HOT TOPIC A new look at old problems

Compensation Nation

By Erinn Morgan

How does your salary stack up against those of other opticians across the country? EB's 2008 Optician Salary and Fringe Benefits report reveals this and much more juicy information on everything from regional trends to job responsibilities

This special report unveils the pertinent data on median salaries in the U.S. for both licensed and unlicensed opticians, plus much more. The Eyecare Business 2008 Optician Salary and Fringe Benefits report, conducted in cooperation with the National Academy of Opticianry (NAO), surveyed 3,000 opticians from all regions of the country to determine the current compensation and benefits for licensed and unlicensed professionals based on age, experience, gender, and education level.

The last time a study of this magnitude was completed was in 1998, when the NAO released the results of its Salary and Fringe Benefits Survey. What makes the exclusive new 2008 data from EB even more compelling is that, in many cases, it is compared with the 1998 NAO data.

The magic number for 2008 turns out to be $40,000. This annual gross salary is the median for all surveyed opticians across the country, including licensed and unlicensed.

How does this all relate to you? Perhaps it's time to count your lucky stars—or ask for a raise. Maybe it's high time to become a licensed optician. Whatever you take away from this report, we hope it provides you with usable information.

[Note: The median is the middle number in a series of numbers in ascending order. It was chosen for reporting the results of this survey over the mean, or average, to factor out unusually high or low responses that skew results.]

MEDIAN GROSS SALARY BY REGION

While a $40,000 salary was the median for surveyed opticians, different regions of the country either rose above or dipped below this number. For example, New England rolled in with the highest median gross salary at $50,000; in the 1998 NAO survey, this region reported a median salary of $27,000. This represents the most significant salary increase for any region in the U.S. over the 10-year period. The South Atlantic region reported the second-highest median salary at $45,000. This was also a substantial jump over the $29,000 median salary reported in the 1998 NAO survey. Several regions tied for the lowest median salary of $35,000, including the Middle Atlantic, South Atlantic, East North Central, East South Central, Mountain, and West South Central.

Licensed and Unlicensed Opticians SALARY OVERVIEW

Think being an unlicensed optician doesn't affect your income potential? The 2008 survey's stats tell a different story. At $40,000, licensed dispensing opticians' median salaries were reportedly a full $5,000 higher than median salaries of unlicensed dispensing opticians, which rang in at $35,000. Licensed managers raked in even more with median salaries of $45,000. The percentage differences in these numbers all stack up similarly to those reported in the 1998 NAO survey, where licensed dispensing opticians pulled in a median $31,000 salary and unlicensed dispensing opticians reported a median salary of $27,000.

About 15 percent of the 2008 survey respondents were the owners of the optical store in which they work; in 1998, that number was reported as 16 percent.

NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES AT LOCATION
Have optical shops gotten smaller over the years? While 27 percent of the 1998 survey respondents reported they worked at locations with fewer than five employees, the 2008 survey showed that number had increased to 44 percent. At the same time, the number of respondents that worked at locations with more than 19 employees dipped down from 25 percent in 1998 to 10 percent in 2008.

ARE YOU ABO CERTIFIED?
The survey respondents' breakdown included 78 percent ABO-certified opticians and 28 percent non-certified opticians. The median salary of the former indicated that being ABO certified certainly has its advantages.

Annual Gross Salary

Looking at the full range of all surveyed opticians in the 2008 Optician Salary and Fringe Benefits report, the majority of salaries were clustered around the median salary of $40,000. In fact, some 64 percent of respondents indicated their salaries fell into the range of $30,000 to $50,000.

More concisely, 40 percent fell into the range between $35,000 and $45,000. Interestingly, a full four percent said their salaries were below $20,000; another seven percent indicated their compensation was a robust $70,000 or above.

1^ST Years in Optical Business

Experience has its rewards. As might be expected, the median salary for all opticians increased with the number of years spent working in the optical business. Those with less than 10 years under their belts reported a median salary of $30,000. Opticians working in the industry for 11 to 20 years increased their annual salary to a median of $37,000, while those with 21 to 30 years of experience brought in an annual compensation of $43,000. Finally, those with 30 or more years of service as an optician earned an annual median salary of $45,000.

