How much does an optician make?
a year · about $23 an hour
A typical optician in the United States makes $47,260 a year, about $23 an hour, about the same as a typical US worker (median, May 2025, US Bureau of Labor Statistics).
What do they do?
They read prescriptions, measure customers' eyes and faces, and help choose frames and lenses. Then they send lens instructions to a lab or cut lenses, adjust glasses, and teach contact-lens care.
Did you know? Some US opticians even help fit artificial eyes or special shells that cover an eye's blemishes.
Is that a lot?
Compared with jobs you knowIf 100 people had this job
Most earn between $35,610 and $76,750How do you become one?
In the US, finish high school, then learn at work or through an apprenticeship; some take a one- or two-year college course. Check state rules: some require a license and exams, and employers may prefer eyeglass or contact-lens certification.
School needed: Vocational school or a few years' experience
Good for people who like keeping things organized and building and doing
Why does pay differ?
In the US, pay can differ with experience, certificates or a state license, and whether an optician works in a store or a doctor's office. Location and full-time, part-time, evening, or weekend hours can matter too.
Where does it pay most?
Highest in Connecticut ($75,300), lowest in Louisiana ($36,360).
See every state
Top 5 and bottom 3 states, typical (median) yearly pay.
Jobs like this
Data table and sources
| Lower earner (10th from bottom) | Typical person (median) | Higher earner (10th from top) | People in this job |
|---|---|---|---|
| $35,610 | $47,260 | $76,750 | about 74,000 |
| State | Typical person (median) | People in this job |
|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | $75,300 | about 610 |
| New Jersey | $72,460 | about 2,000 |
| Massachusetts | $67,210 | about 1,000 |
| New York | $63,880 | about 4,000 |
| Florida | $58,850 | about 5,000 |
Official definition: 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.
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (bls.gov); descriptions and related jobs from O*NET 31.0. Figures as of May 2025, full-time yearly pay (hourly × 2,080 hours). bls.gov/oes · O*NET OnLine
Pages used for the text
- www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/opticians-dispensing.htm
- www.onetonline.org/link/summary/29-2081.00
- www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2015/article/wage-differences.htm
- www.mass.gov/info-details/dispensing-opticians-consumer-fact-sheet
Data: US BLS OEWS, May 2025 · 1 USD = 150 JPY