Optometrists

The median annual salary for Optometrists in the US is $134,830.

The role is projected to grow 8% over the next decade (faster than average). Current US employment is approximately 47,800 workers.

The typical entry education is a Doctoral or professional degree. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.

The most in-demand skills for this role include optical glass characteristics, quality standards of ophthalmic equipment, eye protection regulations, refraction of the eye, optical instruments, respond to changing situations in health care. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.

Our AI-durability model gives Optometrists a score of 0.35 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at low AI exposure — the role's core work resists current-generation automation. It's a comparatively AI-durable choice within its field.

Optometrists has high barrier to entry — highly gated — a graduate degree or extended training/apprenticeship is typically required.