According to reports from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), there were just over 38,700 optometrists at work in the U.S. as of May 2021.  Optometrists mainly work in health practitioner office settings, although smaller numbers can be found working in personal care stores and outpatient care centers.  The BLS estimated that, as of May 2021, the national mean salary for optometrist was $125,440 annually.  There was, however, wide variation in optometrist pay at the state level.  From BLS data as of May 2021, here are the ten best and worst states for optometrist pay:

The Best and Worst States for Optometrist Pay

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
CT	430	$155,070	1st
MD	630	$144,570	2nd
AK	80	$143,260	3rd
NC	1,010	$141,140	4th
LA	250	$138,520	5th
HI	220	$138,480	6th
NY	1,620	$137,860	7th
MO	850	$137,780	8th
ME	190	$135,410	9th
MN	570	$134,370	10th
U.S.	38,720	$125,440	-------
SD	140	$112,330	42nd
KS	410	$112,220	43rd
IL	1,770	$111,790	44th
NM	170	$109,180	45th
FL	2,310	$107,200	46th
DE	110	$106,090	47th
UT	350	$105,510	48th
WV	140	$105,210	49th
SC	360	$101,050	50th
ID	190	$85,200	51st

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

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on August 31, 2022