Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2017

51-9083 Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians

Cut, grind, and polish eyeglasses, contact lenses, or other precision optical elements. Assemble and mount lenses into frames or process other optical elements. Includes precision lens polishers or grinders, centerer-edgers, and lens mounters. Excludes "Opticians, Dispensing" (29-2081).


National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
30,100 3.8 % $16.36 $34,030 1.1 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $10.49 $12.35 $14.88 $18.81 $24.21
Annual Wage (2) $21,810 $25,680 $30,960 $39,130 $50,360


Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing 9,290 3.04 $15.94 $33,150
Health and Personal Care Stores 9,270 0.86 $15.05 $31,310
Offices of Other Health Practitioners 4,150 0.47 $16.20 $33,700
Offices of Physicians 2,220 0.09 $19.28 $40,100
Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing 2,080 2.33 $20.89 $43,440

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing 9,290 3.04 $15.94 $33,150
Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing 2,080 2.33 $20.89 $43,440
Health and Personal Care Stores 9,270 0.86 $15.05 $31,310
Offices of Other Health Practitioners 4,150 0.47 $16.20 $33,700
Professional and Commercial Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers 2,030 0.33 $15.97 $33,210

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Outpatient Care Centers (8) (8) $23.92 $49,750
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 110 0.01 $22.66 $47,130
Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing 2,080 2.33 $20.89 $43,440
Offices of Physicians 2,220 0.09 $19.28 $40,100
Management of Companies and Enterprises 100 (7) $17.52 $36,450


Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Florida 3,400 0.40 1.91 $14.32 $29,780
New York 3,040 0.33 1.56 $17.95 $37,330
Texas 2,840 0.24 1.13 $14.98 $31,170
California 2,430 0.15 0.69 $17.69 $36,800
Minnesota 1,740 0.61 2.90 $15.77 $32,810




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Minnesota 1,740 0.61 2.90 $15.77 $32,810
Utah 570 0.40 1.90 (8) (8)
Florida 3,400 0.40 1.91 $14.32 $29,780
Rhode Island 170 0.37 1.73 $17.30 $35,980
New York 3,040 0.33 1.56 $17.95 $37,330




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Iowa 220 0.15 0.69 $25.78 $53,630
Vermont 90 0.28 1.33 $24.71 $51,390
Connecticut 350 0.21 1.01 $23.52 $48,910
Idaho 30 0.05 0.24 $21.20 $44,110
Colorado 640 0.25 1.19 $19.18 $39,900



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Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Jersey City-White Plains, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 1,450 0.22 1.02 $19.06 $39,640
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 1,210 0.49 2.30 $15.75 $32,760
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL 1,100 0.86 4.08 $14.34 $29,830
Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, IL Metropolitan Division 1,080 0.30 1.40 $19.65 $40,870
St. Cloud, MN 990 9.43 44.68 $15.48 $32,190
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 670 0.35 1.64 $16.33 $33,960
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 670 0.15 0.72 $16.22 $33,740
Rochester, NY 660 1.29 6.12 $16.19 $33,680
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX 560 0.56 2.63 $13.96 $29,040
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 510 0.20 0.93 $15.25 $31,730


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Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
St. Cloud, MN 990 9.43 44.68 $15.48 $32,190
Rochester, NY 660 1.29 6.12 $16.19 $33,680
Boulder, CO 160 0.91 4.29 $22.08 $45,920
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL 1,100 0.86 4.08 $14.34 $29,830
Syracuse, NY 240 0.81 3.82 $13.71 $28,520
Topeka, KS 80 0.75 3.54 $15.66 $32,580
Salt Lake City, UT 430 0.62 2.92 (8) (8)
Jacksonville, FL 400 0.60 2.83 $16.58 $34,490
Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, MS 90 0.60 2.83 $14.90 $30,990
Jonesboro, AR 30 0.58 2.76 $11.54 $24,000


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Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT 200 0.48 2.29 $27.71 $57,640
Nashua, NH-MA NECTA Division 30 0.24 1.16 $23.49 $48,860
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA 60 0.20 0.96 $22.89 $47,610
Boulder, CO 160 0.91 4.29 $22.08 $45,920
Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY (8) (8) (8) $21.22 $44,140
Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN 110 0.10 0.49 $20.95 $43,570
Silver Spring-Frederick-Rockville, MD Metropolitan Division (8) (8) (8) $20.85 $43,360
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY 110 0.25 1.18 $20.68 $43,020
Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL (8) (8) (8) $20.65 $42,940
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA (8) (8) (8) $20.11 $41,840

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southern Vermont nonmetropolitan area 80 0.79 3.72 $24.86 $51,700
Southwest Kansas nonmetropolitan area 30 0.45 2.12 $16.46 $34,240
East Tennessee nonmetropolitan area 30 0.25 1.19 $15.69 $32,630

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southern Vermont nonmetropolitan area 80 0.79 3.72 $24.86 $51,700
Southwest Kansas nonmetropolitan area 30 0.45 2.12 $16.46 $34,240
East Tennessee nonmetropolitan area 30 0.25 1.19 $15.69 $32,630

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southern Vermont nonmetropolitan area 80 0.79 3.72 $24.86 $51,700
Balance of Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $18.86 $39,220
Southwest Kansas nonmetropolitan area 30 0.45 2.12 $16.46 $34,240
East Tennessee nonmetropolitan area 30 0.25 1.19 $15.69 $32,630
East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $15.46 $32,160


About May 2017 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate--50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2017 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2017 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2017 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2017 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2017 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 30, 2018