Ophthalmologist Salary by State (2025 BLS Data)

Ophthalmology blends clinic medicine with some of the highest-volume surgery in healthcare: cataract surgery is among the most commonly performed procedures in the country, and an aging population keeps the pipeline full. Refractive and premium-lens work adds a self-pay dimension few specialties enjoy, while retina and other subspecialties carry their own strong economics.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program (May 2025), ophthalmologists in the United States earn an annual mean wage of $304,650 and an annual median wage of $300,080. The median is the midpoint — half earn more, half earn less — and it is usually the safer "typical" reference because the mean gets pulled around by the highest earners.

The table below breaks the same May 2025 BLS OEWS dataset down by state.

Rank	State	Annual mean wage
1	Florida	$391,060
2	Minnesota	$373,600
3	Oregon	$357,880
4	New York	$353,390
5	Iowa	$352,380
6	California	$347,690
7	New Hampshire	$346,190
8	Georgia	$342,700
9	Ohio	$339,480
10	Rhode Island	$336,620
11	Washington	$330,130
12	Maine	$320,460
13	Texas	$316,220
14	Colorado	$312,170
15	Virginia	$301,640
16	Pennsylvania	$299,730
17	Massachusetts	$297,280
18	Missouri	$295,990
19	Nevada	$291,710
20	Alabama	$289,830
21	South Carolina	$275,240
22	Indiana	$271,760
23	Tennessee	$268,340
24	Wisconsin	$267,540
25	Illinois	$260,500
26	Michigan	$258,160
27	Arkansas	$255,110
28	Vermont	$254,130
29	Utah	$250,050
30	Maryland	$227,450
31	South Dakota	$225,800
32	Oklahoma	$207,100
33	Kentucky	$181,520
34	Louisiana	$175,570

Figures are U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS annual mean wages, May 2025 (34 states/territories with published data; BLS suppresses states with samples too small to publish, and those are omitted rather than estimated).

What moves the numbers

Surgical volume and lens mix drive the top end. A comprehensive ophthalmologist's earnings scale with cataract volume, conversion to premium intraocular lenses (a cash-pay upgrade), and access to ASC ownership. Retina, with its injection volume and complex surgery, typically prices above the specialty baseline; medical-heavy clinic practices sit closer to it.

Cost of living and real value. High-cost coastal markets often post strong nominal wages that buy less house and childcare than a smaller number in a lower-cost state. Compare offers after adjusting for local costs — our cost-of-living tool does exactly that, state versus state.

Supply, demand, and the rural premium. Hard-to-staff markets pay up. Rural hospitals, critical-access facilities, and fast-growing regions short on specialists routinely add premiums, sign-on bonuses, and loan repayment that never show up in a wage survey.

Setting and employer mix. A state dominated by large health systems prices differently than one with strong independent groups or academic centers. Academic roles often trade cash for protected time; employed positions trade upside for stability.

See who's hiring. Browse open Ophthalmology roles on VitalPost — free for clinicians, and pay is shown on a listing whenever the employer posts it.

How to read these numbers

Treat the state figures as a well-sourced baseline, not a personal quote.

Mean vs. median. The mean (average) is pulled by the highest and lowest earners; the median better reflects a typical clinician. When the two diverge, anchor on the median and then ask where your experience, setting, and productivity would place you relative to it.

Every setting is blended. Each state figure averages academic centers, community hospitals, outpatient practices, and every experience level into one number. Your subspecialty focus, call burden, and seniority can put you well above or below it.

Wages aren't total compensation. OEWS captures wages and salaries — not sign-on bonuses, productivity (wRVU) upside, call pay, retirement contributions, malpractice coverage, or loan repayment. Two offers with the same base can differ by six figures in real value.

Owners and partners are undercounted. The survey primarily measures W-2 employees. Physicians with partnership distributions or independent-contractor income often out-earn what a wage survey shows. When you negotiate, pair this federal baseline with specialty compensation surveys and real numbers from colleagues — the BLS data tells you the neighborhood; your diligence prices the house.

References

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025.
• BLS OEWS: Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric — the occupation series behind the table above.