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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020

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: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Opticians, Dispensing:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3) 		Mean hourly
wage		 Mean annual
wage (2) 		Wage RSE (3)
68,180 2.6 % $ 19.89 $ 41,380 0.9 %

Percentile wage estimates for Opticians, Dispensing:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 12.54 $ 14.68 $ 18.53 $ 24.11 $ 29.90
Annual Wage (2) $ 26,080 $ 30,540 $ 38,530 $ 50,150 $ 62,180

Industry profile for Opticians, Dispensing: Top

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 27,670 3.06 $ 18.54 $ 38,560
Health and Personal Care Stores 19,470 2.02 $ 19.54 $ 40,640
Offices of Physicians 8,440 0.33 $ 20.82 $ 43,300
Outpatient Care Centers 1,840 0.19 (8) (8)
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 250 0.00 $ 22.08 $ 45,920

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 27,670 3.06 $ 18.54 $ 38,560
Health and Personal Care Stores 19,470 2.02 $ 19.54 $ 40,640
Offices of Physicians 8,440 0.33 $ 20.82 $ 43,300
Outpatient Care Centers 1,840 0.19 (8) (8)
Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing 110 0.04 $ 23.27 $ 48,410

Top paying industries for Opticians, Dispensing:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Professional and Commercial Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (8) (8) $ 29.94 $ 62,260
Employment Services (8) (8) $ 27.47 $ 57,130
Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing (8) (8) $ 24.58 $ 51,130
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 250 0.01 $ 24.32 $ 50,590
Management of Companies and Enterprises 150 0.01 $ 23.79 $ 49,480

Geographic profile for Opticians, Dispensing: Top

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 8,230 0.50 1.02 $ 23.66 $ 49,220
Texas 6,720 0.56 1.13 $ 17.32 $ 36,020
Florida 3,490 0.41 0.84 $ 20.38 $ 42,400
Ohio 3,110 0.60 1.23 $ 21.13 $ 43,960
New York 3,100 0.36 0.73 $ 25.54 $ 53,130




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 500 1.22 2.49 $ 16.21 $ 33,710
North Dakota 360 0.90 1.84 $ 18.68 $ 38,860
Montana 380 0.84 1.71 $ 17.98 $ 37,390
Delaware 360 0.83 1.70 $ 18.50 $ 38,490
Louisiana 1,230 0.69 1.40 $ 15.23 $ 31,670




Top paying states for Opticians, Dispensing:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New Jersey 1,320 0.35 0.71 $ 30.43 $ 63,300
Connecticut 430 0.28 0.56 $ 29.89 $ 62,170
Alaska 90 0.31 0.63 $ 27.64 $ 57,480
New York 3,100 0.36 0.73 $ 25.54 $ 53,130
District of Columbia 60 0.09 0.18 $ 25.10 $ 52,210





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)
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 3,010 0.52 1.05 $ 25.12 $ 52,260
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 2,940 0.33 0.68 $ 27.80 $ 57,830
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 2,260 0.63 1.29 $ 18.20 $ 37,860
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 2,220 0.51 1.04 $ 17.08 $ 35,530
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 1,750 0.59 1.20 $ 17.77 $ 36,970
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 1,350 0.45 0.91 $ 23.09 $ 48,030
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI 1,250 0.70 1.44 $ 17.89 $ 37,210
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 1,080 0.46 0.95 $ 26.08 $ 54,240
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 1,080 0.43 0.88 $ 17.61 $ 36,620
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 980 0.53 1.08 $ 20.14 $ 41,890




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)
Danville, IL 50 1.81 3.69 $ 16.98 $ 35,320
Muncie, IN 80 1.80 3.67 $ 15.81 $ 32,890
Flint, MI 220 1.77 3.61 $ 16.62 $ 34,580
Walla Walla, WA 40 1.71 3.49 $ 20.76 $ 43,190
Sioux Falls, SD 240 1.53 3.13 $ 17.01 $ 35,380
Houma-Thibodaux, LA 120 1.43 2.91 $ 15.06 $ 31,320
Bloomington, IL 110 1.33 2.72 $ 17.05 $ 35,460
Sebastian-Vero Beach, FL 70 1.32 2.69 $ 18.06 $ 37,570
Bowling Green, KY 90 1.31 2.67 $ 19.94 $ 41,480
Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL 90 1.22 2.50 $ 15.83 $ 32,920