Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2006

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. Include precision lens polishers or grinders, centerer-edgers, and lens mounters. Exclude "Opticians, Dispensing" (29-2081).

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area 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)
29,130 3.8 % $13.35 $27,770 1.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $8.38 $9.86 $12.24 $15.82 $19.98
Annual Wage (2) $17,440 $20,520 $25,460 $32,910 $41,560

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 Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Health and Personal Care Stores 8,800 $12.27 $25,510
Offices of Other Health Practitioners 3,190 $12.24 $25,470
Offices of Physicians 3,170 $15.79 $32,850
Professional and Commercial Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers 2,390 $12.08 $25,120
Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing 1,570 $16.86 $35,070

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals 40 $20.11 $41,830
Federal Executive Branch (OES designation) 40 $20.03 $41,650
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 90 $19.20 $39,930
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 130 $17.68 $36,770
Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing 140 $17.48 $36,370

State profile for this occupation: Top

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

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
Mississippi 440 $12.21 $25,400 0.040%
New Mexico 290 $13.86 $28,820 0.037%
Texas 3,370 $13.27 $27,610 0.035%
Oklahoma 530 $11.31 $23,520 0.035%
Tennessee 890 $11.51 $23,940 0.033%

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
Colorado 340 $16.18 $33,640 0.015%
Connecticut 420 $16.16 $33,620 0.025%
Michigan 750 $15.89 $33,060 0.017%
Washington 470 $15.31 $31,850 0.017%
Arizona 700 $15.13 $31,470 0.027%

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

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

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
St. Cloud, MN 200 $11.49 $23,910 0.206%
Rochester, NY 800 $11.92 $24,800 0.161%
Lancaster, PA 330 $15.89 $33,050 0.144%
Green Bay, WI 230 $13.74 $28,580 0.139%
Pascagoula, MS 70 $10.45 $21,730 0.134%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Baltimore-Towson, MD 330 $19.19 $39,920 0.026%
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT 140 $19.18 $39,900 0.033%
San Antonio, TX 990 $19.17 $39,880 0.125%
Ann Arbor, MI 100 $18.58 $38,650 0.051%
Orlando-Kissimmee, FL (8) $18.51 $38,500 (8)

About May 2006 National, State, Metropolitan, and nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

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

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. 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 mean 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.

(8) Estimate not released.

Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2006 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2006 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2006 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2006 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2006 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: December 6, 2007