Pay by state · 52 states
Optician, Dispensing Salary by State (2026)
Opticians, Dispensing earn the most in Connecticut at $75,300 a year and the least in Puerto Rico at $28,980 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $47,260. All 52 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $75,300Connecticut
- National median
- $47,260BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $28,980Puerto Rico
- States reporting
- 52of 54 OEWS areas
All states
Optician, Dispensing salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of opticians, dispensing OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CTConnecticut | $75,300 | $56,010 | $81,300 | 610 | $72,676 |
| 2 | HIHawaii | $75,300 | $58,310 | $76,940 | 110 | $68,485 |
| 3 | NJNew Jersey | $72,460 | $62,760 | $80,720 | 2,010 | $66,596 |
| 4 | MAMassachusetts | $67,210 | $54,290 | $79,670 | 1,360 | $63,551 |
| 5 | NYNew York | $63,880 | $50,500 | $73,580 | 3,520 | $59,191 |
| 6 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $61,310 | $48,040 | $65,680 | 80 | $55,787 |
| 7 | FLFlorida | $58,850 | $45,400 | $66,960 | 5,080 | $56,907 |
| 8 | AKAlaska | $58,250 | $40,450 | $74,880 | 90 | $56,908 |
| 9 | CACalifornia | $57,990 | $47,050 | $77,460 | 7,840 | $52,375 |
| 10 | VTVermont | $57,350 | $46,550 | $68,080 | 70 | $58,545 |
| 11 | VAVirginia | $55,820 | $43,730 | $63,950 | 1,860 | $55,210 |
| 12 | NHNew Hampshire | $51,980 | $46,710 | $59,370 | 440 | $49,902 |
| 13 | OHOhio | $50,500 | $40,620 | $60,430 | 2,960 | $54,433 |
| 14 | NCNorth Carolina | $50,190 | $38,620 | $73,080 | 2,020 | $53,209 |
| 15 | TNTennessee | $49,840 | $37,620 | $63,100 | 1,530 | $54,251 |
| 16 | WAWashington | $49,220 | $46,240 | $60,250 | 2,100 | $45,994 |
| 17 | OROregon | $49,210 | $45,740 | $59,060 | 1,000 | $47,610 |
| 18 | MDMaryland | $48,700 | $42,070 | $59,820 | 1,060 | $46,399 |
| 19 | AZArizona | $48,210 | $44,640 | $58,670 | 1,400 | $47,886 |
| 20 | MNMinnesota | $48,020 | $42,310 | $56,420 | 1,490 | $48,691 |
| 21 | GAGeorgia | $48,010 | $41,880 | $64,620 | 2,290 | $49,858 |
| 22 | SCSouth Carolina | $48,000 | $39,320 | $61,360 | 890 | $51,201 |
| 23 | RIRhode Island | $47,400 | $45,700 | $60,780 | 350 | $46,343 |
| 24 | COColorado | $47,310 | $44,160 | $58,540 | 1,520 | $45,909 |
| 25 | MEMaine | $47,220 | $40,740 | $50,850 | 350 | $48,655 |
| 26 | MTMontana | $47,050 | $40,330 | $54,560 | 330 | $49,712 |
| 27 | NVNevada | $46,910 | $46,010 | $79,140 | 960 | $46,920 |
| 28 | DEDelaware | $46,220 | $37,850 | $49,300 | 270 | $46,309 |
| 29 | PAPennsylvania | $45,450 | $38,460 | $49,620 | 2,230 | $46,581 |
| 30 | NDNorth Dakota | $45,230 | $38,240 | $48,270 | 230 | $50,844 |
| 31 | WIWisconsin | $44,820 | $38,090 | $48,880 | 1,430 | $47,633 |
| 32 | IAIowa | $44,480 | $38,570 | $46,570 | 920 | $50,683 |
| 33 | KYKentucky | $44,290 | $36,770 | $59,340 | 950 | $49,124 |
| 34 | ILIllinois | $43,960 | $38,190 | $47,850 | 3,250 | $43,978 |
| 35 | IDIdaho | $43,950 | $37,940 | $52,030 | 530 | $46,024 |
| 36 | SDSouth Dakota | $43,400 | $36,640 | $46,190 | 430 | $48,992 |
| 37 | ARArkansas | $42,880 | $35,800 | $59,240 | 690 | $49,323 |
| 38 | UTUtah | $41,780 | $36,850 | $51,670 | 700 | $42,260 |
| 39 | MIMichigan | $41,180 | $37,490 | $45,850 | 3,080 | $42,799 |
| 40 | KSKansas | $40,140 | $37,110 | $46,260 | 630 | $44,566 |
| 41 | NENebraska | $39,830 | $36,810 | $47,570 | 870 | $44,205 |
| 42 | INIndiana | $39,370 | $36,750 | $45,000 | 2,010 | $42,184 |
| 43 | WYWyoming | $39,100 | $34,190 | $45,010 | 130 | $42,183 |
| 44 | NMNew Mexico | $39,090 | $36,050 | $47,400 | 340 | $42,391 |
| 45 | MOMissouri | $38,750 | $36,050 | $46,680 | 1,600 | $42,668 |
| 46 | TXTexas | $38,720 | $35,290 | $47,840 | 6,700 | $39,894 |
| 47 | WVWest Virginia | $38,120 | $33,340 | $46,630 | 350 | $42,594 |
| 48 | OKOklahoma | $37,940 | $33,700 | $46,070 | 730 | $43,191 |
| 49 | ALAlabama | $36,880 | $34,370 | $41,490 | 880 | $41,521 |
| 50 | MSMississippi | $36,680 | $30,670 | $42,880 | 560 | $42,184 |
| 51 | LALouisiana | $36,360 | $32,110 | $41,150 | 720 | $41,221 |
| 52 | PRPuerto Rico | $28,980 | $23,490 | $34,660 | 1,380 | N/A |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For Opticians, Dispensing, that changes the ranking: Connecticut leads on raw pay at $75,300, while Connecticut leads once prices are taken into account at $72,676.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Optician, Dispensing pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Opticians, Dispensing the most?
Connecticut reports the highest median wage for Opticians, Dispensing at $75,300 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Hawaii ($75,300) and New Jersey ($72,460).
Which state pays Opticians, Dispensing the least?
Puerto Rico reports the lowest median for Opticians, Dispensing at $28,980 a year, $46,320 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Opticians, Dispensing earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts Connecticut first at $72,676 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $75,300. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.