Dental Laboratory Technicians
Median $49,610
Occupation · SOC 51-9083
Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians: pay and where the jobs are
What ophthalmic laboratory technicians earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$39,460 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $43,190
- Median hourly wage
- $18.97
- Mean hourly wage
- $20.76
- Employment
- 18,660
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 51-9083.
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See where your pay falls among ophthalmic laboratory technicians nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do ophthalmic laboratory technicians make?
The median annual wage for ophthalmic laboratory technicians was $39,460 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $33,530 and the highest-paid 10% more than $57,380. As an hourly rate, the median is $18.97. About 18,660 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Connecticut ($62,410), New Hampshire ($59,460) and Washington ($49,230). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in New Hampshire.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for ophthalmic laboratory technicians looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $33,530 | $16.12 | $2,794 | $2,427 |
| 25th percentile | $36,470 | $17.53 | $3,039 | $2,624 |
| Median | $39,460 | $18.97 | $3,288 | $2,824 |
| 75th percentile | $47,010 | $22.60 | $3,918 | $3,329 |
| 90th percentile | $57,380 | $27.59 | $4,782 | $4,024 |
Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians: pay by state
41 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$47,959 take-home in national prices
2
$47,613 take-home in national prices
3
$41,572 take-home in national prices
Where a median ophthalmic laboratory technician paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | 170 | $62,410 | $49,400 | $130,460 | $49,332 | $47,613 |
| New Hampshire | 180 | $59,460 | $38,170 | $80,370 | $49,956 | $47,959 |
| Washington | 260 | $49,230 | $42,240 | $59,490 | $41,053 | $38,363 |
| Colorado | 320 | $48,540 | $42,940 | $63,610 | $39,541 | $38,370 |
| Rhode Island | 70 | $47,440 | $36,490 | $60,360 | $38,614 | $37,753 |
| New Jersey | Not published | $47,420 | $35,800 | $48,400 | $38,820 | $35,679 |
| California | 1,630 | $47,410 | $38,230 | $79,960 | $38,773 | $35,019 |
| Maryland | 360 | $47,100 | $33,590 | $60,410 | $38,154 | $36,351 |
| Ohio | 560 | $46,320 | $37,180 | $48,480 | $38,568 | $41,572 |
| Oregon | 250 | $45,780 | $38,650 | $58,630 | $35,810 | $34,646 |
| Michigan | 330 | $45,490 | $36,620 | $49,380 | $37,049 | $38,505 |
| Georgia | 960 | $45,050 | $35,300 | $53,330 | $36,878 | $38,298 |
| Kansas | Not published | $44,920 | $37,960 | $45,990 | $36,566 | $40,599 |
| North Carolina | 210 | $44,140 | $33,890 | $57,630 | $36,394 | $38,583 |
| Maine | 50 | $43,520 | $32,750 | $61,270 | $35,625 | $36,707 |
| Massachusetts | Not published | $43,100 | $36,570 | $64,770 | $34,678 | $32,790 |
| Wisconsin | 200 | $42,920 | $32,900 | $48,690 | $35,438 | $37,662 |
| New York | 1,250 | $42,450 | $35,170 | $49,370 | $34,379 | $31,855 |
| Nebraska | 170 | $40,640 | $36,370 | $50,250 | $33,865 | $37,584 |
| Minnesota | 1,110 | $40,280 | $34,020 | $49,570 | $33,031 | $33,493 |
| Nevada | 240 | $38,990 | $34,030 | $49,230 | $33,508 | $33,516 |
| Missouri | 360 | $38,740 | $30,690 | $49,450 | $32,424 | $35,703 |
| Arizona | 150 | $38,620 | $34,490 | $51,890 | $32,639 | $32,420 |
| New Mexico | 130 | $38,590 | $31,010 | $58,240 | $32,495 | $35,239 |
| Florida | 1,230 | $38,020 | $33,580 | $51,160 | $32,729 | $31,649 |
| Texas | 3,380 | $37,920 | $30,710 | $46,220 | $32,649 | $33,639 |
| Pennsylvania | 510 | $37,680 | $30,160 | $49,750 | $31,273 | $32,051 |
| Tennessee | 130 | $37,370 | $33,880 | $51,750 | $32,207 | $35,057 |
| Indiana | 330 | $37,360 | $34,200 | $58,050 | $31,126 | $33,351 |
| Louisiana | 300 | $37,160 | $30,880 | $45,530 | $31,310 | $35,495 |
| West Virginia | Not published | $37,140 | $30,200 | $41,600 | $31,069 | $34,715 |
| Arkansas | 170 | $37,060 | $31,290 | $44,990 | $31,074 | $35,743 |
| Alabama | 190 | $37,010 | $26,760 | $43,620 | $30,420 | $34,248 |
| Illinois | 830 | $36,840 | $35,300 | $47,990 | $30,102 | $30,115 |
| Kentucky | 610 | $36,650 | $28,860 | $47,150 | $30,463 | $33,788 |
| Oklahoma | 210 | $35,620 | $29,830 | $50,420 | $29,743 | $33,860 |
| Mississippi | 220 | $35,230 | $27,460 | $46,110 | $29,810 | $34,283 |
| Virginia | 470 | $34,170 | $30,670 | $55,860 | $28,485 | $28,174 |
| South Carolina | 130 | $34,140 | $24,870 | $68,910 | $29,231 | $31,180 |
| Iowa | 100 | $33,910 | $30,360 | $52,690 | $28,790 | $32,805 |
| Puerto Rico | 1,360 | $24,420 | $24,420 | $35,100 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 51-9083. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.