SOC 29-2081 · Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations

Opticians, Dispensing wages by metro

National median annual wage

$47,260

10th percentile: $35,610
25th percentile: $38,820
Median: $47,260
75th percentile: $61,700
90th percentile: $76,750
Mean: $51,770

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

National employment in May 2025: 73,530.

That median is 7.3% lower than the all-occupations national median of $50,980.

The metro and state figures below are the same May 2025 release. A blank wage means BLS did not publish it. See when a wage is not published.

A welder at work with a torch — A welder at a bench, 2014. Photograph by Chetan Menaria. Wikimedia Commons · CC0

Highest published medians

Metros with the highest published annual medians for Opticians, Dispensing.
Occupation	Employment	10th	Median	90th
Vallejo, CA	90	$47,760	$78,830	$86,220
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT	130	$52,030	$78,600	$90,350
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	120	$48,270	$77,460	$87,940
Waterbury-Shelton, CT	70	$48,700	$76,820	$85,070
Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT	60	$49,070	$76,170	$85,060
Urban Honolulu, HI	90	$41,080	$75,300	$80,910
New Haven, CT	100	$50,000	$72,410	$85,070
Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ	70	$53,770	$72,290	$77,370
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT	220	$44,530	$71,440	$84,190
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	3,460	$43,060	$71,050	$85,050
Springfield, MA	70	$46,970	$71,000	$85,110
Barnstable Town, MA	60	$50,960	$69,530	$86,950
Syracuse, NY	180	$46,930	$68,880	$85,070
Worcester, MA	160	$48,670	$67,630	$83,040
Trenton-Princeton, NJ	100	$43,960	$67,110	$83,930
Watertown-Fort Drum, NY	30	$45,160	$65,870	$81,350
Amherst Town-Northampton, MA	60	$48,040	$65,000	$81,700
Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY	150	$48,450	$64,280	$80,160
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	950	$49,010	$64,170	$83,570
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY	180	$46,380	$63,710	$85,170

Where employment is largest

Metros with the most Opticians, Dispensing jobs in the May 2025 tables.
Occupation	Employment	10th	Median	90th
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	3,460	$43,060	$71,050	$85,050
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	3,070	$40,570	$56,130	$81,920
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	2,420	$37,530	$44,530	$63,560
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	2,070	$34,520	$46,030	$58,240
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX	1,660	$29,490	$38,050	$50,080
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI	1,470	$35,610	$43,830	$53,670
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	1,380	$38,160	$51,890	$75,300
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	1,250	$35,110	$61,880	$75,710
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	1,140	$45,090	$48,960	$78,830
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	1,080	$37,100	$59,520	$78,010
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	1,070	$37,900	$49,300	$74,270
San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR	1,050	$22,690	$28,980	$43,680
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ	990	$40,890	$48,530	$75,300
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	950	$49,010	$64,170	$83,570
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	940	$37,580	$58,360	$94,410
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	930	$38,640	$48,840	$67,490
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	870	$42,050	$55,070	$79,090
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL	870	$36,740	$56,030	$74,120
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO	750	$40,930	$49,750	$76,750
St. Louis, MO-IL	750	$36,050	$39,230	$54,810

States and territories

State estimates for Opticians, Dispensing, May 2025.
Occupation	Employment	10th	Median	90th
Connecticut	610	$48,700	$75,300	$85,070
Hawaii	110	$41,080	$75,300	$80,910
New Jersey	2,010	$47,110	$72,460	$85,020
Massachusetts	1,360	$48,850	$67,210	$83,550
New York	3,520	$43,060	$63,880	$81,200
District of Columbia	80	$45,190	$61,310	$86,110
Florida	5,080	$36,510	$58,850	$75,480
Alaska	90	$38,940	$58,250	$75,760
California	7,840	$42,390	$57,990	$81,680
Vermont	70	$41,600	$57,350	$76,850
Virginia	1,860	$36,360	$55,820	$77,460
New Hampshire	440	$41,130	$51,980	$66,670
Ohio	2,960	$35,830	$50,500	$65,280
North Carolina	2,020	$36,500	$50,190	$81,340
Tennessee	1,530	$34,740	$49,840	$74,160
Washington	2,100	$41,120	$49,220	$78,830
Oregon	1,000	$39,480	$49,210	$76,750
Maryland	1,060	$37,100	$48,700	$64,830
Arizona	1,400	$39,890	$48,210	$75,300
Minnesota	1,490	$36,920	$48,020	$67,490
Georgia	2,290	$36,800	$48,010	$74,120
South Carolina	890	$36,240	$48,000	$73,890
Rhode Island	350	$38,480	$47,400	$77,130
Colorado	1,520	$38,900	$47,310	$66,160
Maine	350	$39,110	$47,220	$60,190
Montana	330	$36,240	$47,050	$64,730
Nevada	960	$38,090	$46,910	$84,660
Delaware	270	$31,200	$46,220	$60,790
Pennsylvania	2,230	$36,160	$45,450	$58,450
North Dakota	230	$37,220	$45,230	$56,100
Wisconsin	1,430	$36,680	$44,820	$60,320
Iowa	920	$37,270	$44,480	$53,790
Kentucky	950	$30,190	$44,290	$65,130
Illinois	3,250	$37,080	$43,960	$62,830
Idaho	530	$34,730	$43,950	$75,300
South Dakota	430	$32,390	$43,400	$49,730
Arkansas	690	$30,100	$42,880	$73,890
Utah	700	$35,680	$41,780	$76,750
Michigan	3,080	$34,610	$41,180	$52,090
Kansas	630	$36,050	$40,140	$48,480
Nebraska	870	$35,800	$39,830	$52,670
Indiana	2,010	$31,930	$39,370	$49,960
Wyoming	130	$33,110	$39,100	$53,840
New Mexico	340	$31,010	$39,090	$72,920
Missouri	1,600	$34,110	$38,750	$54,810
Texas	6,700	$29,970	$38,720	$58,240
West Virginia	350	$31,250	$38,120	$52,370
Oklahoma	730	$29,530	$37,940	$54,310
Alabama	880	$31,000	$36,880	$47,720
Mississippi	560	$28,180	$36,680	$47,210
Louisiana	720	$28,840	$36,360	$46,870
Puerto Rico	1,380	$22,690	$28,980	$44,340

Other healthcare practitioners and technical occupations

Questions this page answers

What is the national median wage for Opticians, Dispensing?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, the national median annual wage for Opticians, Dispensing is $47,260. Employment is 73,530.

How does Opticians, Dispensing pay compare with all occupations?

The national median for Opticians, Dispensing is 7.3% lower than the all-occupations median of $50,980.

Which metro has the highest published median for Opticians, Dispensing?

Among metros with a published annual median in the May 2025 tables, Vallejo, CA is highest on this page's list at $78,830.