Pay by state · 51 states
Photonics Technician Salary by State (2026)
Photonics Technicians earn the most in Maine at $107,060 a year and the least in Puerto Rico at $43,640 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $78,350. All 51 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $107,060Maine
- National median
- $78,350BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $43,640Puerto Rico
- States reporting
- 51of 54 OEWS areas
All states
Photonics Technician salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of photonics technicians OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MEMaine | $107,060 | $92,100 | $120,430 | 810 | $110,314 |
| 2 | NMNew Mexico | $101,750 | $98,520 | $119,350 | 1,390 | $110,344 |
| 3 | MDMaryland | $99,970 | $77,770 | $122,870 | 2,630 | $95,247 |
| 4 | WAWashington | $99,720 | $79,000 | $116,210 | 2,310 | $93,185 |
| 5 | VAVirginia | $98,410 | $79,620 | $110,930 | 3,720 | $97,335 |
| 6 | RIRhode Island | $94,570 | $77,510 | $108,230 | 380 | $92,462 |
| 7 | NVNevada | $93,670 | $78,870 | $107,090 | 590 | $93,690 |
| 8 | HIHawaii | $90,040 | $69,860 | $107,930 | 410 | $81,891 |
| 9 | AKAlaska | $89,810 | $62,620 | $106,870 | 380 | $87,740 |
| 10 | INIndiana | $88,880 | $76,060 | $107,720 | 480 | $95,233 |
| 11 | NJNew Jersey | $87,450 | $64,760 | $113,550 | 880 | $80,373 |
| 12 | GUGuam | $81,330 | $76,400 | $91,560 | 100 | N/A |
| 13 | OKOklahoma | $81,330 | $64,730 | $96,100 | 870 | $92,586 |
| 14 | WVWest Virginia | $81,330 | $61,110 | $95,570 | 450 | $90,875 |
| 15 | MNMinnesota | $81,290 | $69,900 | $93,660 | 670 | $82,427 |
| 16 | NDNorth Dakota | $80,990 | $63,210 | $102,400 | 100 | $91,042 |
| 17 | SCSouth Carolina | $80,540 | $61,410 | $98,520 | 620 | $85,910 |
| 18 | CACalifornia | $80,480 | $63,250 | $104,600 | 7,330 | $72,688 |
| 19 | ILIllinois | $79,800 | $64,840 | $93,470 | 940 | $79,834 |
| 20 | WYWyoming | $79,440 | $66,800 | $93,790 | 130 | $85,704 |
| 21 | UTUtah | $79,370 | $67,800 | $95,750 | 920 | $80,282 |
| 22 | MSMississippi | $79,350 | $63,130 | $91,170 | 350 | $91,256 |
| 23 | OHOhio | $77,590 | $60,800 | $95,900 | 1,340 | $83,633 |
| 24 | OROregon | $76,960 | $60,060 | $86,490 | 1,010 | $74,457 |
| 25 | NHNew Hampshire | $76,720 | $62,210 | $95,650 | 340 | $73,652 |
| 26 | COColorado | $76,110 | $59,900 | $88,090 | 1,260 | $73,856 |
| 27 | DEDelaware | $75,780 | $63,210 | $76,140 | N/A | $75,926 |
| 28 | WIWisconsin | $74,940 | $58,890 | $91,170 | 480 | $79,643 |
| 29 | CTConnecticut | $74,870 | $61,170 | $98,260 | 1,300 | $72,261 |
| 30 | ALAlabama | $74,650 | $47,640 | $96,310 | 690 | $84,044 |
| 31 | MIMichigan | $73,960 | $51,920 | $84,100 | 1,130 | $76,868 |
| 32 | TXTexas | $73,860 | $52,120 | $98,280 | 7,110 | $76,100 |
| 33 | MOMissouri | $72,320 | $61,970 | $88,980 | 590 | $79,633 |
| 34 | NCNorth Carolina | $72,070 | $53,670 | $84,930 | 1,530 | $76,405 |
| 35 | FLFlorida | $70,500 | $54,580 | $89,230 | 2,820 | $68,173 |
| 36 | PAPennsylvania | $68,930 | $49,590 | $86,900 | 1,610 | $70,645 |
| 37 | GAGeorgia | $68,370 | $52,670 | $87,320 | 1,890 | $71,002 |
| 38 | ARArkansas | $68,060 | $50,140 | $79,440 | 230 | $78,287 |
| 39 | MAMassachusetts | $67,450 | $51,040 | $83,090 | 990 | $63,778 |
| 40 | NENebraska | $67,200 | $50,970 | $82,000 | 260 | $74,581 |
| 41 | IDIdaho | $65,790 | $50,510 | $84,120 | 260 | $68,894 |
| 42 | MTMontana | $65,730 | $48,350 | $78,100 | 210 | $69,449 |
| 43 | KYKentucky | $65,660 | $42,680 | $78,850 | 380 | $72,827 |
| 44 | NYNew York | $65,530 | $51,260 | $80,690 | 2,000 | $60,720 |
| 45 | IAIowa | $63,120 | $50,860 | $79,220 | 380 | $71,922 |
| 46 | KSKansas | $61,710 | $60,390 | $72,330 | 920 | $68,515 |
| 47 | AZArizona | $59,580 | $49,010 | $78,050 | 990 | $59,179 |
| 48 | LALouisiana | $58,960 | $46,200 | $79,250 | 2,110 | $66,843 |
| 49 | TNTennessee | $58,700 | $45,290 | $81,950 | 990 | $63,895 |
| 50 | VTVermont | $52,770 | $52,040 | $63,860 | 130 | $53,870 |
| 51 | PRPuerto Rico | $43,640 | $37,820 | $61,320 | 80 | 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 Photonics Technicians, that changes the ranking: Maine leads on raw pay at $107,060, while New Mexico leads once prices are taken into account at $110,344.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Photonics Technician pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Photonics Technicians the most?
Maine reports the highest median wage for Photonics Technicians at $107,060 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by New Mexico ($101,750) and Maryland ($99,970).
Which state pays Photonics Technicians the least?
Puerto Rico reports the lowest median for Photonics Technicians at $43,640 a year, $63,420 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Photonics Technicians earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts New Mexico first at $110,344 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $101,750. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.