Opticians, dispensing

Detailed Occupation

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2020 Workforce

66.9k

Average Age

43.3

Estimated Job Growth

4.07%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$41,398

Average Male Salary

$53,857

Average Female Salary

$37,218

About

Opticians, dispensing are most often employed by the Health & personal care, except drug, stores industry. The average yearly wage for Opticians, dispensing was $41,398 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Opticians, dispensing by wage are Directors, religious activities & education, Brickmasons, blockmasons, stonemasons, & reinforcing iron & rebar workers, and Emergency medical technicians.

Opticians, dispensing are part of the Healthcare practitioners & technical occupations, along with Chiropractors, Dentists, Dietitians & nutritionists, Optometrists, Pharmacists, and 37 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Opticians, dispensing are Longmont City & Erie Town PUMA, CO, Chino & Chino Hills Cities PUMA, CA, and Calhoun & Barry Counties PUMA, MI. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Opticians, dispensing are Citrus Heights City PUMA, CA, Chino & Chino Hills Cities PUMA, CA, and Longmont City & Erie Town PUMA, CO.

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Opticians, dispensing and on wages and locations for those in the field. Health & personal care, except drug, stores is the industry that employs the most Opticians, dispensing, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Opticians, dispensing, by average wage, is Pharmacies & drug stores. Opticians, dispensing are paid most in Northeast Georgia Regional Commission (East) PUMA, GA but are relatively concentrated in Citrus Heights City PUMA, CA.

Yearly Wage

$41,398

AVERAGE SALARY

± $3,508

In 2020, Opticians, dispensing earned an average of $41,398, $14,556 less than than the average national salary of $55,954.

Directors, religious activities & education make somewhat more than Opticians, dispensing while Emergency medical technicians make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Opticians, dispensing as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.316

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Opticians, dispensing had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.316, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Opticians, dispensing (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Opticians, dispensing.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Opticians, dispensing

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Opticians, dispensing.

Most Common

The most common industries employing Opticians, dispensing, by number of employees, are Health & personal care, except drug, stores , Offices of optometrists, General merchandise stores, including warehouse clubs and supercenters, Offices of physicians, General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, Outpatient care centers, Medical equipment & supplies manufacturing, Department stores, Pharmacies & drug stores, Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, and Other health care services.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Opticians, dispensing, by average wage, are Pharmacies & drug stores, General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, and Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges.

Industries by Share

66.9k

2020 Workforce

± 6,350

4.81%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 13%

The number of people employed as Opticians, dispensing has been growing at a rate of 4.81%, from 63,849 people in 2019 to 66,923 people in 2020.

This graphic shows the share of Opticians, dispensing employed by various industries. Health & personal care, except drug, stores employs the largest share of Opticians, dispensing at 46.9%, followed by Offices of optometrists with 32.6% and General merchandise stores, including warehouse clubs and supercenters with 5.95%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Opticians, dispensing in the US. The average age of male Opticians, dispensing in the workforce is 46.5 and of female Opticians, dispensing is 42.2, and the most common race/ethnicity for Opticians, dispensing is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

16.8k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 3,183

50.1k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 5,495

74.9% of Opticians, dispensing are Female, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Opticians, dispensing.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Opticians, dispensing

White (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)
Black (Non-Hispanic)

70.7% of Opticians, dispensing are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 9.18% of Opticians, dispensing, White (Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Opticians, dispensing.

Age by Sex

46.5

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 2.96

42.2

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 1.55

The median age of Opticians, dispensing is 43.3, and Male employees are generally 4.28 years older than than their Female counterparts.

Education

Data on higher education choices for Opticians, dispensing from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Opticians, dispensing is Business but a relatively high number of Opticians, dispensing hold a major in Liberal Arts & Humanities.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Opticians, dispensing from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Opticians, dispensing need many skills, but most especially Speaking, Reading Comprehension, and Active Listening. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Opticians, dispensing need more than the average amount of Service Orientation, Persuasion, and Speaking.

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

Projections

Projections on job growth for Opticians, Dispensing from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.71%, but Opticians, Dispensing are expected to see a growth of 4.07% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow more than the national average.

Job Growth

4.07%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.71%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Opticians, Dispensing. This profession is expected to grow more than than 3.71%, the average rate of national job growth.