SOC 29-1041 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Optometrists — Los Angeles
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA · 10 metro areas compared
The median wage for Optometrists in Los Angeles, CA is $138,940 per year, close to the national median of $136,570 for the same occupation.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to grow faster than average
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- +8.0%
- Openings per year
- 2,400
- Typical entry-level education
- Doctoral or professional degree
Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.
11.5% of people in this occupation work for themselves.
Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA.
Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.
Salary overview
The median wage for Optometrists in Los Angeles, CA is $138,940 per year, close to the national median of $136,570 for the same occupation. Pay ranges from under $73,540 at the tenth percentile to more than $209,530 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $127,550 to $161,410.
Employment stands at 2,360, or 0.4 jobs per thousand held locally. Santa Rosa leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $165,360. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 66th of 740 by median pay.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $73,540 | −46.2% |
| 25th | $127,550 | −6.6% |
| Median (50th) | $138,940 | +1.7% |
| 75th | $161,410 | +18.2% |
| 90th | $209,530 | +53.4% |
| Mean | $143,560 | +5.1% |
Other metro areas in California
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Rosa | $165,360 | 80 | |
| 2 | Vallejo | $155,950 | 90 | |
| 3 | San Francisco | $142,580 | 1,180 | |
| 4 | Santa Maria | $140,160 | 50 | |
| 5 | Chico | $139,890 | 30 | |
| 6 | Sacramento | $139,020 | 510 | |
| 7 | Modesto | $137,480 | 90 | |
| 8 | Fresno | $136,730 | 100 | |
| 9 | San Jose | $135,330 | 580 | |
| 10 | Visalia | $135,160 | 30 |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Los Angeles run 13.6% above the national average, so the median of $138,940 buys what $122,306 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way the gap against the national median narrows to 10.4% below the national median in real terms.
Published median
$138,940as reported by BLSLocal price level
113.6US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$122,306US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $138,940 a year, 1.7% above the national median.
- Published pay spans $73,540 to $209,530 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 2,360 jobs in this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is Santa Rosa, at $165,360.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Optometrists in Los Angeles, CA?
The median annual wage is $138,940, or $66.80 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.
Is that higher than the national average?
The national median for this occupation is $136,570, so pay in Los Angeles, CA is 1.7% higher. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.
What do the top earners make?
The top tenth of this occupation in Los Angeles, CA earns more than $209,530 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $73,540 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.
Which area nearby pays the most?
The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Santa Rosa, at $165,360 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 2,360 jobs in this occupation in Los Angeles, CA. Self-employed workers are not included.
Source and methodology
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.
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