Optometrist providers in the U.S.
62,682 NPPES records list optometrist as their primary taxonomy, about 19 per 100,000 residents; North Dakota and Alaska have the most per resident. 33,128 of them appear in the Medicare Part D prescriber file: a registry record is not proof of an active practice.
What taxonomy code 152W00000X means
152W00000X is the National Uniform Claim Committee code for Optometrist, in the grouping Eye and Vision Services Providers. 62,682 NPPES records list it as their primary taxonomy (file of Aug 9, 2026).
Doctors of optometry (ODs) are the primary health care professionals for the eye. Optometrists examine, diagnose, treat, and manage diseases, injuries, and disorders of the visual system, the eye, and associated structures as well as identify related systemic conditions affecting the eye. An optometrist has completed pre-professional undergraduate education in a college or university and four years of professional education at a college of optometry, leading to the doctor of optometry (O.D.) degree. Some optometrists complete an optional residency in a specific area of practice. Optometrists are eye health care professionals state-licensed to diagnose and treat diseases and disorders of the eye and visual system.
Source: NUCC Health Care Provider Taxonomy code set, definition as NUCC publishes it (nucc.org); counts from CMS NPPES.
Most per resident: the 8 highest
Source: CMS NPPES, primary taxonomy 152W00000X by practice state, file of Aug 9, 2026; records per 100,000 residents, 2023 Census estimates.
Houston has the most, 770
Source: CMS NPPES, primary taxonomy 152W00000X by practice city, file of Aug 9, 2026.
All 51 by state
| State | Records | Per 100,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 874 | 17 |
| Alaska | 198 | 27 |
| Arizona | 1,336 | 18 |
| Arkansas | 531 | 17 |
| California | 8,308 | 21 |
| Colorado | 1,273 | 22 |
| Connecticut | 675 | 19 |
| Delaware | 164 | 16 |
| District of Columbia | 100 | 15 |
| Florida | 3,594 | 16 |
| Georgia | 1,430 | 13 |
| Hawaii | 353 | 25 |
| Idaho | 369 | 19 |
| Illinois | 2,697 | 22 |
| Indiana | 1,578 | 23 |
| Iowa | 676 | 21 |
| Kansas | 715 | 24 |
| Kentucky | 803 | 18 |
| Louisiana | 540 | 12 |
| Maine | 310 | 22 |
| Maryland | 924 | 15 |
| Massachusetts | 1,501 | 21 |
| Michigan | 1,963 | 20 |
| Minnesota | 1,142 | 20 |
| Mississippi | 412 | 14 |
| Missouri | 1,242 | 20 |
| State | Records | Per 100,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Montana | 245 | 22 |
| Nebraska | 452 | 23 |
| Nevada | 550 | 17 |
| New Hampshire | 293 | 21 |
| New Jersey | 1,542 | 17 |
| New Mexico | 333 | 16 |
| New York | 3,535 | 18 |
| North Carolina | 1,480 | 14 |
| North Dakota | 236 | 30 |
| Ohio | 2,443 | 21 |
| Oklahoma | 892 | 22 |
| Oregon | 944 | 22 |
| Pennsylvania | 2,640 | 20 |
| Rhode Island | 267 | 24 |
| South Carolina | 749 | 14 |
| South Dakota | 245 | 27 |
| Tennessee | 1,300 | 18 |
| Texas | 5,006 | 16 |
| Utah | 470 | 14 |
| Vermont | 134 | 21 |
| Virginia | 1,460 | 17 |
| Washington | 1,641 | 21 |
| West Virginia | 271 | 15 |
| Wisconsin | 1,161 | 20 |
| Wyoming | 147 | 25 |
In federal data
- NUCC code152W00000X
- Size rank33rd of 688 specialties by records (0.86% of all)
- Part D prescribers33,128 (52.9% of records)
- Part D claims277 a year per prescriber, on average (241st of 496)
- Industry payments34,453 physicians paid $26.5M in 2024, $770 each on average
- Concentration9 states hold half of all records
Source: CMS NPPES; Medicare Part D Prescriber PUF; CMS Open Payments 2024. Presence in these files is not a quality judgment.
A sample of optometrist records
- Paul Barney, ODAnchorage, AK1841245685
- James Falconer, O.D.Anchorage, AK1427068170
- Patrick Reber, O.D.Anchorage, AK1033129770
- Denise Thanepohn, O.D.Anchorage, AK1649280058
- Ladd Nolin, O.D.Anchorage, AK1952312738
- William Faulkner, O.DAnchorage, AK1861527079
- Dennis Albert, ODAnchorage, AK1851411961
- Ian Ford, O.D.Anchorage, AK1235321118
- Joshua Cook, O.D.Anchorage, AK1992035653
- Jessica Giesey, O.D.Anchorage, AK1336549674
- Gina Pelaez, O.D.Anchorage, AK1083082101
- Tessa Delaney, O.D.Anchorage, AK1518495191
- Jessica Thornton, ODAnchorage, AK1962983155
- Kaleb Clemons, ODAnchorage, AK1376393488
- Kyle Smith, O.D.Anchorage, AK1144282476
- Charles Lekites, ODAnchorage, AK1679670657
Registry order, not a ranking. Search by name to find one provider.
Common questions
Where does the large Optometrist headcount concentrate?
62,682 Optometrist NPIs span 56 states; California alone holds 8,308. Top metros include Houston, TX; New York, NY; Chicago, IL; Brooklyn, NY. Nationally this is 33rd of 688 NUCC codes.
How large is Optometrist's Open Payments footprint?
CMS Open Payments 2024 lists 34,453 Optometrist physicians totaling $26.5M (278,451 payments; average $770, 254th of 470). Presence in Open Payments is not a quality judgment.
How heavy is Optometrist Part D prescribing at scale?
Among Optometrist NPIs, 33,128 appear in the Medicare Part D Prescriber PUF (average 277 claims and $55K drug cost per prescriber; 241st of 496 specialties by average claims). Non-prescribing clinicians in the same NUCC code are still in NPPES.
Source: CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), file of Aug 9, 2026 (NPPES files on CMS.gov); NUCC Health Care Provider Taxonomy (nucc.org); Medicare Part D Prescriber PUF; CMS Open Payments 2024. Counts are self-designated primary taxonomy, not board certification.
Figures on PlainDoctor are read from the federal files each page names (CMS NPPES, Medicare Part D, MIPS, Open Payments; the HHS-OIG exclusion list only as counts) and from Census population estimates, with the file date shown beside them. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of Aug 9, 2026.