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Best states for an optician
Quoted expert
Dibby Bartlett
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Do you want to become an optician at Walmart, and you wonder what that means or entails? We have the full list of best states for opticians that you can check out, before you begin your journey. This way, if you are newly entering the job market, or you are looking to change jobs, you know which places are the best for optician jobs.
In order to get you the best states for opticians, 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 optician, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.
10 best states for opticians in 2026
1. Alaska
Total optician jobs: 14 Average annual salary: $45,032 Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $52,000 Location Quotient: 2.82
2. Arizona
Total optician jobs: 51 Average annual salary: $41,065 Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $53,000 Location Quotient: 1.46
3. California
Total optician jobs: 456 Average annual salary: $45,386 Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $59,000 Location Quotient: 2.62
4. Massachusetts
Total optician jobs: 147 Average annual salary: $40,466 Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Location Quotient: 2.69
5. New York
Total optician jobs: 0 Average annual salary: $47,109 Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $61,000 Location Quotient: 0
6. Connecticut
Total optician jobs: 104 Average annual salary: $39,400 Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Location Quotient: 5.27
7. Oregon
Total optician jobs: 0 Average annual salary: $43,790 Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $57,000 Location Quotient: 0
8. Montana
Total optician jobs: 10 Average annual salary: $38,337 Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Location Quotient: 1.46
9. South Dakota
Total optician jobs: 6 Average annual salary: $37,102 Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Location Quotient: 0.94
10. Utah
Total optician jobs: 25 Average annual salary: $37,559 Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Location Quotient: 1.32
Optician jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be an optician
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for an optician
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $45,032 | $38,000 | 739,795 | 14 |
| 2 | Arizona | $41,065 | $31,000 | 7,016,270 | 51 |
| 3 | California | $45,386 | $34,000 | 39,536,653 | 456 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $40,466 | $31,000 | 6,859,819 | 147 |
| 5 | New York | $47,109 | $36,000 | 19,849,399 | 0 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $39,400 | $30,000 | 3,588,184 | 104 |
| 7 | Oregon | $43,790 | $33,000 | 4,142,776 | 0 |
| 8 | Montana | $38,337 | $30,000 | 1,050,493 | 10 |
| 9 | South Dakota | $37,102 | $29,000 | 869,666 | 6 |
| 10 | Utah | $37,559 | $29,000 | 3,101,833 | 25 |
| 11 | Ohio | $38,571 | $30,000 | 11,658,609 | 0 |
| 12 | Vermont | $40,486 | $32,000 | 623,657 | 0 |
| 13 | Kentucky | $37,487 | $29,000 | 4,454,189 | 18 |
| 14 | West Virginia | $38,111 | $29,000 | 1,815,857 | 0 |
| 15 | Washington | $37,861 | $29,000 | 7,405,743 | 106 |
| 16 | Hawaii | $42,654 | $36,000 | 1,427,538 | 11 |
| 17 | Minnesota | $37,735 | $29,000 | 5,576,606 | 52 |
| 18 | Maine | $38,304 | $30,000 | 1,335,907 | 1 |
| 19 | Wyoming | $37,243 | $29,000 | 579,315 | 0 |
| 20 | North Carolina | $36,326 | $28,000 | 10,273,419 | 60 |
| 21 | Louisiana | $36,610 | $28,000 | 4,684,333 | 11 |
| 22 | North Dakota | $36,802 | $29,000 | 755,393 | 0 |
| 23 | Colorado | $37,155 | $29,000 | 5,607,154 | 32 |
| 24 | Idaho | $35,661 | $27,000 | 1,716,943 | 14 |
| 25 | Nevada | $35,681 | $27,000 | 2,998,039 | 0 |
| 26 | Nebraska | $35,440 | $27,000 | 1,920,076 | 10 |
