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Optometrist salary: how pay compares to the national full-time average

The ABS does not publish a median weekly earnings figure for optometrists, so a precise salary cannot be stated; however, optometrists are classified as Health Professionals and typically earn above the national full-time average of $2,083.70 per week.

This sits on the Australian full-time average.

Week, hour, and a tax sketch

$2,084 a week · $54.83 an hour if spread over 38 hours

About $83,159 after resident income tax and a 2% Medicare levy.

2026–27 resident rates and a 2% Medicare levy. Not a tax assessment.Open the full line

Optometrist salary: what the official data shows

If you are an optometrist or considering the profession, you probably want to know how your pay compares to the national average. The short answer is that the Australian Bureau of Statistics does not publish a specific median salary for optometrists. The Jobs and Skills Australia profile for Optometrists and Orthoptists lists median full-time weekly earnings as N/A, because the survey sample is too small to produce a reliable figure. That does not mean the data is useless – it means we need to look at broader benchmarks.

The national full-time average as a guide

The ABS Average Weekly Earnings survey for May 2026 gives the national full-time adult ordinary-time average as $2,083.70 per week. That works out to about $108,352 per year before tax (multiply by 52). This is the figure this site uses as the line. It is an average of all full-time adult employees across all industries and occupations. Optometrists are classified as Health Professionals, and the ABS reports that the Professional occupational group had median hourly earnings of $64.50 in May 2025. For a 38-hour week, that would be about $2,451 per week, or $127,452 per year. But remember, that is a median for all Professionals, not optometrists specifically.

How to read your pay as a year, a week and an hour

The on-site tool accepts a yearly salary before tax and shows you the equivalent weekly and hourly figures based on a 38-hour week. It also shows how far your pay sits from the national full-time average. For example, if you earn $120,000 a year, that is about $2,308 per week and $60.73 per hour. That is $224 per week above the national average. If you earn $90,000 a year, that is about $1,731 per week and $45.55 per hour – below the average but close to the national full-time median of about $1,741 per week.

Other benchmarks to consider

The national minimum wage from 1 July 2026 is $26.44 per hour, $1,004.90 per week, or about $52,255 per year on 38 hours. Award minimums rose by 4.75% from that date. Optometrists are typically covered by the Health Professionals and Support Services Award 2020, which sets minimum rates above the national minimum. The award rate for a Level 1 optometrist is around $1,200 per week, but most optometrists earn more under enterprise agreements or individual contracts.

The ABS also publishes medians for all employees: the full-time median is about $1,741 per week ($90,532 per year) and the all-employees median (including part-time) is about $1,425 per week ($74,100 per year) from the August 2025 Employee Earnings survey. These are useful for comparison, but remember they include all jobs, not just professionals.

State and territory averages

If you work in a particular state, the full-time average varies. The on-site notes give these figures (annualised from the ABS May 2026 data):

  • New South Wales: about $109,658
  • Victoria: about $106,137
  • Queensland: about $106,064
  • South Australia: about $102,450
  • Western Australia: about $115,825
  • Tasmania: about $96,008
  • Northern Territory: about $103,173
  • Australian Capital Territory: about $119,090

Optometrists in higher-paying states like Western Australia or the ACT may earn above the national average, while those in Tasmania or South Australia may be closer to or below it. You can compare your salary by state on this site.

What about gender pay differences?

The ABS data shows that men's full-time ordinary-time average is about $113,412 per year and women's is about $100,594 per year. The optometry profession is 76% female (according to Jobs and Skills Australia), so the gender mix may affect average pay in the profession. However, without a published median for optometrists, we cannot say how the gender pay gap applies specifically.

How to get a more precise figure

If you want to know the typical optometrist salary in your area, you can check enterprise agreements on the Fair Work Commission website, or look at job advertisements. The ATO publishes tax statistics by occupation, but those are for previous years and not as current as the ABS data. For a quick benchmark, you can place your salary on the line and see where it sits against the national average.

Summary

The official data does not give a single figure for optometrist salary. The best available benchmarks are the national full-time average of $2,083.70 per week, the Professional median hourly rate of $64.50, and the state averages. Use the on-site tool to see how your own pay compares. Remember that the average is not the same as the median, and that award rates are minimums, not typical pay.

For more detail on how these figures are set, see How the figures are set. You can also browse industry medians for other health professions.

Questions

Why isn't there a published median salary for optometrists?

The ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, does not produce median weekly earnings for occupations where the relative standard error is 25% or higher. This is the case for optometrists and orthoptists (ANZSCO 2514). The Jobs and Skills Australia profile for this occupation also lists median full-time earnings per week as N/A. This means the sample size is too small to give a reliable figure, not that the data is unavailable.

How can I estimate an optometrist salary if there is no official median?

You can use the national full-time adult ordinary-time average of $2,083.70 per week (ABS Average Weekly Earnings, May 2026) as a benchmark. Optometrists are Health Professionals, and the ABS reports that the Professional occupational group has a median hourly earnings of $64.50 (May 2025). For a full-time optometrist working 38 hours a week, that would be about $2,451 per week, or $127,452 per year before tax. However, this is a broad group average and actual optometrist pay may differ. The best approach is to check enterprise agreements or individual contracts in your workplace.

What is the difference between the national full-time average and the median?

The national full-time adult ordinary-time average is $2,083.70 per week (about $108,352 per year), calculated by the ABS from all full-time adult employees. The median full-time earnings for all employees is about $1,741 per week (about $90,532 per year), meaning half earn more and half earn less. The median is less affected by very high or very low incomes. For optometrists, the median is not published, but the average for all full-time adults gives a useful reference point.

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