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Optical engineer salary
Average optical engineer salary
$99,814
Average Optical Engineer Salary
As of October 2025, optical engineers earn an average salary of $99,814 per year, translating to about $48 per hour. Salaries may differ based on several factors, including geographical location, years of experience, and the sector of employment.
Salary by Experience Level
Entry-level optical engineers typically start with lower salaries, which can increase significantly with experience. For instance, professionals with 1-3 years of experience earn around $80,000, while those with over 10 years can command salaries exceeding $120,000.
Geographic Influence on Salary
Optical engineers in states with a high demand for their skills, such as California and Texas, often see higher compensation. Regions with robust technology sectors tend to offer the most competitive salaries. For example, in California, salaries may reach up to $115,000, reflecting the state's thriving tech landscape.
Job Opportunities
Optical engineers can find work in various industries, including telecommunications, aerospace, and healthcare, with positions ranging from design and development to testing and quality assurance. The demand for skilled professionals in this field continues to grow, presenting numerous opportunities for job seekers.
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Where can an Optical Engineer earn more?
Optical engineer salaries by experience level
| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level optical engineer | $72,800 | $35.02 |
| Mid-level optical engineer | $103,000 | $49.50 |
| Senior-level optical engineer | $126,000 | $60.43 |
Optical engineer salary estimates from across the web
Average optical engineer salary by state
The highest-paying states for optical engineers are California, Nevada, and New Mexico. The lowest average optical engineer salary states are Pennsylvania, Hawaii, and Michigan.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for optical engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Mexico | $119,359 | $57.38 |
| 2 | Washington | $116,571 | $56.04 |
| 3 | Arizona | $112,023 | $53.86 |
| 4 | California | $119,729 | $57.56 |
| 5 | Nevada | $119,579 | $57.49 |
| 6 | Idaho | $114,467 | $55.03 |
| 7 | Utah | $105,454 | $50.70 |
| 8 | Vermont | $109,475 | $52.63 |
| 9 | Texas | $100,359 | $48.25 |
| 10 | Arkansas | $107,409 | $51.64 |
| 11 | Kansas | $104,035 | $50.02 |
| 12 | Colorado | $100,359 | $48.25 |
| 13 | New Hampshire | $99,368 | $47.77 |
| 14 | Delaware | $100,248 | $48.20 |
| 15 | Iowa | $100,943 | $48.53 |
| 16 | Maine | $102,020 | $49.05 |
| 17 | Illinois | $101,364 | $48.73 |
| 18 | Wyoming | $95,545 | $45.94 |
| 19 | Rhode Island | $100,559 | $48.35 |
| 20 | Connecticut | $100,384 | $48.26 |
| 21 | Alaska | $102,550 | $49.30 |
| 22 | District of Columbia | $99,204 | $47.69 |
| 23 | Maryland | $99,020 | $47.61 |
| 24 | Massachusetts | $97,008 | $46.64 |
| 25 | Montana | $99,050 | $47.62 |
| 26 | Virginia | $93,856 | $45.12 |
| 27 | Louisiana | $98,422 | $47.32 |
| 28 | Ohio | $92,849 | $44.64 |
| 29 | Oregon | $91,969 | $44.22 |
| 30 | New Jersey | $99,003 | $47.60 |
| 31 | West Virginia | $93,359 | $44.88 |
| 32 | Mississippi | $93,670 | $45.03 |
| 33 | North Carolina | $91,896 | $44.18 |
| 34 | South Carolina | $93,893 | $45.14 |
| 35 | South Dakota | $91,951 | $44.21 |
| 36 | Minnesota | $89,648 | $43.10 |
| 37 | North Dakota | $90,693 | $43.60 |
| 38 | Nebraska | $90,060 | $43.30 |
| 39 | Kentucky | $91,184 | $43.84 |
| 40 | New York | $85,824 | $41.26 |
| 41 | Missouri | $89,442 | $43.00 |
| 42 | Wisconsin | $86,745 | $41.70 |
| 43 | Georgia | $85,733 | $41.22 |
| 44 | Michigan | $79,376 | $38.16 |
| 45 | Alabama | $78,873 | $37.92 |
| 46 | Florida | $83,502 | $40.15 |
| 47 | Oklahoma | $87,462 | $42.05 |
| 48 | Hawaii | $79,458 | $38.20 |
| 49 | Pennsylvania | $80,674 | $38.79 |
| 50 | Indiana | $64,120 | $30.83 |
| 51 | Tennessee | $78,280 | $37.63 |
Highest paying cities for optical engineers
The highest-paying cities for optical engineers are San Francisco, CA, Bellevue, WA, and Tucson, AZ.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $128,432 | $61.75 |
| 2 | Bellevue, WA | $116,856 | $56.18 |
| 3 | Tucson, AZ | $108,644 | $52.23 |
| 4 | Fort Worth, TX | $100,869 | $48.49 |
| 5 | Denver, CO | $100,112 | $48.13 |
| 6 | Annapolis, MD | $99,149 | $47.67 |
| 7 | Hillsborough, NJ | $99,012 | $47.60 |
| 8 | Cambridge, MA | $97,046 | $46.66 |
| 9 | Portland, OR | $90,839 | $43.67 |
| 10 | Madison, WI | $86,403 | $41.54 |
| 11 | Peachtree City, GA | $85,696 | $41.20 |
| 12 | Ithaca, NY | $84,669 | $40.71 |
| 13 | Palm Bay, FL | $84,526 | $40.64 |
