Ophthalmic Medical Technicians in Montana
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$38,712
after federal, FICA and Montana tax
Tax takes
$8,578
18.1% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$42,897
Montana costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Montana — 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
$47,290
Kept after tax
$38,712
Worth in national money
$42,897
State rank
17
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Montana is one of the better-paying states for ophthalmic medical technicians. The middle earner takes $47,290, which ranks 17 of 51 states with published figures. That is about 3.77% above the national middle.
- Ordinary, locally speaking. Ophthalmic medical technicians ranks 324 among 475 occupations Montana publishes pay for.
- Here is where Montana does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $47,290 you keep $38,712, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $42,897 would elsewhere. The average is higher, $48,900, because the best-paid pull it up.
- Montana ranks 17 of 51 states publishing a median for ophthalmic medical technicians, at $47,290 — about 3.77% above the national median. A state's position on nominal pay is the figure wage tables report and the least informative of the three on this page, because it survives neither the tax adjustment nor the price adjustment intact for most occupations.
- Position 324 of 475 in Montana 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.
- After federal, FICA and Montana income tax, retained pay for ophthalmic medical technicians on $47,290 is $38,712. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $42,897 in national-average terms. ⚠️ That figure is purchasing power, not a wage, and nobody is paid it; it is what the take-home buys. The mean of $48,900 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Ophthalmic Medical Technicians
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $35,420 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $47,290 |
| Top tenth earn over | $64,370 |
| This salary | $47,290 |
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 Montana | $38,712 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $40,178 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$1,551 |
The raise and the real gain point in opposite directions here.
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 | $45,466 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$1,876 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 90 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- A median is the middle, not an offer. Half of ophthalmic medical technicians in Montana earn under $47,290 and half over. The published range runs $35,420 at the tenth percentile to $64,370 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- In Montana the take-home figure of $38,712, from $47,290, assumes one filer, no dependants, and nothing paid into a pension before tax. Each of those lowers the bill, so treat it as the plain case. City and school-district income taxes are not included either, and in a few states those are real money. It ranks 324 of 475 occupations here.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $42,897 uses one figure for the whole of Montana. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 475 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 324.
- Figures are distribution medians for ophthalmic medical technicians in Montana, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $35,420 to $64,370; within-state dispersion of that width routinely exceeds the dispersion between states, so tenure, employer and metropolitan area predict an individual's pay better than geography does.
- Take-home for Montana is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $38,712 from $47,290. Each omitted item reduces taxable income, so the figure is a lower bound on retained pay for this household shape. Municipal and school-district income taxes are excluded, which understates the burden materially in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The occupation ranks 324 of 475 locally.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $42,897, worked from $47,290, deflates by a statewide parity that conceals substantial intra-state variation, concentrated in housing — so it supports comparison between states rather than the pricing of a move to a particular Montana address, on work sitting at 324 of 475 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
It is the midpoint, not the average. The average here is $48,900, dragged up by high earners; the middle figure describes a typical worker better.
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $35,420 at the bottom tenth to $64,370 at the top, pay for this work clusters rather than spreads.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
Further than the number implies. Montana is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $42,897 in national terms.
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; Montana then takes its own share, leaving $38,712.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
How does the published median differ from the mean for this occupation?
The median is the midpoint of the distribution; the mean for this occupation in Montana is $48,900. Wage distributions are right-skewed, so the mean exceeds the median wherever a minority earn substantially more. BLS publishes both because substituting one for the other misstates a typical worker's pay.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($35,420 to $64,370) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Montana rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Montana's regional price parity is at or below the national average, so nominal wages understate purchasing power. Take-home deflated by the state price level is $42,897 in national-average terms. The adjustment uses an all-items index and does not isolate housing.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $38,712 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Montana 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.