333314/Optical Instrument and Lens Manufacturing
US businesses, employees and payroll, 2017 to 2023
19K
employees, 2023
19K
employees, 2023
In 2023, 438 US Optical Instrument and Lens Manufacturing business locations employed 19,491 people and paid $1.6 billion in annual payroll, $84,165 per employee on average. Employment was up 5.0% from 2022. California had the most employees.
Updated Oct 9, 2026 · data year 2023
Business locations
438
+5.3% vs 2022
Employees
19,491
+5.0% vs 2022
Annual payroll
$1.6B
-6.7% vs 2022
Average pay
$84,165
-11.1% vs 2022
Over the years
United States, 2017 to 2023
Employees
Paid employees in mid-March
Business locations
Places with paid employees
By state
Employees of Optical Instrument and Lens Manufacturing in each state, 2023
Employees by state
States with the most employees
Employees and the share of all the state's jobs
| State | Business locations | Employees | Average pay | Share of state jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 97 | 4,343 | $107,520 | 0.03% |
| New York | 39 | 3,129* | $58,603 | 0.04% |
| New Hampshire | 18 | 1,830 | $87,207 | 0.29% |
| Massachusetts | 34 | 1,641 | $88,408 | 0.05% |
| Oregon | 10 | 1,221* | $69,382 | 0.07% |
| Texas | 20 | 1,024 | $91,349 | 0.01% |
| Colorado | 18 | 937 | $67,013 | 0.04% |
| Michigan | 20 | 816 | $92,574 | 0.02% |
| Florida | 23 | 700 | $74,631 | 0.01% |
| New Jersey | 16 | 695 | $94,378 | 0.02% |
| Pennsylvania | 13 | 349 | $87,521 | 0.01% |
| Missouri | 5 | 286* | $82,021 | 0.01% |
| Vermont | 5 | 228* | $96,140 | 0.09% |
| Arizona | 10 | 223 | $81,933 | 0.01% |
| Ohio | 7 | 204* | $80,059 | 0.00% |
The 15 states with the most employees. Download the CSV for all 31.
Top metro areas
Metro and micro areas with the most Optical Instrument and Lens Manufacturing employees, 2023
Metro areas with the most employees
| Metro area | Locations | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rochester, NY | 23 | 2,808* | $55,977 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 23 | 1,896 | $87,855 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 26 | 1,167 | $103,304 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | 4 | 1,105 | $128,653 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 3 | 1,009* | $102,207 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 13 | 942 | $92,540 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | 3 | 885* | $73,724 |
| Boulder, CO | 10 | 650* | $76,992 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 19 | 587 | $90,731 |
| Worcester, MA | 8 | 485 | $71,918 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 13 | 436* | $93,938 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 11 | 420 | $100,048 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 15 | 415 | $107,477 |
| Manchester-Nashua, NH | 7 | 395 | $111,638 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 8 | 282 | $90,805 |
Business size
US Optical Instrument and Lens Manufacturing business locations by number of employees, 2023
Locations by size
| Employees | Locations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 138 | 31.6% |
| 5 to 9 | 69 | 15.8% |
| 10 to 19 | 70 | 16.0% |
| 20 to 49 | 71 | 16.2% |
| 50 to 99 | 47 | 10.8% |
| 100 to 249 | 27 | 6.2% |
| 250 to 499 | 11 | 2.5% |
| 500 to 999 | 4 | 0.9% |
| 1,000 or more | Not published | - |
Related industries
The industries this code belongs to
Part of Manufacturing 31-33Machinery Manufacturing 333Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing 3333Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing 33331
Questions and answers
How many people work in Optical Instrument and Lens Manufacturing in the US?
19,491 people worked at 438 US Optical Instrument and Lens Manufacturing business locations in 2023, up 5.0% from 2022. That is 0.01% of all US private-sector employees.
What is the average pay in Optical Instrument and Lens Manufacturing?
$84,165 a year per employee in 2023, from $1.6 billion in annual payroll (down 11.1% from 2022). The average across all US industries was $68,342.
Which state has the most Optical Instrument and Lens Manufacturing jobs?
California had the most, with 4,343 employees in 2023, followed by New York (3,129) and New Hampshire (1,830).
Which metro areas have the most Optical Instrument and Lens Manufacturing jobs?
Rochester, NY (2,808), Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH (1,896), Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA (1,167) had the most Optical Instrument and Lens Manufacturing employees in 2023.
Are most Optical Instrument and Lens Manufacturing businesses small?
63.4% of the 437 Optical Instrument and Lens Manufacturing business locations had fewer than 20 employees in 2023, and 4 had 500 or more.
Official US government statistics, published once a year. Business locations are places with paid employees; employees are counted in mid-March; payroll covers the whole year. Covers most private employers, not the self-employed, most government workers or farm workers on farms. * Less accurate: changed by 5% or more to protect privacy. Changes from the year before are shown only when both years use the same edition of the industry codes.