| 14 | Farmington Hills, MI | $79,512 | $38.23 |
| 15 | Hilo, HI | $77,656 | $37.33 |
| 16 | Huntsville, AL | $77,265 | $37.15 |
Optical engineer salary details
An optical engineer's salary ranges from $70,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $140,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is an optical engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $140,000 | $11,667 | $67 |
| 75th Percentile | $119,000 | $9,917 | $57 |
| Average | $99,814 | $8,318 | $48 |
| 25th Percentile | $83,000 | $6,917 | $40 |
| 10th Percentile | $70,000 | $5,833 | $34 |
Highest paying optical engineer jobs
The highest paying types of optical engineers are senior engineer, commercial engineer, and research and development engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research And Development Engineer | $100,169 | $8,347 | $48.16 | 187,910 |
| Radio Frequency Engineer | $88,301 | $7,358 | $42.45 | 35,158 |
| Development Engineer | $93,206 | $7,767 | $44.81 | 224,881 |
| Engineer | $92,076 | $7,673 | $44.27 | 618,207 |
| Electronics Engineer | $93,985 | $7,832 | $45.19 | 83,870 |
| Electrical Engineer | $81,026 | $6,752 | $38.95 | 68,536 |
Top companies hiring optical engineers now:
Which companies pay optical engineers the most?
Optical engineer salaries at Meta and Apple are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average optical engineer salary at companies like Google and Zoox are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meta | $158,052 | $75.99 |
| 2 | Apple | $148,394 | $71.34 |
| 3 | $141,672 | $68.11 | |
| 4 | Zoox | $140,513 | $67.55 |
| 5 | Microsoft | $138,701 | $66.68 |
| 6 | 10x Genomics | $133,118 | $64.00 |
| 7 | Amazon | $132,290 | $63.60 |
| 8 | Fitbit | $124,617 | $59.91 |
| 9 | CyberCoders | $124,372 | $59.79 |
| 10 | Neuralink IT Solutions | $123,817 | $59.53 |
| 11 | Tencent | $123,481 | $59.37 |
| 12 | Koch Industries | $123,008 | $59.14 |
| 13 | Malin | $121,865 | $58.59 |
| 14 | Applied Materials | $120,316 | $57.84 |
| 15 | Arista Networks | $117,512 | $56.50 |
| 16 | Finisar | $116,822 | $56.16 |
| 17 | Intuitive Surgical | $116,163 | $55.85 |
| 18 | Complete Genomics | $115,139 | $55.36 |
| 19 | PacBio | $114,648 | $55.12 |
| 20 | Booz Allen Hamilton | $114,548 | $55.07 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Optical Engineer salary by industry
The average optical engineer salary varies across industries:
- The average optical engineer salary in the telecommunication industry is $107,367, the highest of any industry.
- The average optical engineer salary in the finance industry is $104,586.
- Optical engineers in the manufacturing industry earn an average salary of $101,527, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for optical engineers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Telecommunication | $107,367 | $51.62 |
| 2 | Internet | $104,586 | $50.28 |
| 3 | Technology | $103,751 | $49.88 |
| 4 | Manufacturing | $101,527 | $48.81 |
High paying optical engineer jobs
Optical engineer salary trends
The average optical engineer salary has risen by $12,358 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average optical engineer earned $87,456 annually, but today, they earn $99,814 a year. That works out to a 6% change in pay for optical engineers over the last decade.
Compare optical engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average optical engineer salary over time
Compare optical engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Optical engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $99,800 | $47.99 | +4.2% |
| 2024 | $95,600 | $45.97 | +2.1% |
| 2023 | $93,600 | $45.02 | -0.3% |
| 2022 | $93,900 | $45.14 | -0.1% |
| 2021 | $93,900 | $45.17 | +1.4% |
Recently added optical engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cedars-Sinai | Research Optical Engineer-Butte Lab-Department of Neurosurgery | Los Angeles, CA | 06/30/2025 | $86,154 |
| Corning | Optical Metrology Engineer | Fairport, NY | 06/28/2025 | $95,386 |
| Meta | Optical Coating Engineer | Sunnyvale, CA | 06/28/2025 | $139,000 |
| Meta | Optical Metrology Engineer | Redmond, WA | 06/28/2025 | $139,000 |
| Apple | Optical Module Engineer | Sunnyvale, CA | 06/25/2025 | $143,100 |
| Ford Global | Lighting Optics Engineer | Dearborn, MI | 06/23/2025 | $72,467 |
| Spectraforce | Optical Engineer | Redmond, WA | 06/20/2025 | $146,090 |
| Planet Labs | Optical Engineer | San Francisco, CA | 06/19/2025 | $128,400 |
| Amazon | Optical Metrology Engineer, Hardware-Emerging Optics | Sunnyvale, CA | 06/09/2025 | $105,600 |
| Neuralink | Optical Engineer | Fremont, CA | 06/09/2025 | $86,000 |
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