Optometrist.
Philadelphia.
$143,000
median salary, 6% above the national average
$109,000 to $173,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
Philadelphia is 9% more expensive than the national average. For Optometrists, that shakes out to a median of $143,000, with the full range spanning $109,000 to $173,000. Practice ownership versus employment is the largest income differentiator for optometrists. Know the range before you walk in. These figures are Orbyt estimates, computed rather than measured, and must not be cited as Bureau of Labor Statistics figures; the published BLS wage for the occupation this role maps to is shown separately on this page.
Salary range.
Where do you fall?
Orbyt estimate for Optometrist in Philadelphia, modelled from national occupation wages adjusted for local cost of living. The published government benchmark for this occupation is below.
Government benchmark for this occupation
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $153,980 for Optometrists (SOC 29-1041) in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metropolitan area, based on 890 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$91,580
25th percentile
$122,980
Median
$153,980
75th percentile
$170,860
90th percentile
$195,650
Workers surveyed
890
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Optometrists (SOC 29-1041) rather than Optometrist specifically. The Philadelphia range at the top of this page is Orbyt’s role-level estimate, which is a different thing and is labelled as such.
View the BLS source for SOC 29-1041Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $129,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$93,000
to $114,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$122,000
to $150,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$157,000
to $186,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$179,000
to $222,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $31,000 to the total package.
Base
$143,000
Equity
$17,000
Bonus
$11,000
Signing
$3,000
Estimated total: $174,000
How Philadelphia compares.
Philadelphia, PA
$143,000
Cost of living: 9% above average
National Average
$135,000
Philadelphia is $8,000 above
Optometrist salary by city.
Salary by role in Philadelphia.
What you should know.
The Optometrist landscape in Philadelphia is not what most salary sites will tell you. Philadelphia combines a robust healthcare and life sciences sector with established finance and higher education institutions. The city's pharmaceutical corridor is among the strongest in the country. Tech growth has accelerated, particularly in health tech and enterprise software, offering salaries that stretch further than in nearby New York. Practice ownership versus employment is the largest income differentiator for optometrists. States with expanded scope allowing therapeutic procedures and medical management increase earning potential. Optometrists specializing in ocular disease management, specialty contact lenses, or pediatric vision earn above those in routine refraction-only settings.
New associate optometrists start at $105,000 to $120,000 on base plus production models. Experienced ODs with strong patient loyalty earn $130,000 to $155,000 after five to seven years. Practice owners or partners in multi-doctor practices can reach $170,000 to $250,000 depending on revenue and overhead management. In Philadelphia, cost of living sits near the national average, so the numbers you see are roughly what you keep.
Base salary is not the full picture. Employed optometrists typically receive production bonuses of 15 to 25% above a base salary guarantee. Benefits include vision and health insurance, CE allowances, malpractice coverage, and optical frame discounts. Practice owners retain higher gross income but manage significant overhead. And on the tax side: pennsylvania has a flat 3.07% state income tax, but Philadelphia adds a 3.75% city wage tax for residents. This combined local burden is worth factoring into salary negotiations. When someone quotes you $143,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Account for the Philadelphia wage tax in your ask. Request a 5 to 8% premium over suburban offers to offset the city's local tax on all earned income. The range for Optometrists in Philadelphia runs from $109,000 to $173,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Sources: BLS OES, H-1B LCA (DOL). COL: BEA Regional Price Parities (2025). Data verified by Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer. Last verified July 1, 2026. Full methodology
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Common questions.
Optometrist salary in other cities.
Other salaries in Philadelphia.
Related salary pages
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Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"Optometrist Salary in Philadelphia, PA." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/optometrist/philadelphia
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