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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2016
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 this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation
National estimates for this occupation: Top
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 75,270 |
2.0 % |
$18.20 |
$37,860 |
0.9 % |
Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$10.90 |
$13.41 |
$17.08 |
$22.07 |
$27.49 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$22,670 |
$27,890 |
$35,530 |
$45,910 |
$57,180 |
Industry profile for this occupation: Top
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Offices of Other Health Practitioners |
29,630 |
3.54 |
$17.05 |
$35,470 |
| Health and Personal Care Stores |
23,750 |
2.26 |
$18.89 |
$39,290 |
| Other General Merchandise Stores |
10,500 |
0.55 |
$18.26 |
$37,970 |
| Offices of Physicians |
7,020 |
0.28 |
$19.81 |
$41,190 |
| Department Stores |
1,960 |
0.14 |
$16.89 |
$35,130 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Offices of Other Health Practitioners |
29,630 |
3.54 |
$17.05 |
$35,470 |
| Health and Personal Care Stores |
23,750 |
2.26 |
$18.89 |
$39,290 |
| Other General Merchandise Stores |
10,500 |
0.55 |
$18.26 |
$37,970 |
| Offices of Physicians |
7,020 |
0.28 |
$19.81 |
$41,190 |
| Department Stores |
1,960 |
0.14 |
$16.89 |
$35,130 |
Top paying industries for this occupation:
Geographic profile for this occupation: Top
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in this occupation:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
8,040 |
0.50 |
0.94 |
$19.72 |
$41,010 |
| Texas |
6,430 |
0.55 |
1.02 |
$15.44 |
$32,110 |
| Florida |
4,930 |
0.60 |
1.12 |
$18.09 |
$37,620 |
| New York |
3,450 |
0.38 |
0.71 |
$24.66 |
$51,290 |
| Michigan |
3,370 |
0.80 |
1.49 |
$17.05 |
$35,470 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| South Dakota |
420 |
1.02 |
1.90 |
$15.14 |
$31,490 |
| Delaware |
430 |
0.97 |
1.81 |
$17.84 |
$37,110 |
| Wyoming |
240 |
0.86 |
1.61 |
$17.50 |
$36,400 |
| New Hampshire |
510 |
0.80 |
1.49 |
$18.11 |
$37,670 |
| Michigan |
3,370 |
0.80 |
1.49 |
$17.05 |
$35,470 |
Top paying States for this occupation:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Massachusetts |
1,520 |
0.44 |
0.82 |
$29.20 |
$60,740 |
| New Jersey |
1,540 |
0.39 |
0.73 |
$25.85 |
$53,770 |
| New York |
3,450 |
0.38 |
0.71 |
$24.66 |
$51,290 |
| Rhode Island |
260 |
0.55 |
1.02 |
$22.87 |
$47,560 |
| Alaska |
140 |
0.43 |
0.80 |
$21.52 |
$44,770 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New York-Jersey City-White Plains, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division |
2,130 |
0.32 |
0.60 |
$26.54 |
$55,200 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division |
1,970 |
0.47 |
0.87 |
$19.35 |
$40,240 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, IL Metropolitan Division |
1,500 |
0.41 |
0.77 |
$18.51 |
$38,500 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
1,500 |
0.51 |
0.95 |
$15.51 |
$32,260 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ |
1,440 |
0.74 |
1.38 |
$17.29 |
$35,960 |
| Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, MI Metropolitan Division |
1,370 |
1.14 |
2.12 |
$18.55 |
$38,580 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division |
1,320 |
0.53 |
0.99 |
$20.43 |
$42,500 |
| Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division |
1,210 |
0.50 |
0.93 |
$16.16 |
$33,610 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI |
1,210 |
0.63 |
1.18 |
$20.25 |
$42,110 |
| Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine, CA Metropolitan Division |
1,200 |
0.77 |
1.44 |
$18.88 |
$39,260 |
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