According to the 2025 Income Study conducted by Jobson Optical Research, a significant pay gap between male and female optometrists remains. The analysis is based on responses from 308 full-time optometrists (defined as working 32 or more hours per week). Male optometrists continue to report that income that is higher than their female peers across nearly every category.
OVERALL INCOME BY GENDER
In the 2024 reporting year, the average self-reported annual income was nearly $27,000 higher among men than women ODs overall.
| Year | All ODs | Male ODs | Female ODs |
| 2024 | $177,330 | $190,167 | $163,255 |
LOOKING AT THE DATA
When broken down by family status—single without children, single with children, married without children, and married with children—female optometrists reported annual earnings tens of thousands of dollars lower than their male counterparts in every category.
Respondents were grouped in five-year intervals according to time in the profession. Even after adjusting for experience, male optometrists consistently reported higher incomes than female optometrists in nearly every tenure bracket.
The gender gap also appears across different practice settings. Only in group practices with 4-10 locations did female ODs report slightly higher average incomes. However, this group accounts for a small percentage of the respondents.
In both independent practices and conventional chains, female practitioners reported earning substantially less than males.
Among owners/part-owners and self-employed ODs, the gap was most pronounced among those with fewer than 10 years in such roles.
The number of hours worked per week is nearly identical: with the male respondents saying they worked 40.9 hours on average and the number of women saying they worked 40.5 hours.
More male respondents than female respondents (33% to 20%) said that they earn income from a second job, with the majority of those having a second job related to the optical industry. Male respondents also skewed slightly higher toward income satisfaction that female respondents.
The full report, which also look at optician/dispenser income and office manager income, is available through Jobson Optical Research here.
