Best states for an optical technician

Q: What is the best state for optical technicians?

The best state to be an optical technician is Alaska based on optical technician salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for optical technicians?

The highest paying state for optical technicians is Oklahoma based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for optical technicians?

The worst state for optical technicians is Oklahoma, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Rank 1 - 10
11 - 20
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31 - 40
41 - 51

Do you want to become an optical technician at Walmart, and you wonder what that means or entails? We have the full list of best states for optical technicians that you can check out, before you begin your journey. Turns out, the median salary for the highest 10% of optical technicians in America is $54,000.

In order to get you the best states for optical technicians, we looked at our data on jobs and wages -- specifically the average annual wage and the number of available jobs per capita.If you are currently seeking employment as an optical technician, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.

10 best states for optical technicians in 2026

1. Alaska
Total optical technician jobs: 94
Average annual salary: $43,718
Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $51,000
Location Quotient:
1.82
Optical technician jobs in Alaska
2. Connecticut
Total optical technician jobs: 340
Average annual salary: $39,420
Lowest 10 percent earn: $25,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $60,000
Location Quotient:
1.66
Optical technician jobs in Connecticut
3. New York
Total optical technician jobs: 1,036
Average annual salary: $40,619
Lowest 10 percent earn: $26,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $61,000
Location Quotient:
1.31
Optical technician jobs in New York
4. Arizona
Total optical technician jobs: 345
Average annual salary: $39,806
Lowest 10 percent earn: $28,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $55,000
Location Quotient:
0.95
Optical technician jobs in Arizona
5. Nevada
Total optical technician jobs: 154
Average annual salary: $36,381
Lowest 10 percent earn: $25,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $52,000
Location Quotient:
1.19
Optical technician jobs in Nevada
6. Massachusetts
Total optical technician jobs: 686
Average annual salary: $38,759
Lowest 10 percent earn: $25,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $57,000
Location Quotient:
1.21
Optical technician jobs in Massachusetts
7. Utah
Total optical technician jobs: 196
Average annual salary: $37,168
Lowest 10 percent earn: $27,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $50,000
Location Quotient:
0.99
Optical technician jobs in Utah
8. Oregon
Total optical technician jobs: 191
Average annual salary: $42,883
Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $60,000
Location Quotient:
0.75
Optical technician jobs in Oregon
9. Vermont
Total optical technician jobs: 53
Average annual salary: $37,014
Lowest 10 percent earn: $25,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $52,000
Location Quotient:
1.12
Optical technician jobs in Vermont
10. West Virginia
Total optical technician jobs: 94
Average annual salary: $36,127
Lowest 10 percent earn: $25,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $50,000
Location Quotient:
1
Optical technician jobs in West Virginia

Optical technician jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be an optical technician

