Opticians, Dispensing pay in the U.S.
$51,770avg. a year
$24.89 an hour · 73,530 employed
Opticians, Dispensing in the U.S. earn an average of $51,770 a year and a median of $47,260. Pay is highest in New Jersey ($69,680) and lowest in Mississippi ($37,590).
$47,260Median pay
$24.89Average hourly
+25%Avg. pay since 2020
73,530Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for opticians, dispensing
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
12,010 jobs
New Jersey
$69,680
$33.50 an hour
2610 jobs
Connecticut
$69,290
$33.31 an hour
31,360 jobs
Massachusetts
$67,520
$32.46 an hour
4110 jobs
Hawaii
$67,390
$32.40 an hour
53,520 jobs
New York
$64,830
$31.17 an hour
670 jobs
Vermont
$62,790
$30.19 an hour
780 jobs
District of Columbia
$61,790
$29.71 an hour
87,840 jobs
California
$61,070
$29.36 an hour
990 jobs
Alaska
$57,900
$27.84 an hour
10960 jobs
Nevada
$56,700
$27.26 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Opticians, Dispensing pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
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Under $44k$44k–$50k$50k–$55k$55k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | $74,410 | $35.77 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $70,420 | $33.85 |
| Syracuse, NY | $70,310 | $33.80 |
| New Haven, CT | $68,050 | $32.71 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $67,940 | $32.66 |
| Worcester, MA | $67,850 | $32.62 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $66,940 | $32.18 |
| Trenton-Princeton, NJ | $66,760 | $32.10 |
Related jobs
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Opticians, Dispensing pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $38,710 | $36,880 | 880 |
| Alaska | $57,900 | $58,250 | 90 |
| Arizona | $53,070 | $48,210 | 1,400 |
| Arkansas | $47,910 | $42,880 | 690 |
| California | $61,070 | $57,990 | 7,840 |
| Colorado | $51,210 | $47,310 | 1,520 |
| Connecticut | $69,290 | $75,300 | 610 |
| Delaware | $46,190 | $46,220 | 270 |
| District of Columbia | $61,790 | $61,310 | 80 |
| Florida | $56,560 | $58,850 | 5,080 |
| Georgia | $53,570 | $48,010 | 2,290 |
| Hawaii | $67,390 | $75,300 | 110 |
| Idaho | $49,950 | $43,950 | 530 |
| Illinois | $46,020 | $43,960 | 3,250 |
| Indiana | $41,390 | $39,370 | 2,010 |
| Iowa | $44,570 | $44,480 | 920 |
| Kansas | $42,660 | $40,140 | 630 |
| Kentucky | $47,050 | $44,290 | 950 |
| Louisiana | $37,840 | $36,360 | 720 |
| Maine | $48,080 | $47,220 | 350 |
| Maryland | $51,270 | $48,700 | 1,060 |
| Massachusetts | $67,520 | $67,210 | 1,360 |
| Michigan | $43,530 | $41,180 | 3,080 |
| Minnesota | $50,370 | $48,020 | 1,490 |
| Mississippi | $37,590 | $36,680 | 560 |
| Missouri | $43,900 | $38,750 | 1,600 |
| Montana | $49,220 | $47,050 | 330 |
| Nebraska | $42,810 | $39,830 | 870 |
| Nevada | $56,700 | $46,910 | 960 |
| New Hampshire | $54,080 | $51,980 | 440 |
| New Jersey | $69,680 | $72,460 | 2,010 |
| New Mexico | $43,750 | $39,090 | 340 |
| New York | $64,830 | $63,880 | 3,520 |
| North Carolina | $55,810 | $50,190 | 2,020 |
| North Dakota | $45,640 | $45,230 | 230 |
| Ohio | $51,200 | $50,500 | 2,960 |
| Oklahoma | $40,500 | $37,940 | 730 |
| Oregon | $53,510 | $49,210 | 1,000 |
| Pennsylvania | $46,330 | $45,450 | 2,230 |
| Rhode Island | $54,140 | $47,400 | 350 |
| South Carolina | $51,010 | $48,000 | 890 |
| South Dakota | $42,560 | $43,400 | 430 |
| Tennessee | $51,920 | $49,840 | 1,530 |
| Texas | $42,650 | $38,720 | 6,700 |
| Utah | $47,020 | $41,780 | 700 |
| Vermont | $62,790 | $57,350 | 70 |
| Virginia | $55,110 | $55,820 | 1,860 |
| Washington | $55,010 | $49,220 | 2,100 |
| West Virginia | $40,470 | $38,120 | 350 |
| Wisconsin | $46,000 | $44,820 | 1,430 |
| Wyoming | $41,050 | $39,100 | 130 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$67,940
3,460 jobsLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
$59,720
3,070 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
$47,180
2,420 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
$45,600
2,070 jobsHouston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
$41,530
1,660 jobsDetroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
$44,380
1,470 jobsAtlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
$56,350
1,380 jobsMiami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
$57,580
1,250 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do opticians, dispensing make?
The average is $51,770 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $47,260 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $24.89, and the median is $22.72 an hour.
Which state pays opticians, dispensing the most?
New Jersey, with an average of $69,680 a year. The best-paying metro area is Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT at $74,410.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $35,610 a year, and the top 10% earn over $76,750.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 29-2081. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.