Interestingly, salaries reported in the 1998 NAO survey were not significantly lower, by comparison. Those with less than 10 years of experience had a median annual salary of $26,000, just $4,000 less than their 2008 survey counterparts. Opticians with more than 30 years of time spent working in the optical business also only saw a $3,000 increase in annual median salary from 1998 to 2008.

64% of the 2008 survey respondents say that their job responsibilities have increased over the past 12 months.

AGE & Gender

Does compensation generally increase as opticians grow older? For the most part, according to this survey, it does. Survey respondents ages 20 to 30 reported a median annual salary of $30,000. Those ages 31 to 40 earned $35,000, 41- to 50-year-olds garnered $40,000 in annual income, and opticians ages 51 to 60 brought in $42,000. The trend tips backwards, however, as 61- to 70-year-olds reported an annual median salary of $40,000.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

Work imitates life in that responsibilities always continue to build. Survey respondents indicate that employers always seem to squeeze in more responsibility at the end of the day. As such, 64 percent of the 2008 survey respondents say that their job responsibilities have increased over the past 12 months. Not surprisingly, only three percent say their responsibility has actually decreased; the rest say things have remained status quo. Fear not, as this has always been the trend. The 1998 NAO survey shows that 60 percent of opticians say their job duties have increased in scope, while five percent indicate a decline in responsibility.

Salary by Employer Type

Those opticians working at an independent optical or chain location earn more than some of their counterparts. The 2008 Optician Salary and Fringe Benefits report shows that survey respondents working as licensed opticians at an independent shop brought in a salary of $45,000, $15,000 more a year than their counterparts working for an independent OD.

Licensed opticians working for optical chains also reported a salary of $40,000, while those working for independent ophthalmologists had an annual income of $35,000. The salary for those opticians working in other capacities, such as for group practices, HMOs, online retailers, or medical clinics, was also higher at $45,000.

Again, unlicensed dispensing opticians participating in the survey typically brought in a lower salary than licensed opticians. For example, unlicensed opticians working at independent optical shops reported annual income of $35,000, which was $10,000 lower than licensed opticians working at the same type of location. However, those unlicensed opticians working for an independent optometrist actually garnered an annual gross salary of $35,000, which was $5,000 a year higher than licensed opticians working at the same type of location.

58 percent of opticians are between the ages of 41 and 60.

Fringe Benefits

What type of vacation time, paid holidays, and sick leave do you receive? Over 90 percent of the 2008 survey respondents reported that they receive paid vacation days from their employer. The average time off received was 2.5 weeks. In the 1998 survey, 85 percent of opticians received paid vacation time. Those with one to 20 years of service were given about two weeks; opticians with over 20 years of service received about three weeks of paid time off.

As for paid holidays, 84 percent of the 2008 surveyed opticians said they receive several days off each year; the average number of paid holidays given was reported as seven. This number is just up from six paid holidays given in 1998, which included New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

The 2008 survey showed that most opticians also receive sick leave and 59 percent benefit from their employer's medical insurance. Just over a third have life insurance and dental insurance, but more than half actually receive a bonus each year.

Salaried/Paid Hourly Comparison
This chart says it all; more than half of opticians today are paid an hourly wage, and only 41 percent are salaried.

LEVEL OF EDUCATION COMPLETED/SALARY COMPARISON

Higher learning can lead to higher earnings. An advanced education made a marked difference for survey respondents' salary levels. Those 2008 survey respondents who completed high school earned a median annual income of $35,000, while those opticians with a master's degree reported salaries ranging all the way up to $50,000. There was no difference in salary for those who had just completed some college or those who earned a bachelor's degree; both were $40,000. Opticians who had completed some graduate studies did bump their salary up to a median of $45,000. A full 56 percent of respondents said they had completed some college, 18 percent held a bachelor's degree, and four percent had a master's degree. The 1998 NAO survey revealed similar breakdowns for opticians, with 48 percent taking some college courses, 19 percent holding a bachelor's degree, and three percent attaining a master's degree.