Optical Engineering Salary
$61.1K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$46K - $64K
30% of jobs
The median wage is $74.5K / yr.
$64K - $82K
34% of jobs
$82K - $100K
10% of jobs
$100K - $118K
0% of jobs
$118K - $136K
0% of jobs
$136K - $154K
0% of jobs
$154K - $172K
0% of jobs
$172.8K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$172K - $190K
18% of jobs
$190K - $208K
3% of jobs
$208K - $226K
0% of jobs
$226K - $244K
4% of jobs
$46K
$74K
$243K
$107,998
/year
$51.92
/hour
Optical Engineering Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$107,998
Columbus
Ohio
$104,316
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How much does an Optical Engineering make?
As of Jul 18, 2026, the average annual pay for an Optical Engineering in the United States is $107,998 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $51.92 an hour. This is the equivalent of $2,076/week or $8,999/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $243,000 and as low as $46,000, the majority of Optical Engineering salaries currently range between $61,500 (25th percentile) to $173,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $194,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for an Optical Engineering varies greatly (by as much as 111500), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
An Optical Engineering in your area makes on average $104,316 per year, or $3,682 (3.409%) less than the national average annual salary of $107,998. Ohio ranks number 42 out of 50 states nationwide for Optical Engineering salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Optical Engineering jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as an Optical Engineering on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Optical Engineering Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for an Optical Engineering job is above the national average. Topping the list is Newport Beach, CA, , with Berkeley, CA, and Sitka, AK, close behind in the second and third positions. Sitka, AK, beats the national average by $22,106 (20.5%), and Newport Beach, CA, furthers that trend with another $35,794 (33.1%) above the $107,998 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as an Optical Engineering appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 12% between Newport Beach, CA, and San Francisco, CA, , reinforcing the limited potential for much wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may be the best factor to use when considering location and salary for an Optical Engineering role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Newport Beach, CA | $143,792 | $69.13 |
Berkeley, CA | $131,661 | $63.30 |
Sitka, AK | $130,104 | $62.55 |
South San Francisco, CA | $129,783 | $62.40 |
Sunnyvale, CA | $128,487 | $61.77 |
Kentville, NS | $128,429 | $61.74 |
Whitehorse, YT | $127,612 | $61.35 |
Carcross, YT | $127,537 | $61.32 |
Palo Alto, CA | $127,275 | $61.19 |
San Francisco, CA | $127,241 | $61.17 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Optical Engineering Jobs in the U.S.
Analyzing some similar jobs related to the Optical Engineering job category, we found that Switch Engineer jobs have average salaries greater than Optical Engineering jobs.
Significantly, Switch Engineer jobs pay $20,002 (18.5%) more than the average Optical Engineering salary of $107,998. If you're qualified, finding work as an Switch Engineer may help you make more money than that of the average Optical Engineering position.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Switch Engineer | $128,000 | $61.54 |
Aerospace Research Engineer | $106,012 | $50.97 |
Gas Engineer | $98,480 | $47.35 |
Program Engineer | $95,777 | $46.05 |
Civil Construction Engineer | $82,674 | $39.75 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
