Ophthalmic Medical Technicians in Arizona
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$39,203
after federal, FICA and Arizona tax
Tax takes
$7,837
16.7% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$38,775
Arizona costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Arizona — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$47,040
Kept after tax
$39,203
Worth in national money
$38,775
State rank
19
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. Arizona is 19 of 51 states for ophthalmic medical technicians, with a middle wage of $47,040. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- Ordinary, locally speaking. Ophthalmic medical technicians ranks 350 among 491 occupations Arizona publishes pay for.
- No great distortion either way. Arizona costs about what the country costs, so from $47,040, take-home of $39,203 is worth roughly $38,775 in national money. The average lands at $46,220, below the middle of the range.
- Arizona ranks 19 of 51 for ophthalmic medical technicians at $47,040. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- Position 350 of 491 in Arizona places ophthalmic medical technicians in the middle of the state's wage distribution. Because within-state and cross-state rankings measure different things, this figure and the national one above should be read together rather than as a single verdict.
- Price parity in Arizona is near the national base, so for ophthalmic medical technicians, whose median is $47,040, the adjusted figure of $38,775 differs little from $39,203 retained after tax. The state's position for this occupation is therefore set by wage and tax rather than by living costs. At $46,220 the mean undershoots the median, an inversion of the usual skew.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Ophthalmic Medical Technicians
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $38,370 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $47,040 |
| Top tenth earn over | $55,300 |
| This salary | $47,040 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in Arizona | $39,203 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $39,977 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$2,364 |
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $46,077 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$2,859 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 101 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Arizona earn less than $47,040. The published range is $38,370 up to $55,300, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind Arizona's $39,203, worked from $47,040. That is on purpose. It lets states be compared with each other, not with each other's family circumstances. Local city taxes are left out. Locally this work ranks 350 of 491.
- Two cautions on $38,775, the adjusted value of that $47,040 median. It levels out prices with a single number for all of Arizona. No actual address matches that. The wage figures and price figures are also from different years. Each is published on its own timetable. This work sits at 350 of 491 locally.
- Reported values are medians; for ophthalmic medical technicians in Arizona the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $38,370 to $55,300. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- The Arizona take-home of $39,203, on $47,040 for work ranking 350 of 491 locally, models the simplest household deliberately: holding it constant is what makes the interstate comparison meaningful. It also means the absolute figure overstates liability for most real filers, and municipal income taxes are outside the model entirely. The occupation ranks 350 of 491 in the state.
- This $38,775 adjusted figure, worked from $47,040, rests on a state-level price parity averaging over within-state dispersion larger than much of the between-state dispersion. Wage and price vintages differ by publication schedule. The result is directionally sound and not address-specific, for work at 350 of 491 in the state. The occupation ranks 350 of 491 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $38,370 and the top tenth $55,300, so most people doing this work in Arizona sit within a fairly tight band.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
Not on its own. Prices in Arizona run above the national level, so the same dollars buy less here. Adjusted for that, this pay is worth $38,775 — the wage did not change, only what it covers.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; Arizona then takes its own share, leaving $39,203.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($38,370 to $55,300) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Arizona rather than a national figure.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
Arizona's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $38,775 in national-average terms. ⚠️ RPPs are an all-items index; housing parities vary far more widely than the headline figure.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $39,203 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Arizona income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Is this occupation's state coverage complete?
State-level estimates are published for all 51 jurisdictions for this occupation, so cross-state comparison is not confounded by suppression. ⚠️ Estimates remain survey-based and carry sampling error; small differences between adjacent states should not be over-read.