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Job outlook for optical engineers in the United States
Are optical engineer jobs in demand?
Optical engineer job and salary trends over time
Optical engineer jobs over time
Optical engineer job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2,621 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 2,750 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 2,803 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 2,729 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 2,615 | 0.00% |
Average optical engineer salary over time
Optical engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $99,814 | $47.99 | +4.4% |
| 2024 | $95,624 | $45.97 | +2.1% |
| 2023 | $93,635 | $45.02 | --0.3% |
| 2022 | $93,896 | $45.14 | --0.1% |
| 2021 | $93,944 | $45.17 | +1.5% |
Optical engineer jobs by state
Most common states for optical engineers
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 299 | 43% |
| 2 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,050 | 15% |
| 3 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 1,182 | 14% |
| 4 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 956 | 13% |
| 5 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 759 | 13% |
| 6 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 734 | 13% |
| 7 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 538 | 13% |
| 8 | Delaware | 961,939 | 128 | 13% |
| 9 | California | 39,536,653 | 4,856 | 12% |
| 10 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 150 | 11% |
| 11 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 551 | 10% |
| 12 | Arizona | 7,016,270 | 654 | 9% |
| 13 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 179 | 9% |
| 14 | Vermont | 623,657 | 54 | 9% |
| 15 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 54 | 9% |
| 16 | Alabama | 4,874,747 | 367 | 8% |
| 17 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 253 | 8% |
| 18 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 207 | 7% |
| 19 | Alaska | 739,795 | 54 | 7% |
| 20 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 50 | 7% |
Most common cities for optical engineers
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cupertino | 8 | 13% | $127,880 |
| 2 | Frankfort | 2 | 7% | $91,249 |
| 3 | Annapolis | 2 | 5% | $99,149 |
| 4 | Concord | 2 | 5% | $99,090 |
| 5 | Dover | 2 | 5% | $100,215 |
| 6 | Sunnyvale | 6 | 4% | $127,936 |
| 7 | Santa Clara | 5 | 4% | $127,878 |
| 8 | Cambridge | 4 | 4% | $97,046 |
| 9 | Hartford | 2 | 2% | $100,367 |
| 10 | Boston | 4 | 1% | $97,099 |
| 11 | Baton Rouge | 2 | 1% | $98,649 |
| 12 | Des Moines | 2 | 1% | $100,982 |
| 13 | San Diego | 6 | 0% | $111,942 |
| 14 | New York | 3 | 0% | $85,951 |
| 15 | Washington | 3 | 0% | $99,209 |
| 16 | Atlanta | 2 | 0% | $85,395 |
| 17 | Denver | 2 | 0% | $100,112 |
Optical Engineer job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of optical engineer experts
Seattle University
University of Minnesota - Duluth
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
University of South Alabama
Wichita State University
University of Texas of the Permian Basin
Christopher Misorski FASM
Brunswick Technical Fellow-Materials Product Development & EngineeringWhat will help Optical Engineers increase their earning potential?
Christopher Misorski FASM: Maximizing salary potential at the start of your career is not a clear pathway generally. One way that you can be considered more valuable, and hence worth a better salary, is to have participated in a co-op or internship program with a company in your field. This experience gives employers some confidence that you were able to carry out assignments and thrive in a workplace environment. The employer that you worked for may be inclined to offer you a position upon graduation and you are now worth more because you have already proven to them your abilities. Even if they don’t offer you a job (no appropriate open position may be available) your ability to discuss your experiences with the HR recruiter or hiring manager at another company can instill confidence in your selection as a hire. Just remember, if you tell them you did a project, be prepared to explain it so it doesn’t appear you were just in the background of this project, just going along for the ride.
Jhon Smith
Associate Professor and Director of MS in Structural EngineeringSeattle University
Civil Engineering
What general advice would you give to an Optical Engineer?
Jhon Smith: Do not be afraid to ask questions to your supervisors (although do not take it to an extreme and become demanding—show initiative). You get the fundamentals of engineering at school and you are equipped to use them but it takes a few years to feel comfortable. Engineering is a profession of practice and it is only through practice that you best learn it.
What will help Optical Engineers increase their earning potential?
Richard Davis: Engineering offers career opportunities across various industries, from technology and healthcare to infrastructure and environmental sustainability. With technological advancements and the increasing complexity of global challenges, such as climate change, food and clean water, and urbanization, engineers are in high demand to develop innovative solutions. For example, environmental engineers are crucial in developing sustainable solutions to reduce pollution and conserve resources. Engineering provides opportunities for creativity and problem-solving, making it a rewarding career choice for those who enjoy tackling complex problems. The global focus on sustainability and renewable energy presents exciting prospects for engineers to contribute to meaningful projects that positively impact society and the environment.
