Independent optometry practices kept a median 31% of collected revenue as practice net in 2025, according to the third annual Books & Benchmarks report from IDOC, released October 7, 2026. In aggregate, cost of sales took 51% of revenue and fixed overhead took 17%, which left a net of 32%.
The report covers more than 175 independent practices that use IDOC bookkeeping, from practices under $1 million in revenue to multisite groups. Optometry Times summarized the findings on October 10, 2026. IDOC notes that its clients tend to be larger than average.
Where each dollar of collected revenue goes
IDOC measures every cost as a share of collected revenue, not billed charges. That gives a practice manager one denominator to use against the practice's own books. IDOC's template splits the dollar into about 50% for cost of goods sold (COGS) and non-doctor staff, less than 20% for fixed costs, and more than 30% for doctor pay and profit. The 2025 aggregate came close to that template: 51% variable, 17% fixed, 32% net.
| Cost line | 2025 benchmark (share of collected revenue) | Range reported |
|---|---|---|
| Practice net (median) | 31% | 25% to 38% (middle 60%) |
| COGS plus non-doctor staff | 51% (aggregate) | 46% to 56% (20th to 80th percentile) |
| COGS (median) | 26% | Not reported |
| Non-doctor staff pay (median) | 24% | 20% to 28% (middle 60%) |
| Fixed overhead | 17% (aggregate) | 14% to 22% (middle 60%) |
| Occupancy (median) | 6% | Not reported |
| General and administrative (median) | 9% | Not reported |
| Doctor compensation (median) | 18% | 13% to 22% (middle 60%) |
| Unadjusted EBITDA (median) | 16% | Not reported |
Source: IDOC Books & Benchmarks 2025 report (more than 175 practices), via Optometry Times, October 10, 2026.
Variable costs fell for the first time
Variable costs, meaning COGS and non-doctor staff pay together, are the largest block. Half of the practices spent more than 51% of revenue on them. The 20th percentile spent 46% and the 80th percentile spent 56%, a 10-point spread between a lean practice and a heavy one.
IDOC reports that this line fell in 2025 for the first time since it began tracking it. The 20th and 50th percentiles each dropped 1 point from 2024. One point sounds small, but on the median practice's revenue of $1,570,000 it equals $15,700 a year.
The two parts are close in size. Median COGS was 26% of revenue, and median non-doctor staff pay was 24%. On the median revenue, that works out to $408,200 for COGS and $376,800 for staff. Those dollar figures are arithmetic on the medians, not separate IDOC figures. The middle 60% of practices paid staff between 20% and 28%, so a practice at 28% carries 4 points more payroll than one at 24%, or about $62,800 a year at median revenue.
Fixed overhead: a narrow band
Fixed overhead ran from 14% to 22% of revenue for the middle 60% of practices, with an aggregate of 17%. IDOC's template caps it at less than 20%. Within that band, the median practice spent 6% on occupancy and 9% on general and administrative costs. Marketing typically ran 1% to 2%.
General and administrative spending at 9% is 3 points larger than occupancy at 6%.
IDOC also gives a rule for practices that plan to move. Occupancy of 10% to 12% of current revenue is acceptable if the practice can expect typical first- or second-year growth of 20% to 25%. Without that growth, the same lease sits well above the 6% median.
Revenue size and growth
Median collected revenue was $1.57 million in 2025. The middle 60% of practices collected between $800,000 and $2.64 million, so a practice at the top of that band is more than three times the size of one at the bottom. IDOC notes that its clients tend to be larger than average, which likely lowers the fixed-cost benchmark compared with a small practice.
Median revenue growth was 6% in 2025, down from 7% in 2024. The 20th percentile showed no growth. IDOC also sets a per-doctor target: at least $1 million in collections per full-time optometrist, and often more than $1.5 million for a doctor with a full schedule.
The median net of 31% on $1.57 million of revenue is about $486,700. That is arithmetic on two medians, so a real practice will differ. IDOC reports a separate median of 18% for doctor compensation and 16% for unadjusted EBITDA.
How to compare a practice to these numbers
Pull collected revenue for the last 12 months from the practice management system, not charges. Divide COGS plus non-doctor payroll by that number and compare it to 51%. If the result is above 56%, the practice sits above the 80th percentile in IDOC's data. If it is below 46%, it sits below the 20th.
Next, split the variable block into its two parts. A practice at 26% COGS and 30% staff has the same 56% total as one at 32% COGS and 24% staff, but the fix differs: scheduling and role mix for the first, buying and frame margin for the second. Then check fixed overhead against 17% and the 20% ceiling in the template.
The IDOC data come from optometry, where COGS includes materials such as frames and lenses. Primary care and specialty practices have different supply and staffing mixes, so these percentages apply to optometry only. The same steps work in any practice: one revenue denominator, a variable block, a fixed block, and a net compared to a published median for that specialty.
Sources
- Optometry Times, Independent OD practices net 31% of revenue, IDOC benchmarks show, October 10, 2026
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