Optometrist Salary, Adjusted for Cost of Living
Optometrists earn the most in Alaska ($170,310/yr) — but once you adjust for what a dollar actually buys there, Alaska drops to #2, and North Carolina pays the most real money ($171,278 in U.S.-average buying power).
| # | State | Nominal / yr | Cost of living | Real pay / yr | COL shift |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | $161,560 | 94 | $171,278 | ▲ 2 | |
| Alaska | $170,310 | 102 | $166,385 | ▼ 1 | |
| Alabama | $145,090 | 89 | $163,347 | ▲ 14 | |
| Delaware | $161,270 | 100 | $161,580 | — | |
| Minnesota | $158,700 | 99 | $160,919 | ▲ 2 | |
| Maine | $154,110 | 97 | $158,794 | ▲ 4 | |
| Maryland | $165,840 | 105 | $158,005 | ▼ 5 | |
| New Mexico | $144,660 | 92 | $156,878 | ▲ 10 | |
| South Carolina | $145,950 | 94 | $155,682 | ▲ 6 | |
| Kansas | $138,580 | 90 | $153,862 | ▲ 10 | |
| New York | $161,140 | 108 | $149,313 | ▼ 6 | |
| North Dakota | $132,110 | 89 | $148,507 | ▲ 20 | |
| Wisconsin | $139,720 | 94 | $148,488 | ▲ 6 | |
| Colorado | $152,000 | 103 | $147,498 | ▼ 3 | |
| Missouri | $133,810 | 91 | $147,340 | ▲ 16 | |
| Washington | $157,560 | 107 | $147,234 | ▼ 8 | |
| Florida | $151,670 | 103 | $146,663 | ▼ 4 | |
| New Jersey | $159,040 | 109 | $146,170 | ▼ 12 | |
| Tennessee | $134,170 | 92 | $146,043 | ▲ 11 | |
| Illinois | $145,620 | 100 | $145,681 | ▼ 4 | |
| Ohio | $134,850 | 93 | $145,353 | ▲ 6 | |
| Indiana | $135,500 | 93 | $145,185 | ▲ 3 | |
| Connecticut | $150,340 | 104 | $145,102 | ▼ 9 | |
| Massachusetts | $151,730 | 106 | $143,470 | ▼ 12 | |
| Arkansas | $124,470 | 87 | $143,173 | ▲ 16 | |
| Kentucky | $128,860 | 90 | $142,925 | ▲ 9 | |
| Iowa | $125,380 | 88 | $142,864 | ▲ 12 | |
| Michigan | $135,650 | 96 | $140,983 | ▼ 5 | |
| Hawaii | $154,620 | 110 | $140,626 | ▼ 20 | |
| Vermont | $137,290 | 98 | $140,152 | ▼ 9 | |
| Nebraska | $125,040 | 90 | $138,775 | ▲ 9 | |
| Pennsylvania | $135,400 | 98 | $138,769 | ▼ 6 | |
| Nevada | $135,650 | 100 | $135,678 | ▼ 9 | |
| Louisiana | $118,060 | 88 | $133,844 | ▲ 10 | |
| Georgia | $128,830 | 96 | $133,790 | ▲ 1 | |
| West Virginia | $118,010 | 90 | $131,859 | ▲ 9 | |
| Rhode Island | $134,520 | 102 | $131,521 | ▼ 8 | |
| Virginia | $131,570 | 101 | $130,133 | ▼ 4 | |
| Texas | $126,000 | 97 | $129,821 | ▼ 2 | |
| Oregon | $132,020 | 103 | $127,727 | ▼ 7 | |
| Mississippi | $108,070 | 87 | $124,286 | ▲ 6 | |
| California | $136,300 | 111 | $123,103 | ▼ 20 | |
| District of Columbia | $134,840 | 110 | $122,692 | ▼ 15 | |
| Arizona | $122,250 | 101 | $121,428 | ▼ 2 | |
| New Hampshire | $125,560 | 104 | $120,540 | ▼ 7 | |
| Utah | $119,070 | 99 | $120,438 | ▼ 3 | |
| Wyoming | $111,400 | 93 | $120,184 | ▼ 1 | |
| South Dakota | $102,320 | 89 | $115,504 | ▲ 2 | |
| Oklahoma | $97,350 | 88 | $110,823 | ▲ 2 | |
| Montana | $104,280 | 95 | $110,180 | ▼ 2 | |
| Idaho | $103,390 | 96 | $108,269 | ▼ 2 |
How to read this
Nominal pay is the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) median wage for optometrists in each state. Real pay divides that by the state's cost of living (BEA Regional Price Parity, U.S. average = 100), so it reflects what the salary is actually worth locally. A state with high nominal pay but high costs can rank lower on real pay than a cheaper state — that's the COL shift column.
Methodology: nominal medians from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) (May 2025 release); cost of living from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities (all items, 2024). Real pay = nominal ÷ (RPP ÷ 100). Cite as “WageAtlas Real Pay Index.”
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