Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021
51-9083 Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians
Cut, grind, and polish eyeglasses, contact lenses, or other precision optical elements. Assemble and mount lenses into frames or process other optical elements. Includes precision lens polishers or grinders, centerer-edgers, and lens mounters. Excludes “Opticians, Dispensing ” (29-2081).
National estimates for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians
Industry profile for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians
Geographic profile for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians
National estimates for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 18,930 |
4.8 % |
$ 18.71 |
$ 38,910 |
1.6 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 13.50 |
$ 14.43 |
$ 17.92 |
$ 22.22 |
$ 27.01 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 28,080 |
$ 30,010 |
$ 37,270 |
$ 46,210 |
$ 56,190 |
Industry profile for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians:
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing |
2,530 |
2.96 |
$ 24.70 |
$ 51,370 |
| Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing |
4,350 |
1.37 |
$ 17.25 |
$ 35,880 |
| Health and Personal Care Stores |
3,870 |
0.38 |
$ 17.05 |
$ 35,470 |
| Offices of Other Health Practitioners |
3,300 |
0.34 |
$ 16.41 |
$ 34,130 |
| Professional and Commercial Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers |
1,270 |
0.19 |
$ 17.69 |
$ 36,800 |
Top paying industries for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing |
50 |
0.01 |
$ 31.85 |
$ 66,250 |
| Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing |
2,530 |
2.96 |
$ 24.70 |
$ 51,370 |
| Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) |
120 |
0.01 |
$ 24.45 |
$ 50,850 |
| Employment Services |
260 |
0.01 |
$ 18.40 |
$ 38,280 |
| Professional and Commercial Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers |
1,270 |
0.19 |
$ 17.69 |
$ 36,800 |
Geographic profile for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
2,890 |
0.17 |
1.30 |
$ 22.11 |
$ 46,000 |
| Florida |
1,770 |
0.21 |
1.53 |
$ 16.96 |
$ 35,270 |
| New York |
1,650 |
0.19 |
1.42 |
$ 18.69 |
$ 38,880 |
| Texas |
980 |
0.08 |
0.60 |
$ 16.12 |
$ 33,520 |
| Minnesota |
860 |
0.32 |
2.35 |
$ 18.54 |
$ 38,570 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Kentucky |
680 |
0.37 |
2.76 |
$ 14.95 |
$ 31,100 |
| Minnesota |
860 |
0.32 |
2.35 |
$ 18.54 |
$ 38,570 |
| New Hampshire |
200 |
0.31 |
2.33 |
$ 27.45 |
$ 57,090 |
| Connecticut |
420 |
0.27 |
1.99 |
$ 24.46 |
$ 50,870 |
| Mississippi |
250 |
0.23 |
1.70 |
$ 16.04 |
$ 33,360 |
Top paying states for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians:
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
1,040 |
0.18 |
1.36 |
$ 21.88 |
$ 45,510 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
940 |
0.11 |
0.80 |
$ 19.00 |
$ 39,520 |
| Rochester, NY |
610 |
1.30 |
9.68 |
$ 19.44 |
$ 40,420 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
600 |
0.23 |
1.73 |
$ 17.48 |
$ 36,360 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI |
580 |
0.32 |
2.38 |
$ 19.36 |
$ 40,260 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL |
480 |
0.37 |
2.75 |
$ 15.51 |
$ 32,260 |
| Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA |
360 |
0.37 |
2.74 |
$ 16.93 |
$ 35,210 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
340 |
0.15 |
1.14 |
$ 26.16 |
$ 54,400 |
| Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN |
320 |
0.31 |
2.30 |
$ 16.41 |
$ 34,140 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
300 |
0.07 |
0.53 |
$ 18.83 |
$ 39,160 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| St. Cloud, MN |
280 |
2.89 |
21.52 |
$ 17.01 |
$ 35,390 |
| Rochester, NY |
610 |
1.30 |
9.68 |
$ 19.44 |
$ 40,420 |
| Boulder, CO |
130 |
0.73 |
5.42 |
$ 23.75 |
$ 49,410 |
| Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, MS |
100 |
0.70 |
5.24 |
$ 15.15 |
$ 31,510 |
| New Haven, CT |
120 |
0.45 |
3.36 |
$ 26.24 |
$ 54,580 |
| North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL |
120 |
0.40 |
3.00 |
$ 17.30 |
$ 35,980 |
| Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL |
80 |
0.38 |
2.84 |
$ 19.73 |
$ 41,040 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL |
480 |
0.37 |
2.75 |
$ 15.51 |
$ 32,260 |
| Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA |
360 |
0.37 |
2.74 |
$ 16.93 |
$ 35,210 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT |
130 |
0.36 |
2.65 |
$ 23.05 |
$ 47,950 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
260 |
0.24 |
1.79 |
$ 26.89 |
$ 55,920 |
| New Haven, CT |
120 |
0.45 |
3.36 |
$ 26.24 |
$ 54,580 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
340 |
0.15 |
1.14 |
$ 26.16 |
$ 54,400 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA |
30 |
0.15 |
1.15 |
$ 24.35 |
$ 50,640 |
| Boulder, CO |
130 |
0.73 |
5.42 |
$ 23.75 |
$ 49,410 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA |
70 |
0.25 |
1.83 |
$ 23.37 |
$ 48,600 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT |
130 |
0.36 |
2.65 |
$ 23.05 |
$ 47,950 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 22.12 |
$ 46,020 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
1,040 |
0.18 |
1.36 |
$ 21.88 |
$ 45,510 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA |
210 |
0.14 |
1.03 |
$ 21.67 |
$ 45,070 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Ophthalmic Laboratory 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.
(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
