Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021
29-2057 Ophthalmic Medical Technicians
Assist ophthalmologists by performing ophthalmic clinical functions. May administer eye exams, administer eye medications, and instruct the patient in care and use of corrective lenses.
National estimates for Ophthalmic Medical Technicians
Industry profile for Ophthalmic Medical Technicians
Geographic profile for Ophthalmic Medical Technicians
National estimates for Ophthalmic Medical Technicians:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Ophthalmic Medical Technicians:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 65,700 |
4.1 % |
$ 19.77 |
$ 41,120 |
1.4 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Ophthalmic Medical Technicians:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 13.90 |
$ 14.88 |
$ 17.87 |
$ 22.45 |
$ 28.12 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 28,910 |
$ 30,950 |
$ 37,180 |
$ 46,700 |
$ 58,500 |
Industry profile for Ophthalmic Medical Technicians:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Ophthalmic Medical Technicians are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Ophthalmic Medical Technicians, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Ophthalmic Medical Technicians:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Offices of Physicians |
41,310 |
1.53 |
$ 20.62 |
$ 42,890 |
| Offices of Other Health Practitioners |
17,290 |
1.78 |
$ 16.68 |
$ 34,700 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
2,490 |
0.04 |
$ 24.70 |
$ 51,380 |
| Health and Personal Care Stores |
2,110 |
0.21 |
$ 15.58 |
$ 32,400 |
| Outpatient Care Centers |
1,130 |
0.11 |
$ 28.27 |
$ 58,810 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Ophthalmic Medical Technicians:
Top paying industries for Ophthalmic Medical Technicians:
Geographic profile for Ophthalmic Medical Technicians:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Ophthalmic Medical Technicians are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Ophthalmic Medical Technicians, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Ophthalmic Medical Technicians:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
5,610 |
0.34 |
0.73 |
$ 24.53 |
$ 51,010 |
| New York |
5,310 |
0.61 |
1.31 |
$ 20.85 |
$ 43,370 |
| Texas |
4,900 |
0.40 |
0.86 |
$ 16.48 |
$ 34,270 |
| Florida |
4,880 |
0.57 |
1.22 |
$ 19.79 |
$ 41,160 |
| North Carolina |
3,290 |
0.74 |
1.60 |
$ 18.30 |
$ 38,060 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Ophthalmic Medical Technicians:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Arizona |
2,250 |
0.78 |
1.67 |
$ 17.98 |
$ 37,400 |
| North Carolina |
3,290 |
0.74 |
1.60 |
$ 18.30 |
$ 38,060 |
| Rhode Island |
340 |
0.73 |
1.57 |
$ 23.02 |
$ 47,890 |
| Vermont |
210 |
0.72 |
1.55 |
$ 20.94 |
$ 43,550 |
| Maine |
430 |
0.72 |
1.55 |
$ 20.04 |
$ 41,690 |
Top paying states for Ophthalmic Medical Technicians:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Alaska |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 27.35 |
$ 56,890 |
| Minnesota |
1,330 |
0.49 |
1.04 |
$ 26.20 |
$ 54,500 |
| New Jersey |
1,180 |
0.31 |
0.66 |
$ 24.90 |
$ 51,780 |
| California |
5,610 |
0.34 |
0.73 |
$ 24.53 |
$ 51,010 |
| Oregon |
780 |
0.43 |
0.91 |
$ 23.18 |
$ 48,220 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Ophthalmic Medical Technicians:
| 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 |
5,010 |
0.58 |
1.24 |
$ 22.03 |
$ 45,820 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
2,440 |
0.58 |
1.24 |
$ 21.53 |
$ 44,770 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
1,940 |
0.79 |
1.69 |
$ 21.62 |
$ 44,960 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ |
1,640 |
0.78 |
1.67 |
$ 17.98 |
$ 37,400 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
1,580 |
0.28 |
0.59 |
$ 22.94 |
$ 47,720 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
1,350 |
0.38 |
0.80 |
$ 17.54 |
$ 36,490 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI |
1,210 |
0.67 |
1.44 |
$ 21.15 |
$ 44,000 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
960 |
0.37 |
0.80 |
$ 19.12 |
$ 39,760 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
890 |
0.30 |
0.65 |
$ 19.84 |
$ 41,270 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
840 |
0.29 |
0.62 |
$ 17.49 |
$ 36,390 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Ophthalmic Medical Technicians:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Hattiesburg, MS |
150 |
2.45 |
5.26 |
$ 17.48 |
$ 36,360 |
| Wilmington, NC |
300 |
2.33 |
5.00 |
$ 18.31 |
$ 38,090 |
| Rocky Mount, NC |
110 |
2.07 |
4.44 |
$ 16.65 |
$ 34,630 |
| Great Falls, MT |
60 |
1.65 |
3.54 |
$ 16.31 |
$ 33,920 |
| Eugene, OR |
210 |
1.39 |
2.97 |
$ 21.77 |
$ 45,270 |
| Carbondale-Marion, IL |
70 |
1.33 |
2.85 |
$ 17.11 |
$ 35,600 |
| Bangor, ME |
80 |
1.31 |
2.82 |
$ 19.81 |
$ 41,210 |
| Altoona, PA |
70 |
1.30 |
2.79 |
$ 17.53 |
$ 36,470 |
| Chico, CA |
100 |
1.28 |
2.74 |
(8) |
(8) |
| Pueblo, CO |
80 |
1.26 |
2.71 |
$ 17.46 |
$ 36,310 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Ophthalmic Medical Technicians:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Springfield, IL |
90 |
0.93 |
1.99 |
$ 33.07 |
$ 68,780 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
840 |
0.37 |
0.80 |
$ 30.60 |
$ 63,650 |
| Vallejo-Fairfield, CA |
60 |
0.43 |
0.93 |
$ 29.83 |
$ 62,050 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
370 |
0.34 |
0.74 |
$ 27.64 |
$ 57,500 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 25.60 |
$ 53,250 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA |
390 |
0.35 |
0.74 |
$ 25.55 |
$ 53,140 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA |
40 |
0.38 |
0.81 |
$ 25.01 |
$ 52,020 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad, CA |
790 |
0.57 |
1.22 |
$ 24.93 |
$ 51,860 |
| Chattanooga, TN-GA |
120 |
0.48 |
1.03 |
$ 24.16 |
$ 50,260 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
560 |
0.29 |
0.62 |
$ 24.14 |
$ 50,200 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Ophthalmic Medical Technicians:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Ophthalmic Medical Technicians:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Ophthalmic Medical Technicians:
About May 2021 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.
(8) Estimate not released.
(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 2021 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: March 31, 2022
United States Department of Labor
