Opticians, dispensing

Detailed Occupation

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2024 Workforce

70.9k

Average Age

43.2

Estimated Job Growth

2.88%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$49,029

Average Male Salary

$60,026

Average Female Salary

$45,039

About

Opticians, dispensing are most often employed by the Health & personal care, except pharmacies & drug, retailers industry. The average yearly wage for Opticians, dispensing was $49,029 in 2024.

The locations that employ the most Opticians, dispensing are Humboldt County PUMA, CA, Kane County (West) PUMA, IL, and Burlington County (West Central) PUMA, NJ. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Opticians, dispensing are Humboldt County PUMA, CA, Montgomery City (East) & Pike Road Town (Northwest) PUMA, AL, and Kane County (West) PUMA, IL.

Management, business, science, & arts occupations Healthcare practitioners & technical occupations

Employment

Employment and salary information for the Opticians, dispensing workforce. Opticians, dispensing workforce in 2024 was 70,930 people, of which 73.4% were women and 26.6% were men.

Opticians, dispensing are paid most in Los Angeles County (Central)--Glendale City PUMA, CA but are relatively concentrated in Humboldt County PUMA, CA.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

18,884

Male Workforce

± 3.37k

52,046

Female Workforce

± 5.6k

The Opticians, dispensing workforce in 2024 was 70,930 people (73.4% women and 26.6% men). This implies an average annual growth of 35.4% between 2014 (52,396) and 2024 (70,930).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

This map shows the states in the United States shaded by average wage for Opticians, dispensing.

During 2024, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were North Dakota ($109,339), Maryland ($102,905), and Alaska ($87,382).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$49,029

AVERAGE WAGE

#305 in the ranking (2014)

$69,878

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2024, Opticians, dispensing earned an average of $49,029, $20,849 less than the average national salary of $69,878

The graph shows the ranking of Opticians, dispensing in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2014.

In 2024, Opticians, dispensing had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.355, which is lower than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Opticians, dispensing (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

The graphic shows the distribution of average salaries by buckets for Opticians, dispensing compared to the entire workforce in the country.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Opticians, dispensing and on wages for those in the field. Health & personal care, except pharmacies & drug, retailers is the industry that employs the most Opticians, dispensing, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Opticians, dispensing, by average wage, is Pharmacies & drug retailers ($105,732).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

70.9k

2024 Workforce

± 6,537

2.2%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 12.8%

This graphic shows the share of Opticians, dispensing employed by various industries. Health & personal care, except pharmacies & drug, retailers employs the largest share of Opticians, dispensing at 50.1%, followed by Offices of optometrists with 36.7% and Warehouse clubs, supercenters, & other general merchandise retailers with 8.45%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Opticians, dispensing in the US. The workforce of Opticians, dispensing in 2024 was 70,930 people, with 73.4% woman, and 26.6% men. The average age of male Opticians, dispensing in the workforce is 45.6 and of female Opticians, dispensing is 42.3, and the most common race/ethnicity for Opticians, dispensing is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Opticians, dispensing in 2024 was 70,930 people, with 73.4% woman, and 26.6% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 30 to 34 years (9,012 people), 25 to 29 years (8,293 people), and 35 to 39 years (8,121 people). Among them they concentrated 36% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2024, 19.8% of Opticians, dispensing workers were Hispanic and 80.2% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (66.5%), Puerto Rican (8.6)%, and Salvadoran (5.34)%

You can review this information by gender using the selectors above.

Races

In 2024, 67.2% of the Opticians, dispensing workforce were White, of which 73.3% were women and 26.7% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Two or More Races (11.2%) and Other (7.43%).

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices for Opticians, dispensing from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Opticians, dispensing is Business but the most specialized major according to RCA in 2024 were Legal.

Among the necessary skills for Opticians, dispensing, Speaking stands, but the revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Opticians, dispensing need more than the average amount of Repairing.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

Type of Majors

Degree

The most common majors achieved by Opticians, dispensing in 2024 (counting all academic degrees) were Business (2,919 people), Biology (1,544 people), and Health (1,471 people).

You can review this information for different academic grades by modifying the option selected in the selector above.

Education Levels

Metric

The main educational levels achieved by the Opticians, dispensing workers were Some college (22,064 people), High School or Equivalent (18,780 people), and Bachelors Degree (13,508 people).

The graphic shows the Opticians, dispensing workforce by gender and educational level.

Skills

Chart

Value

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Opticians, dispensing from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Opticians, dispensing need many skills, but most especially Speaking, Active Listening, Reading Comprehension.

Projections

Projections on job growth for Opticians, Dispensing from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.07%, but Opticians, Dispensing are expected to see a growth of 2.88% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow less than the national average.

Job Growth

2.88%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.07%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Opticians, dispensing. This profession is expected to grow less than than 3.07%, the average rate of national job growth.