Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians
Median $62,930
Occupation · SOC 29-2081
Opticians, Dispensing: pay and where the jobs are
What opticians, dispensing earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$47,260 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $51,770
- Median hourly wage
- $22.72
- Mean hourly wage
- $24.89
- Employment
- 73,530
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 29-2081.
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How much do opticians, dispensing make?
The median annual wage for opticians, dispensing was $47,260 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $35,610 and the highest-paid 10% more than $76,750. As an hourly rate, the median is $22.72. About 73,530 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Connecticut ($75,300), Hawaii ($75,300) and New Jersey ($72,460). Connecticut also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for opticians, dispensing looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $35,610 | $17.12 | $2,968 | $2,566 |
| 25th percentile | $38,820 | $18.66 | $3,235 | $2,781 |
| Median | $47,260 | $22.72 | $3,938 | $3,346 |
| 75th percentile | $61,700 | $29.66 | $5,142 | $4,313 |
| 90th percentile | $76,750 | $36.90 | $6,396 | $5,235 |
Opticians, Dispensing: pay by state
52 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$56,013 take-home in national prices
2
$52,303 take-home in national prices
3
$52,254 take-home in national prices
Where a median opticians, dispensing paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | 610 | $75,300 | $48,700 | $85,070 | $58,036 | $56,013 |
| Hawaii | 110 | $75,300 | $41,080 | $80,910 | $57,508 | $52,303 |
| New Jersey | 2,010 | $72,460 | $47,110 | $85,020 | $56,855 | $52,254 |
| Massachusetts | 1,360 | $67,210 | $48,850 | $83,550 | $52,663 | $49,796 |
| New York | 3,520 | $63,880 | $43,060 | $81,200 | $50,348 | $46,653 |
| District of Columbia | 80 | $61,310 | $45,190 | $86,110 | $48,904 | $44,498 |
| Florida | 5,080 | $58,850 | $36,510 | $75,480 | $49,466 | $47,833 |
| Alaska | 90 | $58,250 | $38,940 | $75,760 | $48,713 | $47,590 |
| California | 7,840 | $57,990 | $42,390 | $81,680 | $46,502 | $42,000 |
| Vermont | 70 | $57,350 | $41,600 | $76,850 | $46,773 | $47,748 |
| Virginia | 1,860 | $55,820 | $36,360 | $77,460 | $44,636 | $44,148 |
| New Hampshire | 440 | $51,980 | $41,130 | $66,670 | $43,946 | $42,189 |
| Ohio | 2,960 | $50,500 | $35,830 | $65,280 | $41,812 | $45,068 |
| North Carolina | 2,020 | $50,190 | $36,500 | $81,340 | $41,014 | $43,481 |
| Tennessee | 1,530 | $49,840 | $34,740 | $74,160 | $42,226 | $45,963 |
| Washington | 2,100 | $49,220 | $41,120 | $78,830 | $41,046 | $38,356 |
| Oregon | 1,000 | $49,210 | $39,480 | $76,750 | $38,282 | $37,037 |
| Maryland | 1,060 | $48,700 | $37,100 | $64,830 | $39,363 | $37,503 |
| Arizona | 1,400 | $48,210 | $39,890 | $75,300 | $40,105 | $39,836 |
| Minnesota | 1,490 | $48,020 | $36,920 | $67,490 | $38,802 | $39,345 |
| Georgia | 2,290 | $48,010 | $36,800 | $74,120 | $39,109 | $40,614 |
| South Carolina | 890 | $48,000 | $36,240 | $73,890 | $39,881 | $42,540 |
| Rhode Island | 350 | $47,400 | $38,480 | $77,130 | $38,584 | $37,724 |
| Colorado | 1,520 | $47,310 | $38,900 | $66,160 | $38,612 | $37,469 |
| Maine | 350 | $47,220 | $39,110 | $60,190 | $38,364 | $39,531 |
| Montana | 330 | $47,050 | $36,240 | $64,730 | $38,530 | $40,710 |
| Nevada | 960 | $46,910 | $38,090 | $84,660 | $39,872 | $39,881 |
| Delaware | 270 | $46,220 | $31,200 | $60,790 | $37,245 | $37,316 |
| Pennsylvania | 2,230 | $45,450 | $36,160 | $58,450 | $37,272 | $38,199 |
| North Dakota | 230 | $45,230 | $37,220 | $56,100 | $38,522 | $43,303 |
| Wisconsin | 1,430 | $44,820 | $36,680 | $60,320 | $36,871 | $39,185 |
| Iowa | 920 | $44,480 | $37,270 | $53,790 | $36,881 | $42,024 |
| Kentucky | 950 | $44,290 | $30,190 | $65,130 | $36,334 | $40,300 |
| Illinois | 3,250 | $43,960 | $37,080 | $62,830 | $35,471 | $35,486 |
| Idaho | 530 | $43,950 | $34,730 | $75,300 | $36,273 | $37,984 |
| South Dakota | 430 | $43,400 | $32,390 | $49,730 | $37,052 | $41,826 |
| Arkansas | 690 | $42,880 | $30,100 | $73,890 | $35,535 | $40,875 |
| Utah | 700 | $41,780 | $35,680 | $76,750 | $34,551 | $34,948 |
| Michigan | 3,080 | $41,180 | $34,610 | $52,090 | $33,769 | $35,096 |
| Kansas | 630 | $40,140 | $36,050 | $48,480 | $32,992 | $36,631 |
| Nebraska | 870 | $39,830 | $35,800 | $52,670 | $33,251 | $36,903 |
| Indiana | 2,010 | $39,370 | $31,930 | $49,960 | $32,682 | $35,018 |
| Wyoming | 130 | $39,100 | $33,110 | $53,840 | $33,597 | $36,246 |
| New Mexico | 340 | $39,090 | $31,010 | $72,920 | $32,875 | $35,652 |
| Missouri | 1,600 | $38,750 | $34,110 | $54,810 | $32,432 | $35,711 |
| Texas | 6,700 | $38,720 | $29,970 | $58,240 | $33,292 | $34,301 |
| West Virginia | 350 | $38,120 | $31,250 | $52,370 | $31,826 | $35,560 |
| Oklahoma | 730 | $37,940 | $29,530 | $54,310 | $31,503 | $35,863 |
| Alabama | 880 | $36,880 | $31,000 | $47,720 | $30,321 | $34,137 |
| Mississippi | 560 | $36,680 | $28,180 | $47,210 | $30,917 | $35,556 |
| Louisiana | 720 | $36,360 | $28,840 | $46,870 | $30,691 | $34,794 |
| Puerto Rico | 1,380 | $28,980 | $22,690 | $44,340 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 29-2081. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.