Optometrists in North Carolina
Want to work in North Carolina as an Optometrist? Read this first!
You’re in luck! Jobs for Optometrists in North Carolina are projected to grow and these jobs tend to pay higher than average.
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Projected employment for Optometrists in North Carolina is growing faster than average.
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Optometrists in North Carolina earn higher salaries than the typical U.S. wage earner.
What Major Will Prepare You For an Optometrist Career?
How Many Optometrists Work in North Carolina?
In North Carolina, there were 1,080 people working as Optometrists in the year 2018.
There were 940 Optometrists employed in this state in 2017.
That’s growth of 140 jobs between 2017 and 2018.
The typical state has 505 Optometrists working in it, which means North Carolina has more Optometrists than average.
Job Projections for North Carolina
Jobs for Optometrists in this state are growing at a rate of 19.4% which is faster than the nationwide estimated projection of 17.9%.
North Carolina Annual Job Openings
The BLS estimates there will be 50 annual job openings, and 1,230 total jobs in 2026 for Optometrists in this state.
Nationwide, the prediction is 2,000 annual jobs and 47,400 total jobs in 2026.
What do Optometrists Make in North Carolina?
In 2018 wages for Optometrists ranged from $69,500 to $208,000 with $116,520 being the median annual salary.
Broken down to an hourly rate, workers in this field made anywhere from $33.41 to $100. The median hourly rate was $56.02.
In 2017 the median pay for this field was $56.85 an hour.
The hourly rate declined by $0.83.
The median salary in North Carolina is higher than the nationwide median salary.
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Top North Carolina Metros for Optometrists
The table below shows some of the metros in this state with the most Optometrists.
| Metro | Number Employed | Annual Median Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 230 | $128,010 |
| Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC | 230 | $118,080 |
| Raleigh, NC | 200 | $112,550 |
| Greensboro-High Point, NC | 80 | $142,110 |
| Winston-Salem, NC | 80 | $102,660 |
| Asheville, NC | 50 | $112,800 |
| Fayetteville, NC | 50 | $138,280 |
| Wilmington, NC | 40 | $96,980 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 30 | $134,820 |
| Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC | 30 | $102,550 |
Top States for Optometrists Employment
The table below shows the states where most Optometrists work.
| State | Number Employed | Annual Median Salary |
|---|---|---|
| California | 3,760 | $111,790 |
| Texas | 2,750 | $111,720 |
| Illinois | 2,300 | $113,770 |
| New York | 2,040 | $122,230 |
| Florida | 1,590 | $104,280 |
| Michigan | 1,590 | $112,120 |
| Pennsylvania | 1,450 | $110,930 |
| Massachusetts | 1,200 | $124,890 |
| Ohio | 1,200 | $112,380 |
| New Jersey | 1,160 | $116,340 |
| Virginia | 1,090 | $120,940 |
| Indiana | 1,080 | $92,480 |
| North Carolina | 1,080 | $116,520 |
| Georgia | 990 | $91,900 |
| Minnesota | 900 | $117,380 |
| Colorado | 830 | $131,190 |
| Tennessee | 720 | $105,590 |
| Washington | 700 | $113,220 |
| Arizona | 660 | $123,700 |
| Oklahoma | 630 | $87,780 |
Below are the states where Optometrists get paid the most:
| State | Annual Median Salary |
|---|---|
| North Dakota | $155,030 |
| Vermont | $141,880 |
| Alaska | $134,040 |
| Colorado | $131,190 |
| Maryland | $130,600 |
| Connecticut | $129,540 |
| Massachusetts | $124,890 |
| Arizona | $123,700 |
| New Hampshire | $122,720 |
| New York | $122,230 |
References
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
- College Factual
- National Center for Education Statistics
- O*NET Online
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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