Dispensing opticians salary in the UK
The median full-time salary for dispensing opticians in the UK is £28,543 (ONS, 2025). After tax and National Insurance at 2026/27 rates that is about £2,006 a month.
Pay range for dispensing opticians
This is the ONS occupation group "Dispensing opticians" (SOC 2020 code 3211). ONS figures for 2025 show that ONS published only the median, so half earn less than £28,543 and half earn more.
| Point in the pay range | Gross a year | Gross a month | Take-home a year | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| 25th percentile | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Median (50th percentile) | £28,543 | £2,379 | £24,071 | £2,006 |
| 75th percentile | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| 90th percentile | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
Take-home at England, Wales and Northern Ireland rates. Not published means ONS did not publish that figure because the estimate is not reliable enough. ONS rates the median for dispensing opticians as reasonably precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 5.6%.
Where dispensing opticians rank
The median for dispensing opticians ranks 298th of 362 occupations on this site, in the bottom quarter, and 54th of 58 in associate professional occupations. It is £10,496 (26.9%) lower than the UK median of £39,039 for all full-time employee jobs. ONS change on the previous year: the median for dispensing opticians rose 3.6%, less than the 4.3% rise in the UK median for all full-time jobs.
Jobs with the nearest medians: Assemblers (electrical and electronic products) (£28,620), Cleaning and housekeeping managers and supervisors (£28,605), Elementary construction occupations n.e.c. (£28,591), Gardeners and landscape gardeners (£28,539), Credit controllers (£28,532) and Pest control officers (£28,323).
How spread out pay is
ONS did not publish the 25th or 75th percentiles for dispensing opticians, so we cannot show how spread out their pay is.
The mean for dispensing opticians (total pay divided by the number of employees) is £29,623, which is £1,080 (3.8%) higher than the median. When the mean is above the median, a smaller number of higher salaries are pulling the average up. For all UK full-time jobs the mean is 24.3% above the median, so the gap for dispensing opticians is smaller.
Dispensing opticians and related jobs
Among these 4 jobs in the same ONS minor group, this one has the lowest median. The highest median among them is £31,044 (pharmaceutical technicians) and the lowest £28,543 (dispensing opticians).
| Job | SOC code | Median salary | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pharmaceutical technicians | 3212 | £31,044 | £2,156 |
| Health associate professionals n.e.c. | 3219 | £30,575 | £2,128 |
| Medical and dental technicians | 3213 | £29,931 | £2,089 |
| Dispensing opticians | 3211 | £28,543 | £2,006 |
Take-home pay against all jobs
At the median, dispensing opticians take home about £2,006 a month, against £2,636 on the UK median for all jobs. Scotland has its own income tax bands, so take-home pay on the same salary is different there.
| Group | Median a year | Take-home a month | Take-home a month in Scotland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dispensing opticians | £28,543 | £2,006 | £2,009 |
| All full-time employee jobs, UK | £39,039 | £2,636 | £2,631 |
Related pages
All jobs in the Associate professional occupations table, average salary by area, the take home pay calculator, salary to hourly calculator and pay rise calculator.
How this is worked out
Pay: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), 2025 provisional, SOC 2020 unit group 3211. Take-home: 2026/27 rates, tax code 1257L, no pension or student loan. How to read these figures.
Sources
- ASHE Table 14: earnings by occupation (4-digit SOC), 2025 provisional (ONS)
- ASHE Table 7: earnings by place of work, local authority, 2025 provisional (ONS)
- SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions of unit groups (ONS)
- Income Tax rates and Personal Allowances (GOV.UK)
- Scottish Income Tax (GOV.UK)
- National Insurance: how much you pay (GOV.UK)
Figures checked on 12 October 2026. ONS plans to publish its next ASHE figures on 22 October 2026. Read how we calculate or tell us about a mistake.
Frequently asked questions
On the median full-time salary of £28,543, take-home pay is about £2,006 a month (£24,071 a year) after 2026/27 income tax and National Insurance, with tax code 1257L and no pension or student loan. In Scotland, where income tax is different, it is about £2,009 a month.
Only the median for 2025: half of full-time employees in this group earn less than £28,543 and half earn more. ONS did not publish the other points in the range because those estimates are not reliable enough.
No. The median for dispensing opticians is £28,543, which is £10,496 (26.9%) lower than the UK median of £39,039 for all full-time employee jobs (ONS, 2025). It ranks 298th of 362 occupations on this site.