| 27 | New Hampshire | $36,306 | $28,000 | 1,342,795 | 0 |
| 28 | South Carolina | $35,893 | $27,000 | 5,024,369 | 0 |
| 29 | Mississippi | $35,115 | $27,000 | 2,984,100 | 2 |
| 30 | Virginia | $37,146 | $28,000 | 8,470,020 | 0 |
| 31 | Rhode Island | $35,959 | $27,000 | 1,059,639 | 0 |
| 32 | New Jersey | $36,842 | $28,000 | 9,005,644 | 0 |
| 33 | Maryland | $35,952 | $27,000 | 6,052,177 | 35 |
| 34 | Missouri | $35,021 | $27,000 | 6,113,532 | 17 |
| 35 | Iowa | $33,627 | $26,000 | 3,145,711 | 16 |
| 36 | Pennsylvania | $33,559 | $25,000 | 12,805,537 | 0 |
| 37 | Kansas | $32,979 | $25,000 | 2,913,123 | 8 |
| 38 | Illinois | $33,701 | $26,000 | 12,802,023 | 59 |
| 39 | New Mexico | $33,717 | $25,000 | 2,088,070 | 0 |
| 40 | Michigan | $32,895 | $25,000 | 9,962,311 | 0 |
| 41 | Delaware | $32,830 | $25,000 | 961,939 | 4 |
| 42 | Georgia | $31,118 | $24,000 | 10,429,379 | 108 |
| 43 | Texas | $32,798 | $25,000 | 28,304,596 | 0 |
| 44 | Wisconsin | $32,550 | $25,000 | 5,795,483 | 0 |
| 45 | Florida | $26,413 | $20,000 | 20,984,400 | 299 |
| 46 | Tennessee | $31,256 | $24,000 | 6,715,984 | 0 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $31,266 | $24,000 | 3,004,279 | 6 |
| 48 | Indiana | $31,814 | $24,000 | 6,666,818 | 0 |
| 49 | Alabama | $30,854 | $23,000 | 4,874,747 | 16 |
| 50 | District of Columbia | $31,892 | $24,000 | 693,972 | 2 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $26,745 | $20,000 | 3,930,864 | 0 |
Highest paying states for opticians
| Rank | State | Avg. Optician Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $45,032 |
| 2 | Arizona | $41,065 |
| 3 | California | $45,386 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $40,466 |
| 5 | New York | $47,109 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $39,400 |
| 7 | Oregon | $43,790 |
| 8 | Montana | $38,337 |
| 9 | South Dakota | $37,102 |
| 10 | Utah | $37,559 |
| 11 | Ohio | $38,571 |
| 12 | Vermont | $40,486 |
| 13 | Kentucky | $37,487 |
| 14 | West Virginia | $38,111 |
| 15 | Washington | $37,861 |
| 16 | Hawaii | $42,654 |
| 17 | Minnesota | $37,735 |
| 18 | Maine | $38,304 |
| 19 | Wyoming | $37,243 |
| 20 | North Carolina | $36,326 |
| 21 | Louisiana | $36,610 |
| 22 | North Dakota | $36,802 |
| 23 | Colorado | $37,155 |
| 24 | Idaho | $35,661 |
| 25 | Nevada | $35,681 |
| 26 | Nebraska | $35,440 |
| 27 | New Hampshire | $36,306 |
| 28 | South Carolina | $35,893 |
| 29 | Mississippi | $35,115 |
| 30 | Virginia | $37,146 |
| 31 | Rhode Island | $35,959 |
| 32 | New Jersey | $36,842 |
| 33 | Maryland | $35,952 |
| 34 | Missouri | $35,021 |
| 35 | Iowa | $33,627 |
| 36 | Pennsylvania | $33,559 |
| 37 | Kansas | $32,979 |
| 38 | Illinois | $33,701 |
| 39 | New Mexico | $33,717 |
| 40 | Michigan | $32,895 |
| 41 | Delaware | $32,830 |
| 42 | Georgia | $31,118 |
| 43 | Texas | $32,798 |
| 44 | Wisconsin | $32,550 |
| 45 | Florida | $26,413 |
| 46 | Tennessee | $31,256 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $31,266 |
| 48 | Indiana | $31,814 |
| 49 | Alabama | $30,854 |
| 50 | District of Columbia | $31,892 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $26,745 |
Expert opinions on the best states for opticians
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for opticians to find work opportunities?
Dibby Bartlett
President, Opticians Association of America
There are many areas where the field of opticianry blossoms, but primarily in licensed states. Due to the licensing process, opticians working within those states need to have more knowledge and are tested on it. This raises the demand for the optician as well as providing a better living wage. If the state has a state professional organization, this would always be a plus.
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Updated January 8, 2025