Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians Salary
Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX make a median of $41,140 a year, or about $19.78 an hour. The range runs from $33K at the entry level to $55K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.63), that's roughly $41,711 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,573/month, about 53.1% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $41K get you in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands’s Regional Price Parity (98.63). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About ophthalmic laboratory technicians
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What this looks like in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands
Ophthalmic laboratory technicians pay in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands tracks closely to the national median, $41K locally vs. $39K nationwide, a 4% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,573/month, which is 53.8% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 98.63) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for ophthalmic laboratory technicians in metros near Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $38K | $37K |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | $38K | $40K |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos | $42K | $42K |
| Corpus Christi | $31K | $33K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Entry-level ophthalmic laboratory technicians (10th percentile) start around $33K. Mid-career wages sit at $41K. Top earners bring in $55K or more, a $22K spread from bottom to top.
Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | $62K | +58% | 170 |
| New Hampshire | $59K | +51% | 180 |
| Washington | $49K | +25% | 260 |
| Colorado | $49K | +23% | 320 |
| Rhode Island | $47K | +20% | 70 |
| New Jersey | $47K | +20% | N/A |
| California | $47K | +20% | 1,630 |
| Maryland | $47K | +19% | 360 |
| Ohio | $46K | +17% | 560 |
| Oregon | $46K | +16% | 250 |
| Michigan | $45K | +15% | 330 |
| Georgia | $45K | +14% | 960 |
| Kansas | $45K | +14% | N/A |
| North Carolina | $44K | +12% | 210 |
| Maine | $44K | +10% | 50 |
| Massachusetts | $43K | +9% | N/A |
| Wisconsin | $43K | +9% | 200 |
| New York | $42K | +8% | 1,250 |
| Nebraska | $41K | +3% | 170 |
| Minnesota | $40K | +2% | 1,110 |
| Nevada | $39K | -1% | 240 |
| Missouri | $39K | -2% | 360 |
| Arizona | $39K | -2% | 150 |
| New Mexico | $39K | -2% | 130 |
| Florida | $38K | -4% | 1,230 |
| Texas | $38K | -4% | 3,380 |
| Pennsylvania | $38K | -5% | 510 |
| Tennessee | $37K | -5% | 130 |
| Indiana | $37K | -5% | 330 |
| Louisiana | $37K | -6% | 300 |
| West Virginia | $37K | -6% | N/A |
| Arkansas | $37K | -6% | 170 |
| Alabama | $37K | -6% | 190 |
| Illinois | $37K | -7% | 830 |
| Kentucky | $37K | -7% | 610 |
| Oklahoma | $36K | -10% | 210 |
| Mississippi | $35K | -11% | 220 |
| Virginia | $34K | -13% | 470 |
| South Carolina | $34K | -13% | 130 |
| Iowa | $34K | -14% | 100 |
Showing 1–10 of 40 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track ophthalmic laboratory technicians salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a ophthalmic laboratory technician afford a 2BR apartment alone in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $41K, rent takes 53.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,573/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $900/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for ophthalmic laboratory technicians in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new ophthalmic laboratory technicians typically earn — is $33K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,972/month. At HUD’s $1,573/month FMR, rent would take 80% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is ophthalmic laboratory technician a high-paying job in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $41K locally vs. $39K nationally, a 4% difference.
How does Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands compare to the national average for ophthalmic laboratory technicians?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands pays $41K median vs. the U.S. average of $39K — that’s +4%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.63), the purchasing-power equivalent is $42K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do ophthalmic laboratory technicians make in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
The median is $41,140 a year, that works out to about $20 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $32,860, and experienced ophthalmic laboratory technicians can clear $54,770. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $41K enough to live in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,925/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,573/month, which eats 53.8% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a ophthalmic laboratory technicians salary go in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands has a Regional Price Parity of 98.63 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median ophthalmic laboratory technicians salary is worth about $41,711 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do ophthalmic laboratory technicians get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.