Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023
29-2081 Opticians, Dispensing
Design, measure, fit, and adapt lenses and frames for client according to written optical prescription or specification. Assist client with inserting, removing, and caring for contact lenses. Assist client with selecting frames. Measure customer for size of eyeglasses and coordinate frames with facial and eye measurements and optical prescription. Prepare work order for optical laboratory containing instructions for grinding and mounting lenses in frames. Verify exactness of finished lens spectacles. Adjust frame and lens position to fit client. May shape or reshape frames. Includes contact lens opticians.
National estimates for Opticians, Dispensing
Industry profile for Opticians, Dispensing
Geographic profile for Opticians, Dispensing
National estimates for Opticians, Dispensing:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Opticians, Dispensing:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 76,770 |
1.5 % |
$ 22.86 |
$ 47,560 |
0.6 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Opticians, Dispensing:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 15.18 |
$ 17.49 |
$ 21.23 |
$ 27.64 |
$ 33.61 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 31,560 |
$ 36,380 |
$ 44,170 |
$ 57,490 |
$ 69,900 |
Industry profile for Opticians, Dispensing:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Opticians, Dispensing are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Opticians, Dispensing, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Opticians, Dispensing:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Offices of Other Health Practitioners |
32,130 |
2.82 |
$ 20.50 |
$ 42,640 |
| Health and Personal Care Retailers |
18,630 |
1.68 |
$ 24.23 |
$ 50,390 |
| General Merchandise Retailers |
15,900 |
0.49 |
$ 24.85 |
$ 51,690 |
| Offices of Physicians |
7,710 |
0.27 |
$ 22.87 |
$ 47,570 |
| Outpatient Care Centers |
1,410 |
0.13 |
$ 35.39 |
$ 73,620 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Opticians, Dispensing:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Offices of Other Health Practitioners |
32,130 |
2.82 |
$ 20.50 |
$ 42,640 |
| Health and Personal Care Retailers |
18,630 |
1.68 |
$ 24.23 |
$ 50,390 |
| General Merchandise Retailers |
15,900 |
0.49 |
$ 24.85 |
$ 51,690 |
| Offices of Physicians |
7,710 |
0.27 |
$ 22.87 |
$ 47,570 |
| Outpatient Care Centers |
1,410 |
0.13 |
$ 35.39 |
$ 73,620 |
Top paying industries for Opticians, Dispensing:
Geographic profile for Opticians, Dispensing:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Opticians, Dispensing are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Opticians, Dispensing, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Opticians, Dispensing:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
8,100 |
0.45 |
0.89 |
$ 28.83 |
$ 59,960 |
| Texas |
6,720 |
0.50 |
0.98 |
$ 18.22 |
$ 37,890 |
| Florida |
5,260 |
0.55 |
1.09 |
$ 25.08 |
$ 52,160 |
| Illinois |
3,880 |
0.65 |
1.28 |
$ 19.83 |
$ 41,240 |
| New York |
3,830 |
0.41 |
0.81 |
$ 28.69 |
$ 59,680 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Opticians, Dispensing:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| South Dakota |
420 |
0.94 |
1.86 |
$ 19.08 |
$ 39,690 |
| North Dakota |
360 |
0.85 |
1.68 |
$ 20.19 |
$ 42,000 |
| Nevada |
1,170 |
0.79 |
1.57 |
$ 25.43 |
$ 52,900 |
| Delaware |
340 |
0.73 |
1.44 |
$ 18.67 |
$ 38,840 |
| Michigan |
3,120 |
0.72 |
1.42 |
$ 20.53 |
$ 42,710 |
Top paying states for Opticians, Dispensing:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Massachusetts |
1,270 |
0.35 |
0.69 |
$ 31.89 |
$ 66,330 |
| Connecticut |
570 |
0.35 |
0.68 |
$ 30.87 |
$ 64,220 |
| New Jersey |
2,170 |
0.52 |
1.02 |
$ 29.50 |
$ 61,350 |
| California |
8,100 |
0.45 |
0.89 |
$ 28.83 |
$ 59,960 |
| New York |
3,830 |
0.41 |
0.81 |
$ 28.69 |
