Start with the answer
Optometrists pay in La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN and Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
The May 2025 BLS OEWS median for Optometrists is $175,810 per year in La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN. It is $154,690 per year in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV. La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN is 13.7% above Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV on the published median.
Both rows use SOC 29-1041 and the same annual wage metric. Median means the middle of each area's published wage spread. It is not one worker's pay. The larger median is not proof that one place gives a better job or a better result. It is one wage fact from one source period.
BLS lists 40 wage and salary jobs in La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN and 770 in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV. Those are survey job counts, not open posts. Read pay, job scale, local share, and price level as separate facts before you make a choice.
Evidence: bls-oews-may-2025 · Rule: same-soc-same-metric-pair · nominal-median-gap · employment-not-openings