Opticians, Dispensing in the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton Metro

BLS metro-level wage data places Opticians, Dispensing pay in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC at a median of $40,910 per year ($19.67/hr), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared with the national median of $47,260, the metro estimate is 13% below. OEWS reports the difference but does not identify its cause. Approximately 80 opticians, dispensing are employed across the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton MSA in SOC 29-2081.

The Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton pay distribution spans from $35,510 at the 10th percentile to $79,280 at the 90th, a 2.2× observed spread. Differences in specialization, employer, sector, location, credentials, schedule, and experience may all contribute, but OEWS does not isolate their effects. The 25th percentile sits at $35,510 and the 75th at $67,630, so half of Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton-based opticians, dispensing earn within that middle band.

Metro figures use establishment work location, not worker residence. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. OEWS includes straight-time pay, tips, commissions, incentive pay, and production bonuses. It excludes employer health and retirement benefits, overtime premiums, stock compensation, signing bonuses, and other nonproduction bonuses. The same occupation's national profile, statewide NC estimate, and peer-metro rows provide distinct geographic comparisons. A published median is a benchmark, not a prediction or ceiling for one worker.