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for an optical technician

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	Alaska	$43,718	$37,000	739,795	94
2	Connecticut	$39,420	$25,000	3,588,184	340
3	New York	$40,619	$26,000	19,849,399	1,036
4	Arizona	$39,806	$28,000	7,016,270	345
5	Nevada	$36,381	$25,000	2,998,039	154
6	Massachusetts	$38,759	$25,000	6,859,819	686
7	Utah	$37,168	$27,000	3,101,833	196
8	Oregon	$42,883	$30,000	4,142,776	191
9	Vermont	$37,014	$25,000	623,657	53
10	West Virginia	$36,127	$25,000	1,815,857	94
11	Maine	$34,660	$24,000	1,335,907	153
12	Florida	$35,346	$24,000	20,984,400	1,321
13	New Jersey	$37,496	$24,000	9,005,644	662
14	Colorado	$36,412	$27,000	5,607,154	438
15	Kentucky	$34,975	$25,000	4,454,189	221
16	California	$40,897	$28,000	39,536,653	1,526
17	Minnesota	$35,749	$27,000	5,576,606	439
18	Montana	$36,300	$27,000	1,050,493	64
19	Ohio	$35,295	$25,000	11,658,609	543
20	North Carolina	$34,027	$24,000	10,273,419	698
21	Wyoming	$35,593	$27,000	579,315	18
22	Washington	$36,557	$26,000	7,405,743	391
23	South Carolina	$33,596	$24,000	5,024,369	304
24	Hawaii	$39,701	$31,000	1,427,538	48
25	South Dakota	$34,889	$26,000	869,666	47
26	North Dakota	$34,823	$27,000	755,393	35
27	New Hampshire	$33,998	$23,000	1,342,795	108
28	Louisiana	$34,578	$24,000	4,684,333	149
29	Rhode Island	$35,143	$23,000	1,059,639	55
30	Virginia	$36,215	$24,000	8,470,020	486
31	Missouri	$32,734	$24,000	6,113,532	413
32	Pennsylvania	$33,891	$22,000	12,805,537	562
33	Idaho	$34,780	$25,000	1,716,943	65
34	Nebraska	$33,308	$25,000	1,920,076	125
35	Maryland	$35,889	$24,000	6,052,177	361
36	Iowa	$31,559	$24,000	3,145,711	236
37	Delaware	$33,311	$22,000	961,939	79
38	Mississippi	$33,057	$23,000	2,984,100	123
39	Wisconsin	$30,828	$23,000	5,795,483	375
40	Michigan	$31,548	$22,000	9,962,311	462
41	Illinois	$31,795	$23,000	12,802,023	805
42	Indiana	$29,985	$22,000	6,666,818	397
43	Georgia	$29,135	$21,000	10,429,379	722
44	New Mexico	$32,163	$23,000	2,088,070	81
45	Kansas	$30,984	$23,000	2,913,123	154
46	Tennessee	$28,894	$21,000	6,715,984	338
47	Alabama	$28,836	$20,000	4,874,747	254
48	Texas	$30,616	$21,000	28,304,596	893
49	District of Columbia	$31,655	$21,000	693,972	27
50	Arkansas	$28,940	$21,000	3,004,279	124
51	Oklahoma	$24,941	$18,000	3,930,864	177

Highest paying states for optical technicians

Rank	State	Avg. Optical Technician Salary
1	Alaska	$43,718
2	Connecticut	$39,420
3	New York	$40,619
4	Arizona	$39,806
5	Nevada	$36,381
6	Massachusetts	$38,759
7	Utah	$37,168
8	Oregon	$42,883
9	Vermont	$37,014
10	West Virginia	$36,127
11	Maine	$34,660
12	Florida	$35,346
13	New Jersey	$37,496
14	Colorado	$36,412
15	Kentucky	$34,975
16	California	$40,897
17	Minnesota	$35,749
18	Montana	$36,300
19	Ohio	$35,295
20	North Carolina	$34,027
21	Wyoming	$35,593
22	Washington	$36,557
23	South Carolina	$33,596
24	Hawaii	$39,701
25	South Dakota	$34,889
26	North Dakota	$34,823
27	New Hampshire	$33,998
28	Louisiana	$34,578
29	Rhode Island	$35,143
30	Virginia	$36,215
31	Missouri	$32,734
32	Pennsylvania	$33,891
33	Idaho	$34,780
34	Nebraska	$33,308
35	Maryland	$35,889
36	Iowa	$31,559
37	Delaware	$33,311
38	Mississippi	$33,057
39	Wisconsin	$30,828
40	Michigan	$31,548
41	Illinois	$31,795
42	Indiana	$29,985
43	Georgia	$29,135
44	New Mexico	$32,163
45	Kansas	$30,984
46	Tennessee	$28,894
47	Alabama	$28,836
48	Texas	$30,616
49	District of Columbia	$31,655
50	Arkansas	$28,940
51	Oklahoma	$24,941

Optical technician best states FAQs

What is the best state for optical technicians?

What is the highest paying state for optical technicians?

What is the worst state for optical technicians?

Have more questions? See all answers to common healthcare practitioner and technical questions.

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Best states for Optical Technicians

Updated January 8, 2025

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Total optical technician jobs:	94
Average annual salary:	$43,718
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$37,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$51,000
Location Quotient:	1.82

Best states for an optical technician

10 best states for optical technicians in 2026

1. Alaska

2. Connecticut

3. New York

4. Arizona

5. Nevada

6. Massachusetts

7. Utah

8. Oregon

9. Vermont

10. West Virginia