• Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2022

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.

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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)
73,460	2.0 %	$ 21.58	$ 44,890	0.8 %

Percentile wage estimates for Opticians, Dispensing:

Percentile	10%	25%	50% (Median)	75%	90%
Hourly Wage	$ 14.20	$ 16.50	$ 19.04	$ 25.00	$ 31.13
Annual Wage (2)	$ 29,540	$ 34,310	$ 39,610	$ 52,000	$ 64,760

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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	31,710	2.97	$ 19.28	$ 40,090
Health and Personal Care Retailers	16,940	1.55	$ 22.88	$ 47,590
General Merchandise Retailers	14,520	0.45	$ 23.59	$ 49,070
Offices of Physicians	7,840	0.28	$ 21.77	$ 45,270
Outpatient Care Centers	1,480	0.15	$ 33.50	$ 69,670

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	31,710	2.97	$ 19.28	$ 40,090
Health and Personal Care Retailers	16,940	1.55	$ 22.88	$ 47,590
General Merchandise Retailers	14,520	0.45	$ 23.59	$ 49,070
Offices of Physicians	7,840	0.28	$ 21.77	$ 45,270
Outpatient Care Centers	1,480	0.15	$ 33.50	$ 69,670

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	80	(7)	$ 34.45	$ 71,650
Outpatient Care Centers	1,480	0.15	$ 33.50	$ 69,670
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	220	(7)	$ 26.11	$ 54,300
General Merchandise Retailers	14,520	0.45	$ 23.59	$ 49,070
Health and Personal Care Retailers	16,940	1.55	$ 22.88	$ 47,590

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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.

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	8,770	0.50	1.00	$ 26.25	$ 54,600
Texas	6,260	0.48	0.97	$ 17.50	$ 36,390
Florida	3,910	0.42	0.85	$ 23.49	$ 48,860
New York	3,590	0.39	0.79	$ 28.51	$ 59,310
Michigan	3,500	0.82	1.66	$ 19.19	$ 39,920

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)
South Dakota	420	0.98	1.96	$ 17.64	$ 36,680
North Dakota	350	0.85	1.72	$ 19.38	$ 40,320
Michigan	3,500	0.82	1.66	$ 19.19	$ 39,920
Minnesota	2,100	0.74	1.50	$ 20.31	$ 42,240
Iowa	1,050	0.69	1.39	$ 18.17	$ 37,790

Top paying states for Opticians, Dispensing:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Massachusetts	1,110	0.31	0.63	$ 32.43	$ 67,460
Connecticut	520	0.32	0.65	$ 31.57	$ 65,660
New York	3,590	0.39	0.79	$ 28.51	$ 59,310
Hawaii	110	0.18	0.37	$ 27.48	$ 57,160
Alaska	(8)	(8)	(8)	$ 27.27	$ 56,720

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	3,600	0.39	0.79	$ 28.55	$ 59,380
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	3,150	0.52	1.04	$ 26.18	$ 54,450
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI	2,370	0.54	1.08	$ 18.96	$ 39,440
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI	1,800	0.96	1.94	$ 20.15	$ 41,910
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	1,780	0.47	0.94	$ 18.70	$ 38,890
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	1,480	0.49	0.99	$ 25.92	$ 53,910
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX	1,470	0.48	0.97	$ 16.50	$ 34,320
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	1,340	0.71	1.43	$ 20.89	$ 43,450
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ	1,250	0.56	1.13	$ 22.31	$ 46,400
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	1,160	0.43	0.86	$ 21.45	$ 44,620

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)
Rocky Mount, NC	100	1.80	3.63	$ 18.60	$ 38,690
Muncie, IN	70	1.57	3.16	$ 16.06	$ 33,390
Grand Island, NE	60	1.56	3.14	$ 17.24	$ 35,860
Bismarck, ND	100	1.34	2.69	$ 19.12	$ 39,770
Carbondale-Marion, IL	70	1.32	2.65	$ 17.10	$ 35,570
Grand Forks, ND-MN	60	1.26	2.54	$ 18.47	$ 38,420
St. Cloud, MN	120	1.22	2.46	$ 18.64	$ 38,770
Punta Gorda, FL	60	1.22	2.46	$ 23.39	$ 48,640
Kalamazoo-Portage, MI	170	1.21	2.43	$ 17.46	$ 36,310
Lansing-East Lansing, MI	230	1.16	2.33	$ 18.07	$ 37,590