How many optometrists are in California?
6,890 optometrists were employed in California in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational survey. That is 17.4 per 100,000 residents and ranks California 1 of 51 states with data. California accounts for 16.1% of the 42,810 optometrists counted across all states.
States ranked just above and below California
| # | State | Optometrists | Per 100,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 6,890 | 17.4 |
| 2 | Texas | 4,110 | 14.1 |
| 3 | New York | 2,390 | 11.8 |
The optometrists page lists every one of the 51 states in order. Largest: California with 6,890. Highest per capita: Rhode Island at 22.8 per 100,000.
How many publish a business email?
36 optometrists in California have a business email address published on a licence register, a practice website or a professional directory, about 0.5% of the employed count, as counted by Email Lists USA's optometrists lists on October 1, 2026. That figure measures who publishes a work address, not the size of the profession, and it changes with each rebuild of that list.
FAQ
How many optometrists are in California?
6,890 optometrists were employed in California in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational survey. That is 17.4 per 100,000 residents and ranks California 1 of 51 states with data.
Is that the number of licensed optometrists in California?
No. It is the number employed in the occupation, estimated from an employer survey. Licence rolls are usually larger, because they include people who hold a licence but are retired, inactive, working in another field or licensed in more than one state.
When is this updated?
The BLS releases state occupational estimates once a year, in spring, for the previous May. This page shows the May 2025 release, read on October 1, 2026, and is rebuilt when the next release is published.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), via api.bls.gov v2, May 2025, series OEUS060000000000029104101 (Optometrists, California), read October 1, 2026. Population: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census resident population. Rank and share computed from the 51 published state estimates.