Best Cities for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicianss

Cities ranked by purchasing power — where ophthalmic laboratory technicianss get the most value from their salary after accounting for cost of living. A score above 1.00 means better than national average.

How we calculate this: City Score = (Local Salary ÷ National Median) ÷ (Local Cost ÷ National Avg Cost). A score of 1.20 means 20% better purchasing power than average.

#	Location	Score	Raw Salary	Adjusted Salary	Rent/Income
1	ConnecticutState	1.47	$62,410	$58,002	30%
2	New HampshireState	1.42	$59,460	$56,094	32%
3	OhioState	1.30	$46,320	$51,239	27%
4	Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MIMetro	1.29	$46,280	$50,746	32%
5	KansasState	1.26	$44,920	$49,911	28%
6	MichiganState	1.25	$45,490	$49,285	29%
7	Kansas City, MO-KSMetro	1.25	$45,750	$49,300	34%
8	GeorgiaState	1.22	$45,050	$48,233	38%
9	Rhode IslandState	1.20	$47,440	$47,204	38%
10	Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GAMetro	1.20	$45,870	$47,386	42%
11	North CarolinaState	1.18	$44,140	$46,758	35%
12	WisconsinState	1.18	$42,920	$46,501	30%
13	ColoradoState	1.17	$48,540	$46,053	46%
14	WashingtonState	1.16	$49,230	$45,881	46%
15	NebraskaState	1.13	$40,640	$44,415	31%
16	OregonState	1.13	$45,780	$44,447	42%
17	Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MDMetro	1.13	$47,100	$44,518	43%
18	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WAMetro	1.13	$50,770	$44,418	52%
19	West VirginiaState	1.12	$37,140	$44,109	27%
20	Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SCMetro	1.12	$42,280	$44,134	43%
21	MaineState	1.11	$43,520	$43,607	36%
22	MissouriState	1.11	$38,740	$43,725	32%
23	New JerseyState	1.10	$47,420	$43,585	45%
24	ArkansasState	1.09	$37,060	$42,943	28%
25	CaliforniaState	1.09	$47,410	$42,827	57%
26	MarylandState	1.09	$47,100	$43,132	43%
27	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CAMetro	1.09	$50,120	$43,021	54%
28	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WAMetro	1.09	$46,350	$42,996	46%
29	AlabamaState	1.08	$37,010	$42,491	31%
30	Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NHMetro	1.07	$48,140	$42,414	64%
31	New MexicoState	1.06	$38,590	$41,946	33%
32	Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WIMetro	1.06	$41,780	$41,990	43%
33	Pittsburgh, PAMetro	1.06	$38,650	$41,784	37%
34	IndianaState	1.05	$37,360	$41,282	34%
35	KentuckyState	1.05	$36,650	$41,412	31%
36	LouisianaState	1.05	$37,160	$41,243	34%
37	MississippiState	1.05	$35,230	$41,545	30%
38	MinnesotaState	1.04	$40,280	$41,102	38%
39	TennesseeState	1.04	$37,370	$40,842	40%
40	San Antonio-New Braunfels, TXMetro	1.04	$37,920	$41,217	41%
41	OklahomaState	1.02	$35,620	$40,249	33%
42	MassachusettsState	1.01	$43,100	$39,724	63%
43	TexasState	1.01	$37,920	$39,665	44%
44	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TXMetro	1.00	$38,280	$39,383	50%
45	NevadaState	0.99	$38,990	$38,912	45%
46	PennsylvaniaState	0.98	$37,680	$38,845	41%
47	ArizonaState	0.97	$38,620	$38,276	47%
48	IllinoisState	0.96	$36,840	$37,823	43%
49	IowaState	0.96	$33,910	$38,016	34%
50	New YorkState	0.96	$42,450	$37,733	52%
51	Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FLMetro	0.96	$37,340	$37,909	55%
52	FloridaState	0.95	$38,020	$37,458	54%
53	South CarolinaState	0.94	$34,140	$37,109	44%
54	Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FLMetro	0.89	$38,020	$35,041	64%
55	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MDMetro	0.89	$36,230	$35,005	53%
56	VirginiaState	0.84	$34,170	$33,014	55%
57	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WVMetro	0.81	$36,170	$32,066	66%

Data Sources: Salary: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS). Cost of Living: BEA Regional Price Parities (2024). Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents (FY2025).