The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) latest occupational employment data put more than 38,700 optometrists at work in the United States as of May 2021.  At that time, an estimated 4,550 optometrists were working in the four-state Southwestern U.S region. BLS data indicated the region to be a relatively weak one for optometrist pay.  Three of four of Southwestern states had an optometrist annual mean wage level that was below the national average for the profession, including one state, New Mexico, that rated as one of the ten worst states nationally for that optometrist pay metric.  A closer examination of BLS data from May 2021 reveals the following about optometrist pay in the Southwestern U.S.:

Optometrist Pay in the Southwestern U.S.

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
AZ	1,000	$119,860	30th
NM	170	$109,180	43rd
OK	400	$116,090	34th
TX	2,980	$130,110	15th
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 July 2, 2022