The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) latest occupational employment data reported more than 38,700 optometrists at work in the United States as of May 2021.  At that time, just over 5,900 optometrists were employed in the five-state Great Lakes region. BLS data shows the region to be a modestly weak one for optometrist pay.  No state in the region produced an annual mean wage level for optometrists that topped the national average, and Illinois rated among the ten worst states in the nation for that pay metric. A deeper look into BLS data from May 2021 details the following about optometrist pay in the Great Lakes region:

Optometrist Pay in the Great Lakes Region

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
IL	1,770	$111,790	42nd
IN	940	$117,710	33rd
MI	1,030	$122,140	28th
OH	1,220	$118,020	32nd
WI	960	$123,320	27th
U.S.	38,720	$125,440	-------

(*) annual mean wage ranking among the 50 states and the District of Columbia

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on May 21, 2022