What general advice would you give to an Optical Engineer?
Mansooreh Mollaghasemi Ph.D.: Build skills in high demand areas such as data analytics, supply chain management, and automation. Certification such as Project Management Professional (PMP) can make a candidate more attractive and justify a higher starting salary. Internships can also provide valuable industry experience and can often lead to higher starting salaries.
What Optical Engineer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Mansooreh Mollaghasemi Ph.D.: Concurrent with building technical skills, they must build soft skills such as communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and leadership. These skills are often the differentiators between good and great engineers.
What will help Optical Engineers increase their earning potential?
Michael Denn: The answers to this question are largely the same as the answer to question 1. However, here are some additional points: 1. Excel in your job. Become the person everyone goes to for whatever type of work you do. 2. Develop and maintain a career plan. Make sure your assignments and tasks align with your plan. When you have the opportunity to change positions, keep you plan in mind.
Edmund Spencer
Associate ProfessorUniversity of South Alabama
Electrical, Electronics, And Communications Engineering
What Optical Engineer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Edmund Spencer: Look for jobs that have the highest technical content, and try to develop entrepreneurial skills early.
What general advice would you give to an Optical Engineer?
Daniel Armentrout: The excessive number of baby boomer engineers are retiring at high rates and you as a new engineering graduate are desperately needed to make up for their loss in the workforce. You will face challenges in your career we could not anticipate or prepare you for in your education. You will have to adapt and continue to learn new fields of study which did not exist when you graduated. We have given you tools to learn and you will have to use those tools to remain relevant throughout your career. Find your place as an engineer when you can be effective, help humanity, and have fun. Plot a career path where you can utilize your strengths and challenge your mind to do new things. Contribute to making a better world and you will be able to enjoy immense satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment.
What Optical Engineer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Daniel Armentrout: Expanded use of swarms of cheap sensors that communicate on multiple platforms for better understanding and control of complicated systems. Integrated use of artificial intelligence to increase our effectiveness in all aspects of our jobs.
Dr. Atul Rai Ph.D.
Associate ProfessorWichita State University
School of Accountancy, Barton School of Business
What experience really stands out on Optical Engineer resumes?
Dr. Atul Rai Ph.D.: Employers are looking for people who can integrate in multi-disciplinary environments to solve complex problems. They are looking for resumes that show quick learning. Such resumes will permanently be in great demand. Because the world is interconnected much more than it ever was, employees today will deal with customers, supply-chains, and fellow employees who are spread all over the world. It means that an experience that showcases the global perspective will be in demand over the long-term.
Paul Feit
Professor and ChairUniversity of Texas of the Permian Basin
Department of Math and Physics
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Optical Engineers?
Paul Feit: The risk of long term disruption is financial. If business sectors collapse, as in 2008, it may take five years to recover. But if the majority of companies merely take a financial hit (instead of bankruptcy), life will return to normal very quickly.
The fields related to disease control will probably undergo a hiring boost. This covers both medical science but also statistical analysis. People will debate for years about the significance of different social strategies (like masking).
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Optical Engineers to find work opportunities?
Paul Feit: A bachelor's or minor in Mathematics is sort-of a 'vanilla' degree. It is a boost in many careers; it tells potential employers that the graduate is ready for the quantitative needs in any position. Just about every position has some quantitative need. A minor in Mathematics alerts employers that the candidate brings computational finesse to whatever his/her major.
Jobs for higher degrees are in academic institutions and companies big enough to need analysis of their proprietary data. Computer companies appreciate mathematical credentials, but may expect these to be in addition to a computer science background.
How do you envision technology impacting Optical Engineers in the next 5 years?
Paul Feit: Ironically, technology tends to conceal mathematics. Once the solution to a problem becomes an algorithm, it is reduced to a button click.
The impact on the field depends on the application.
- Research. Computing power has enabled mathematicians to look at more examples of a problem than ever before. This change actually began in the 1990s. The goal of theoretical mathematics is to establish firm theorems, but new results often come by inspecting examples for a trend.
- Business. 'Big data' is the buzzword for the exciting opportunity to produce new strategies by analyzing more data than was possible in the past. There is a question mark over this area. Converting the idea into practice has been harder than one might hope. (A historical precedent is Artificial Intelligence. That idea seemed within grasp in the 1950s, but it has defied repeated attacks.)
- Warning: The following may sound snide. It is not meant to be. Many companies still rely on old software for certain computations. Much of the technical software was programmed before computing power made it truly useable (that is, it could not actually crack the relevant problem in real-time). Some of these drafts are rife with mistakes. Updating is a double challenge: you need a good programmer AND someone with sufficient understanding of theory to spot and correct mistakes.