Optometrists Salary

It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $114K, rent takes 32.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $2,250/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $2,100/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new optometrists typically earn — is $68K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $4,443/month.

Local pay runs 16% below the national median — $114K here vs. $137K nationally.

South Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area pays $114K median vs. the U.S. average of $137K — that’s -16%.

The median is $114,110 a year, that works out to about $55 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $67,720, and experienced optometrists can clear $266,610. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $7,008/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,250/month, which eats 32.1% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.

South Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area has a Regional Price Parity of 100 (100 is the national average). That's right at the national average. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median optometrists salary is worth about $114,110 in national-average purchasing power.

The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.