Opticians earn $47,260 nationally at the median. The middle 50% of workers fall between $38,820 and $61,700. Where you land depends on specialization, employer, and experience.
This page sets out what the federal data says about working as a opticians: what the job pays, how fast it is growing, and what it takes to get in. Most people arrive through a degree in Optometry & Vision and what it leads to, though it is not the only route.
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.
Also known as:
Most opticians take home around $47,260 a year, below what most graduates with a bachelor's make. Half earn somewhere between $38,820 and $61,700, so where you land depends a lot on employer, specialty and city. Think carefully about how much debt is worth taking on for it. Source: BLS.
A wage on its own says nothing about whether the degree behind it pays for itself, which is a question of lifetime earnings set against the total cost of getting there.
Below average for bachelor's degree holders.
25th to 75th percentile. Most workers earn within this band.
This is what the job actually looks like on a Tuesday: 5 core activities and 5 skills the work depends on. Read it before the salary, because pay matters less than whether you would want to spend your days doing this. Source: O*NET.
Success depends on precision and structured processes, where detail-oriented people who work consistently within established systems perform best.
Hands-on tasks, physical activity, or working with tools and real materials are central parts of the daily work here.
Leadership, influence, and business acumen are rewarded here, where managing teams, driving decisions, or persuading others shapes career outcomes.
What the physical and mental conditions of this job actually look like day to day, based on O*NET Work Context data collected from people working in this occupation.
Split between indoor and outdoor or field settings.
Mix of sitting and movement throughout the day.
Moderate pressure. Regular deadlines exist but are generally manageable with experience.
Through 2035 the BLS expects this field to change by +4.2%, meaning it is growing at about the same pace as everything else, so expect steady demand. Around 5,600 roles open up each year, which is the number that matters most if you are starting out. Source: BLS.
Growth rates are only meaningful next to other occupations, and the full list of careers with their projected growth puts this one in context.
About as fast as average.
New positions plus replacements for retirees and career-changers.
Total US employment as of BLS May 2025.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025–2035 and Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025.
The five states below employ the most Opticians professionals nationwide. State-level wages can differ significantly from the $47,260 national median. Research your specific market before committing to a program.
| # | State | Jobs | Median Wage | vs. National |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 7,840 | $57,990 | +22.7% |
| 2 | Texas | 6,700 | $38,720 | -18.1% |
| 3 | Florida | 5,080 | $58,850 | +24.5% |
| 4 | New York | 3,520 | $63,880 | +35.2% |
| 5 | Illinois | 3,250 | $43,960 | -7.0% |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Employment figures rounded. Read our methodology →
To get hired here you will usually need a high school diploma or equivalent. The program below is the most common route in, ordered by how many people actually graduate from each one.
A medium amount of preparation is required, often an associate degree, certificate program, or apprenticeship, plus some related experience.
| # | Program | Graduates/yr | 4yr Median | Colleges |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Optometry & Vision | 760 | — | 79 |
Colleges offering the degree programs that lead to this career, ranked by UCD Score. A strong program plus solid outcomes is a good place to begin your search.
| # | College | UCD Score | Net Price | Salary 10yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miami Dade College Miami, FL | 84 | $5,463 | $40,654 |
| 2 | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN | 83 | $16,778 | $69,020 |
| 3 | Edgecombe Community College Tarboro, NC | 81 | $0 | $33,267 |
| 4 | Wiregrass Georgia Technical College Valdosta, GA | 80 | $614 | $30,864 |
| 5 | Sandhills Community College Pinehurst, NC | 80 | $4,157 | $31,656 |
| 6 | Southwestern Community College Sylva, NC | 79 | $5,207 | $34,145 |
Once you've sized up Opticians, these tools turn the numbers into a plan. Estimate the real cost of a degree that leads here, weigh the long-term payoff, compare specific colleges side-by-side, and find programs that match your profile.
See if the degree that leads to Opticians pays off. Weighs each college's cost against the earnings graduates see.
Enter a budget and see the colleges whose net price fits, with the out-of-pocket cost and likely loan load for each.
Put any 2–4 colleges side-by-side. Admissions, cost, outcomes, and earnings, all on one screen, no tab-hopping.
Answer six quick questions and see your best-fit colleges ranked by budget, field of study, and what matters most to you.
The data on Opticians shows 2 measurable strengths and 1 real trade-offs. All points are drawn from BLS wage data, employment projections, and IPEDS program completions.
Air traffic controllers earn more than the typical bachelor's-degree career, with an associate degree. The occupations that pay six figures without four years of college.
Group every career by the degree it requires and master's-level jobs pay a median of about $91,000, statistically tied with bachelor's-level work. The premium hides in a few fields.
Only 106 of 393 federal careers both pay a median above $80,000 and grow faster than the typical job. Here is the rare set that clears both bars.
Browse our full directory: every college, major, program, and career we track, all built from verified government data.
Scout uses AI and can make mistakes. Verify important numbers on the page.
