Best Cities for Ophthalmic Medical Technicianss

Cities ranked by purchasing power — where ophthalmic medical 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	MinnesotaState	1.41	$63,080	$64,367	24%
2	Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WIMetro	1.39	$63,080	$63,397	28%
3	WisconsinState	1.34	$56,420	$61,127	23%
4	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WAMetro	1.27	$62,390	$57,876	34%
5	HawaiiState	1.16	$58,240	$52,945	49%
6	Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MIMetro	1.14	$47,290	$51,853	31%
7	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CAMetro	1.14	$60,600	$52,017	45%
8	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TXMetro	1.13	$49,950	$51,389	38%
9	MichiganState	1.11	$46,750	$50,650	29%
10	North DakotaState	1.09	$46,190	$49,881	25%
11	Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SCMetro	1.09	$47,540	$49,624	38%
12	CaliforniaState	1.08	$54,490	$49,223	50%
13	IowaState	1.08	$44,030	$49,361	26%
14	MontanaState	1.08	$47,290	$49,056	29%
15	NebraskaState	1.08	$45,210	$49,410	28%
16	KansasState	1.07	$43,700	$48,556	28%
17	OregonState	1.07	$50,020	$48,563	38%
18	VermontState	1.07	$50,090	$48,868	34%
19	Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MDMetro	1.07	$51,380	$48,563	39%
20	Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TNMetro	1.07	$47,010	$48,867	40%
21	IllinoisState	1.06	$47,100	$48,357	33%
22	MaineState	1.06	$48,120	$48,216	32%
23	AlaskaState	1.05	$49,970	$47,910	33%
24	IndianaState	1.05	$43,490	$48,055	29%
25	North CarolinaState	1.05	$45,150	$47,828	35%
26	Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FLMetro	1.05	$47,210	$47,929	44%
27	Pittsburgh, PAMetro	1.04	$43,890	$47,449	32%
28	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WAMetro	1.04	$53,990	$47,235	49%
29	South DakotaState	1.03	$42,430	$46,729	27%
30	Kansas City, MO-KSMetro	1.03	$43,700	$47,091	35%
31	ArizonaState	1.02	$47,040	$46,620	38%
32	New HampshireState	1.02	$49,110	$46,330	39%
33	PennsylvaniaState	1.02	$45,050	$46,443	35%
34	Rhode IslandState	1.02	$46,500	$46,269	39%
35	Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NHMetro	1.02	$52,670	$46,405	58%
36	FloridaState	1.01	$46,830	$46,138	44%
37	MarylandState	1.01	$50,070	$45,852	40%
38	MassachusettsState	1.01	$49,750	$45,853	54%
39	Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FLMetro	1.01	$49,710	$45,816	49%
40	MissouriState	1.00	$40,290	$45,474	31%
41	TexasState	1.00	$43,640	$45,649	38%
42	WashingtonState	1.00	$48,840	$45,517	47%
43	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MDMetro	1.00	$46,990	$45,401	41%
44	New JerseyState	0.99	$49,050	$45,083	44%
45	ConnecticutState	0.98	$48,270	$44,861	39%
46	District of ColumbiaState	0.98	$50,790	$44,436	50%
47	OhioState	0.98	$40,350	$44,635	31%
48	DelawareState	0.97	$44,540	$44,099	37%
49	KentuckyState	0.97	$38,990	$44,056	29%
50	ColoradoState	0.96	$46,260	$43,890	48%
51	South CarolinaState	0.96	$40,400	$43,913	37%
52	West VirginiaState	0.96	$36,730	$43,622	27%
53	Columbus, OHMetro	0.96	$40,980	$43,829	38%
54	ArkansasState	0.95	$37,340	$43,268	28%
55	LouisianaState	0.94	$38,750	$43,008	32%
56	MississippiState	0.94	$36,220	$42,712	30%
57	New YorkState	0.94	$48,440	$43,058	46%
58	OklahomaState	0.94	$37,920	$42,847	31%
59	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CAMetro	0.94	$51,300	$42,679	73%
60	TennesseeState	0.93	$38,890	$42,503	39%
61	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WVMetro	0.93	$48,050	$42,598	50%
62	AlabamaState	0.92	$36,680	$42,113	31%
63	GeorgiaState	0.92	$39,150	$41,916	43%
64	New MexicoState	0.92	$38,610	$41,967	33%
65	San Antonio-New Braunfels, TXMetro	0.91	$38,240	$41,565	41%
66	Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GAMetro	0.89	$39,150	$40,444	50%
67	IdahoState	0.87	$38,280	$39,668	38%
68	VirginiaState	0.87	$40,920	$39,536	46%
69	WyomingState	0.84	$35,740	$38,430	33%
70	NevadaState	0.82	$37,660	$37,585	46%
71	UtahState	0.79	$35,950	$35,878	50%

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