Optometrist

What the Numbers Say About Optometrist

Federal agencies employ 1,493 people in the Optometrist occupation (OPM code 662), accounting for 0.1% of the total federal civilian workforce of 2,289,472 for the March 2025 reporting window. Headcount in this occupation moved down by -0.2% versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.

Optometrist pays $146,218 per year on average, 33.1% above the $109,869 federal civilian average, after moving up 2.7% from the prior period (a broad shift as locality pay tables and grade-level adjustments moved through the workforce). Employees in this role stay an average of 9.8 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.

Code 6, the Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group family, is where the federal government classifies Optometrist alongside 44 related occupations. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Optometrist postings should also review these sibling occupations, since federal hiring managers often cross-post positions across closely related codes when recruitment is difficult. All figures here come directly from OPM FedScope Employment Cubes, the same official source referenced in federal workforce planning, budget justifications, and GAO reports.

Within the Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group family, Optometrist ranks #27 of 45 by headcount, accounting for 0.4% of the family's combined 356,984 employees. Its average salary ranks in the top half (84th percentile) of pay among Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group occupations.