How much do opticians make in 2026?
Opticians earn a national median of $47,260 a year ($22.72 an hour) per BLS OEWS May 2025 (SOC 29-2081). The bottom 10% earn about $35,610 and the top 10% reach $76,750, a wide top end for a role with no degree requirement, because optical dispensing is partly a sales function and commission-based earnings are common. Certification is the main formal lever: the American Board of Opticianry credential and the contact-lens registry credential are what medical ophthalmology and optometry practices hire for, and licensed opticians in the roughly twenty states that regulate the occupation sit above the unlicensed retail band. Optical managers occupy the top decile. Employment is projected to grow 2.9% through 2034 with roughly 6,800 openings a year. → Full optician career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $47,260 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Opticians earn a national median $47,260/yr ($22.72/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 29-2081); the P10 to P90 range is $35,610 to $76,750.
- The top of the optician range is unusually high for a non-degree role because dispensing carries commission and optical-sales incentives on top of an hourly rate.
- ABO certification and the contact-lens registry credential are what medical optometry and ophthalmology practices hire for, and roughly twenty states licence the occupation outright.
- BLS projects only 2.9% growth through 2034 with roughly 6,800 openings a year, as online eyewear retail absorbs part of the dispensing volume.
US Optician Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do opticians earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 29-2081; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 29-2081, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does an optician earn at each career stage?
Optician pay follows certification, state licensure and whether the setting is retail or medical. Each median below is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 29-2081.
By State
Which states pay opticians the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates — the BLS national median scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index — not BLS state observations. Roughly twenty states licence dispensing opticians and the rest do not, and that regulatory split affects pay more than the local wage level does: in licensing states the credential is a legal requirement rather than a preference.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($54,350), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
optician pay by state — all 1 state guide
By Metro
Which cities pay opticians the most?
Modeled metro estimates: the national median scaled by the state wage index and then by the published metro index for that state. They estimate local wage levels and exclude commission, so they understate earnings in sales-heavy settings.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise an optician’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does optician pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Opticians sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify optician wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does an optician actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Optician Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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