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Optometry

Health Professions

Optometry graduates with a first prof. typically earned about $130,042, measured a few years after finishing (median across US programs, College Scorecard).
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Median earnings by degree level

Earnings range across schools, by degree levelEach row is a degree level: the bar is the middle half of schools' program medians (25th to 75th percentile) and the dot is the overall median. First prof median $130,042, $126,389 to $134,430.$126k$130k$134kFirst prof$130,042
Earnings range across schools, by degree levelEach row is a degree level: the bar is the middle half of schools' program medians (25th to 75th percentile) and the dot is the overall median. First prof median $130,042, $126,389 to $134,430.$126k$130k$134kFirst prof$130,042
DegreeMedian earningsTypical rangeSchoolsClear the bar
First Professional Degree$130,042$126,389 to $134,43018100%

"Clear the bar" is the share of programs whose graduates out-earn a typical high-school graduate (the federal earnings-premium test). Typical range is the 25th to 75th percentile of program medians.

Job outlook

Projected employment growth +10% (2025 to 2035), about 2,000 openings a year across the occupations this field commonly leads to.

OccupationMedian payGrowthOpenings/yr
Optometrists$136,570+9.5%2,000

Occupation pay and outlook: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS wages, Employment Projections). A field maps to several occupations, and the same occupations serve many majors, so these are the jobs this major commonly leads to, not positions reserved for its graduates; the openings should not be added up across majors.

Where this is studied

The 8 colleges where the most students complete a optometry program, of 23 that report one. Ordered by number of completions only: this is where people study it, not a judgement about where to.

Earnings source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (release 2026-06-10), median earnings of graduates measured up to four years after completing. Figures describe past graduates and are never a promise. Method: methodology. Report an error.