Occupational Employment and Wages, November 2003

29-1041 Optometrists

Diagnose, manage, and treat conditions and diseases of the human eye and visual system. Examine eyes and visual system, diagnose problems or impairments, prescribe corrective lenses, and provide treatment. May prescribe therapeutic drugs to treat specific eye conditions.

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3) 		Mean hourly
wage		 Mean annual
wage (2) 		Wage RSE (3)
22,760 4.7 % $46.45 $96,610 2.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $21.85 $31.32 $41.99 $55.36 (5)
Annual Wage (2) $45,460 $65,140 $87,340 $115,150 (5)

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Offices of other health practitioners 13,400 $45.61 $94,860
Offices of physicians 4,140 $59.19 $123,120
Health and personal care stores 3,110 $37.53 $78,050
Federal government (OES designation) 540 $37.73 $78,470
Outpatient care centers 400 $45.41 $94,450

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Offices of physicians 4,140 $59.19 $123,120
Management of companies and enterprises 50 $52.49 $109,170
General medical and surgical hospitals 270 $47.45 $98,690
Offices of other health practitioners 13,400 $45.61 $94,860
Outpatient care centers 400 $45.41 $94,450

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
Delaware 200 $43.64 $90,770 0.050%
Wyoming 110 $47.27 $98,330 0.046%
South Dakota 140 $74.20 $154,340 0.038%
Oklahoma 540 $40.34 $83,910 0.038%
Montana 130 $28.93 $60,170 0.033%

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
South Dakota 140 $74.20 $154,340 0.038%
New Hampshire 170 $69.61 $144,780 0.028%
Alaska 40 $64.91 $135,020 0.014%
Arkansas 200 $58.57 $121,820 0.018%
North Carolina 560 $55.31 $115,040 0.015%

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Wheeling, WV-OH MSA 40 $48.56 $101,000 0.065%
Wilmington-Newark, DE-MD PMSA 190 $39.92 $83,030 0.062%
Dothan, AL MSA 40 $40.46 $84,150 0.061%
Vallejo-Fairfield-Napa, CA PMSA 110 $40.03 $83,260 0.058%
Peoria-Pekin, IL MSA 90 $43.14 $89,730 0.055%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
San Antonio, TX (7) $89.94 $187,070 (7)
Fort Wayne, IN MSA (7) $82.19 $170,960 (7)
San Jose, CA PMSA 150 $80.18 $166,780 0.018%
Spokane, WA MSA (7) $74.72 $155,410 (7)
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN PMSA 90 $64.95 $135,110 0.011%

About November 2003 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files(XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(5) This percentile wage is equal to or greater than $70.00 per hour or $145,600 per year.

(7) Estimates not released.

All Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Occupations

November 2003 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

November 2003 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

November 2003 Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

November 2003 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download November 2003 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: April 19, 2005