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Job outlook for optical design engineers in the United States
Are optical design engineer jobs in demand?
Yes, optical design engineer jobs are in demand. Optical design engineer demand is projected to grow 3% from 2018 to 2028.
Optical design engineer job and salary trends over time
Compare the number of optical design engineer jobs and the average optical design engineer salary over time.
Optical design engineer jobs over time
Optical design engineer job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 232 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 264 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 278 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 290 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 292 | 0.00% |
Average optical design engineer salary over time
Optical design engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $94,750 | $45.55 | +1.9% |
| 2024 | $93,015 | $44.72 | +2.8% |
| 2023 | $90,486 | $43.50 | +0.5% |
| 2022 | $90,028 | $43.28 | +3.0% |
| 2021 | $87,411 | $42.02 | +1.0% |
Optical design engineer jobs by state
The map below shows you the number of optical design engineer job openings in each state. The darker areas on the map show where optical design engineers earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
Average salary: Job openings:
Most common states for optical design engineers
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 239 | 34% |
| 2 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,192 | 17% |
| 3 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 681 | 16% |
| 4 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 1,296 | 15% |
| 5 | California | 39,536,653 | 5,524 | 14% |
| 6 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 1,026 | 14% |
| 7 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 771 | 13% |
| 8 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 750 | 13% |
| 9 | Delaware | 961,939 | 126 | 13% |
| 10 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 90 | 12% |
| 11 | Arizona | 7,016,270 | 744 | 11% |
| 12 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 627 | 11% |
| 13 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 331 | 11% |
| 14 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 151 | 11% |
| 15 | Vermont | 623,657 | 71 | 11% |
| 16 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 63 | 11% |
| 17 | Michigan | 9,962,311 | 896 | 9% |
| 18 | Alabama | 4,874,747 | 438 | 9% |
| 19 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 309 | 9% |
| 20 | Alaska | 739,795 | 64 | 9% |
Most common cities for optical design engineers
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Windsor | 1 | 3% | $87,647 |
| 2 | Cupertino | 1 | 2% | $130,885 |
| 3 | Littleton | 1 | 2% | $108,768 |
| 4 | Tucson | 4 | 1% | $100,334 |
| 5 | Boulder | 1 | 1% | $108,589 |
| 6 | Mountain View | 1 | 1% | $130,976 |
| 7 | Palo Alto | 1 | 1% | $131,063 |
| 8 | Troy | 1 | 1% | $91,257 |
| 9 | Denver | 3 | 0% | $108,494 |
| 10 | San Francisco | 3 | 0% | $131,479 |
| 11 | Seattle | 3 | 0% | $123,544 |
| 12 | San Diego | 2 | 0% | $114,543 |
| 13 | Fremont | 1 | 0% | $130,963 |
| 14 | Orlando | 1 | 0% | $103,107 |