BLS metro-level wage data places Opticians, Dispensing pay in Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT at a median of $42,710 per year ($20.53/hr/hour), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared to the national median of $47,260, Provo-Orem-Lehi pays 10% below, which typically tracks with a lower local cost of living or smaller specialized-employer cluster. Approximately 130 opticians, dispensings are employed across the Provo-Orem-Lehi MSA in SOC 29-2081.

The Provo-Orem-Lehi pay distribution spans from $32,360 at the 10th percentile to $76,750 at the 90th — a 2.4× spread that reflects experience tenure, specialization, employer size, and the difference between public-sector, nonprofit, and private-sector compensation inside the metro. The 25th percentile sits at $36,000 and the 75th at $57,180, so half of Provo-Orem-Lehi-based opticians, dispensings earn within that middle band.

Metro figures capture where you actually work, not just where you live — which matters for commuters. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. Remember that OEWS wages reflect base pay only: employer-provided health insurance, retirement matches, stock options, signing bonuses, overtime, and tips are excluded and can add 20-40% to real total compensation. Before using this metro median as a negotiation anchor, triangulate against the same occupation's national profile (linked below), its state-wide UT data, and peer-metro comparisons — a median is a starting point, not a ceiling.