$ 59,680 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Opticians, Dispensing:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
4,030 |
0.42 |
0.84 |
$ 29.78 |
$ 61,940 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
3,070 |
0.68 |
1.35 |
$ 20.22 |
$ 42,050 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
3,040 |
0.49 |
0.97 |
$ 28.79 |
$ 59,880 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
1,710 |
0.43 |
0.85 |
$ 19.16 |
$ 39,860 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
1,700 |
0.54 |
1.06 |
$ 17.99 |
$ 37,430 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI |
1,550 |
0.81 |
1.61 |
$ 21.10 |
$ 43,880 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
1,390 |
0.45 |
0.89 |
$ 26.83 |
$ 55,810 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
1,350 |
0.48 |
0.95 |
$ 22.56 |
$ 46,930 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
1,280 |
0.45 |
0.90 |
$ 23.05 |
$ 47,950 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ |
1,230 |
0.54 |
1.06 |
$ 22.92 |
$ 47,670 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Opticians, Dispensing:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Dothan, AL |
120 |
2.07 |
4.09 |
$ 14.81 |
$ 30,800 |
| Grand Forks, ND-MN |
70 |
1.47 |
2.91 |
$ 19.85 |
$ 41,280 |
| Kokomo, IN |
50 |
1.36 |
2.69 |
$ 18.36 |
$ 38,190 |
| Bismarck, ND |
100 |
1.35 |
2.66 |
$ 20.14 |
$ 41,880 |
| Muncie, IN |
50 |
1.16 |
2.29 |
$ 17.09 |
$ 35,550 |
| Lansing-East Lansing, MI |
240 |
1.15 |
2.28 |
$ 19.38 |
$ 40,320 |
| Bloomington, IL |
110 |
1.15 |
2.28 |
$ 18.76 |
$ 39,010 |
| Grand Island, NE |
50 |
1.13 |
2.24 |
$ 18.40 |
$ 38,280 |
| Michigan City-La Porte, IN |
40 |
1.11 |
2.19 |
$ 17.75 |
$ 36,920 |
| Carbondale-Marion, IL |
60 |
1.11 |
2.19 |
$ 18.27 |
$ 38,000 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Opticians, Dispensing:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT |
120 |
0.29 |
0.58 |
$ 33.50 |
$ 69,680 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA |
70 |
0.37 |
0.73 |
$ 33.41 |
$ 69,480 |
| Waterbury, CT |
30 |
0.51 |
1.02 |
$ 32.58 |
$ 67,770 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad, CA |
410 |
0.27 |
0.54 |
$ 32.21 |
$ 66,990 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
360 |
0.32 |
0.63 |
$ 32.17 |
$ 66,920 |
| Barnstable Town, MA |
50 |
0.53 |
1.05 |
$ 32.11 |
$ 66,780 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
910 |
0.33 |
0.65 |
$ 31.99 |
$ 66,530 |
| Vallejo-Fairfield, CA |
80 |
0.60 |
1.19 |
$ 31.11 |
$ 64,710 |
| Norwich-New London-Westerly, CT-RI |
50 |
0.43 |
0.86 |
$ 30.77 |
$ 64,010 |
| Trenton, NJ |
80 |
0.33 |
0.65 |
$ 30.41 |
$ 63,260 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Opticians, Dispensing:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Opticians, Dispensing:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Opticians, Dispensing:
About May 2023 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia.
The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.
The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall.
The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median.
More about percentile wages.
(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.
(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours;
for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.
(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.
(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.
(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration.
A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.
Other OEWS estimates and related information:
May 2023 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2023 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2023 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2023 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2023 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: April 3, 2024
United States Department of Labor
