Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021

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)
73,270	1.9 %	$ 20.70	$ 43,060	1.2 %

Percentile wage estimates for Opticians, Dispensing:

Percentile	10%	25%	50% (Median)	75%	90%
Hourly Wage	$ 13.90	$ 14.57	$ 18.06	$ 22.91	$ 28.98
Annual Wage (2)	$ 28,910	$ 30,310	$ 37,570	$ 47,660	$ 60,280

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	29,470	3.03	$ 18.68	$ 38,860
Health and Personal Care Stores	18,110	1.79	$ 22.20	$ 46,180
General Merchandise Stores	14,040	0.46	$ 21.76	$ 45,260
Offices of Physicians	9,250	0.34	$ 20.83	$ 43,320
Outpatient Care Centers	1,380	0.14	(8)	(8)

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	29,470	3.03	$ 18.68	$ 38,860
Health and Personal Care Stores	18,110	1.79	$ 22.20	$ 46,180
General Merchandise Stores	14,040	0.46	$ 21.76	$ 45,260
Offices of Physicians	9,250	0.34	$ 20.83	$ 43,320
Outpatient Care Centers	1,380	0.14	(8)	(8)

Top paying industries for Opticians, Dispensing:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Management of Companies and Enterprises	(8)	(8)	$ 25.39	$ 52,820
Professional and Commercial Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	110	0.02	$ 24.18	$ 50,280
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	240	(7)	$ 23.78	$ 49,460
Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing	60	0.02	$ 22.43	$ 46,660
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools	260	0.01	$ 22.41	$ 46,610

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.

Map of employment of opticians, dispensing by state, May 2021

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	8,830	0.53	1.03	$ 25.69	$ 53,440
Texas	5,060	0.41	0.80	$ 16.37	$ 34,040
Florida	4,010	0.47	0.90	$ 20.83	$ 43,330
Michigan	3,840	0.95	1.82	$ 18.44	$ 38,360
New York	3,810	0.44	0.85	$ 27.23	$ 56,640

Map of location quotient of opticians, dispensing by state, May 2021

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)
North Dakota	500	1.27	2.43	$ 18.53	$ 38,540
South Dakota	410	0.98	1.89	$ 16.58	$ 34,480
Michigan	3,840	0.95	1.82	$ 18.44	$ 38,360
New Mexico	700	0.90	1.74	$ 18.05	$ 37,540
Utah	1,260	0.81	1.56	$ 16.10	$ 33,490

Map of annual mean wages of opticians, dispensing by state, May 2021

Top paying states for Opticians, Dispensing:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Connecticut	460	0.29	0.56	$ 31.99	$ 66,540
New Jersey	1,290	0.34	0.65	$ 29.95	$ 62,300
Massachusetts	1,240	0.36	0.70	$ 28.77	$ 59,840
New York	3,810	0.44	0.85	$ 27.23	$ 56,640
Alaska	40	0.13	0.26	$ 26.87	$ 55,900

Map of employment of opticians, dispensing by area, May 2021

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	3,150	0.36	0.70	$ 29.56	$ 61,480
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	2,730	0.48	0.92	$ 26.16	$ 54,420
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI	2,590	0.61	1.18	$ 18.31	$ 38,090
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI	1,990	1.10	2.12	$ 19.26	$ 40,060
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	1,410	0.39	0.76	$ 17.03	$ 35,410
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	1,210	0.41	0.79	$ 24.22	$ 50,380
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	1,190	0.45	0.86	$ 20.12	$ 41,850
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA	1,130	0.50	0.97	$ 28.36	$ 58,980
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	1,090	0.71	1.37	$ 23.86	$ 49,620
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX	1,060	0.37	0.70	$ 16.08	$ 33,440

Map of location quotient of opticians, dispensing by area, May 2021

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)
St. George, UT	130	1.77	3.40	$ 16.20	$ 33,690
Grand Forks, ND-MN	80	1.72	3.31	$ 18.19	$ 37,840
Carbondale-Marion, IL	80	1.64	3.15	$ 15.57	$ 32,390
Bismarck, ND	110	1.62	3.11	$ 18.96	$ 39,430
Farmington, NM	60	1.57	3.01	$ 17.37	$ 36,120
Muncie, IN	70	1.50	2.89	$ 15.40	$ 32,020
Rocky Mount, NC	80	1.47	2.83	$ 18.23	$ 37,910
Grand Island, NE	60	1.45	2.78	$ 15.33	$ 31,890
Bloomington, IL	120	1.42	2.72	$ 15.59	$ 32,430
Flint, MI	170	1.37	2.64	$ 18.16	$ 37,770

Map of annual mean wages of opticians, dispensing by area, May 2021

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	0.32	0.61	$ 33.80	$ 70,300
New Haven, CT	90	0.34	0.65	$ 33.40	$ 69,460
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT	110	0.21	0.40	$ 31.25	$ 65,010
Barnstable Town, MA	60	0.66	1.27	$ 29.95	$ 62,300
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA	3,150	0.36	0.70	$ 29.56	$ 61,480
Trenton, NJ	70	0.30	0.59	$ 29.10	$ 60,530
Springfield, MA-CT	150	0.47	0.91	$ 28.73	$ 59,750
Norwich-New London-Westerly, CT-RI	40	0.31	0.59	$ 28.64	$ 59,580
New Bedford, MA	40	0.59	1.13	$ 28.61	$ 59,510
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA	1,130	0.50	0.97	$ 28.36	$ 58,980

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Opticians, Dispensing:

Nonmetropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Kansas nonmetropolitan area	250	0.66	1.26	$ 15.66	$ 32,570
West Northwestern Ohio nonmetropolitan area	180	0.77	1.48	$ 19.97	$ 41,540
North Northeastern Ohio nonmetropolitan area (noncontiguous)	180	0.57	1.10	$ 19.78	$ 41,150
Northeastern Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area	180	0.92	1.77	$ 19.86	$ 41,310
Southeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area	160	0.76	1.46	$ 16.20	$ 33,690

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Opticians, Dispensing:

Nonmetropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Upper Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area	130	1.25	2.40	$ 16.59	$ 34,510
West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area	120	1.15	2.22	$ 18.32	$ 38,100
Northwest Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area	130	1.11	2.14	$ 16.55	$ 34,420
Northeast Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area	80	1.10	2.11	$ 15.96	$ 33,200
East South Dakota nonmetropolitan area	140	1.06	2.05	$ 15.51	$ 32,250

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Opticians, Dispensing:

Nonmetropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area	30	0.59	1.13	$ 32.05	$ 66,670
Central East New York nonmetropolitan area	60	0.39	0.75	$ 24.54	$ 51,030
Capital/Northern New York nonmetropolitan area	50	0.40	0.77	$ 23.93	$ 49,780
Nevada nonmetropolitan area	40	0.43	0.83	$ 23.54	$ 48,960
South Central Tennessee nonmetropolitan area	40	0.35	0.67	$ 22.53	$ 46,870

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