See table for salaries.
Average Optician Salary in Canada
The table below details the hourly wages for Opticians.
The Canadian national occupation classification code (NOC) for this role is 3231.
Job titles and exact duties vary in this occupation.
Examples of some job titles are: optician, contact lens technician and ophthalmic dispenser.
According to the latest figures, the highest hourly average (median) wages are earned in Alberta at $27.00 per hour and the lowest average (median) wages are earned in Winnipeg – Manitoba at $21.50 per hour.
A typical full-time annual salary for this occupation is in the region of $40,000 – $55,000.
The government forecasts that there will be a shortage of workers in this profession for the near future. Employment growth (expansion demand) is expected to represent one third of job openings, due to the the aging population.
Average (Median) Hourly Wages for Opticians in Canada
| Location | Low Wage $ per hr |
Average Wage $ per hr |
High Wage $ per hr |
Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calgary – Alberta*(1) | 21.00 | 27.00 | 31.00 | 2019 |
| Edmonton – Alberta*(1) | 21.00 | 27.00 | 31.00 | 2019 |
| Vancouver / Lower Mainland – British Columbia | 19.23 | 23.50 | 42.00 | 2018 |
| Winnipeg – Manitoba | 15.00 | 21.50 | 30.00 | 2018 |
| Fredericton – New Brunswick(1) | 16.00 | 25.16 | 33.00 | 2018 |
| Halifax – Nova Scotia(1) | 16.00 | 25.16 | 32.00 | 2018 |
| Toronto – Ontario | 17.00 | 28.85 | 40.00 | 2018 |
| Ottawa – Ontario | 15.00 | 27.00 | 34.50 | 2018 |
| Kitchener / Waterloo / Barrie – Ontario | 15.00 | 27.00 | 34.50 | 2018 |
| Hamilton / Niagara Peninsula – Ontario | 15.00 | 27.00 | 34.50 | 2018 |
| Prince Edward Island(3) | 15.00 | 24.00 | 34.50 | 2018 |
| Montreal – Quebec | 16.25 | 24.00 | 30.00 | 2018 |
| Saskatoon / Biggar – Saskatchewan(1) | 12.51 | 22.15 | 30.63 | 2018 |
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Licensing by a regulatory body is required in all provinces.
The 2020 full-time average hourly wage rate for technical occupations in health, which includes opticians, is $29.87. The 2020 corresponding median weekly wage rate is $1,094 giving an approximate full-time annual salary for this employment sector of $57,000.
There are over 10,000 opticians working in Canada.
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