Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians Salary: $55,813 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 18,740 ophthalmic laboratory technicians nationally earn a mean of $55,813. Employment in the series shown fell about 22% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 3.1% annual decline.
Key Statistics
Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians: what the data shows
Common questions about ophthalmic laboratory technicians careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a ophthalmic laboratory technicians?
Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 51-9083.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 18,740 workers.
What does a ophthalmic laboratory technicians do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Getting Information, Handling and Moving Objects, Controlling Machines and Processes, Working with Computers, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a ophthalmic laboratory technicians make?
BLS national median annual wage: $38,420 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $55,813 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $39,028 |
| 25th percentile | $41,213 |
| Median (50th) | $50,714 |
| 75th percentile | $69,828 |
| 90th percentile | $79,462 |
What education do you need?
For Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Operation and Control, Time Management, Quality Control Analysis, Operations Monitoring, Monitoring, Critical Thinking, and knowledge areas including Production and Processing, Mechanical, Mathematics, Customer and Personal Service. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is ophthalmic laboratory technicians in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 3.1% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -14.6%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -27.1%.
Current U.S. headcount: 18,740.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do ophthalmic laboratory technicianss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 18,740 | 19.7% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 18,630 | 19.6% |
| Manufacturing | 7,780 | 8.2% |
| Miscellaneous Manufacturing | 6,420 | 6.7% |
| Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing | 6,420 | 6.7% |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 4,750 | 5.0% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Sound Engineering Technicians | 13,050 | $66,430 |
| Helpers--Production Workers | 167,490 | $38,220 |
| Industrial Engineers | 350,230 | $101,140 |
| Dental Laboratory Technicians | 33,920 | $48,310 |
| Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks | 385,000 | $57,770 |
| Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists | — | — |
| Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians | — | — |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians workforce.
Employment Over Time
18,740 Workforce in 2023
The Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$55,813 Average Wage
In 2023, Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians earned an average of $55,813.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians.
Salary distribution for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians.
Employment Growth Projections
-3.1% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
4,031 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -14.6%
3,442 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -27.1%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians.
Wage Trends by Industry
-10.1% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Total, All Industry: 8.8% growth (Current: $64,582)
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 890 employees, $59,965 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 450 employees, $61,006 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 270 employees, $56,872 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 140 employees, $64,582 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 30 employees, $50,632 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians.
Diversity
Demographic information on Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians in 2023 was 18,740 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians in 2023 were Business Administration, Technical Training, Engineering.
Common majors for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians workers.
Education level distribution for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians.
Skills
Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians need many skills, but most especially Operation and Control, Time Management, Quality Control Analysis, Operations Monitoring, Monitoring.
Required skills for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians include Production and Processing, Mechanical, Mathematics, Customer and Personal Service, Administration and Management.
Knowledge areas required for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians include Near Vision, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Finger Dexterity, Manual Dexterity, Control Precision.
Required abilities for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians.
Daily Activities
Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians spend their time on activities such as Getting Information, Handling and Moving Objects, Controlling Machines and Processes, Working with Computers, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge.
Most important work activities for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians.
About
Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians
The average yearly wage for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians was $55,813 in 2023.
SOC Code
51-9083 - Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians reports an average salary of $55,813.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 18,740 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -3.1%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.