.3
12	Wilmington, NC	$163,800	120	0.6
13	Raleigh-Cary, NC	$163,290	240	0.3
14	Fort Collins-Loveland, CO	$163,240	80	0.5
15	Birmingham, AL	$162,890	110	0.2
16	North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL	$162,690	80	0.2
17	Winston-Salem, NC	$162,540	70	0.3
18	Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY	$161,850	90	0.3
19	Jacksonville, FL	$161,560	150	0.2
20	Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL	$161,540	80	0.3
21	Portland-South Portland, ME	$161,220	100	0.3
22	Huntsville, AL	$161,170	50	0.2
23	New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	$161,030	2,580	0.3
24	Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL	$160,680	40	0.5
25	Killeen-Temple, TX	$160,460	30	0.2

Full state and metro tables, the national distribution, and the pay map are on the Optometrists overview.

About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.