Start with the answer
Opticians, Dispensing pay in Huntsville, AL and Vallejo, CA
The May 2025 BLS OEWS median for Opticians, Dispensing is $37,700 per year in Huntsville, AL. It is $78,830 per year in Vallejo, CA. Huntsville, AL is 52.2% below Vallejo, CA on the published median.
Both rows use SOC 29-2081 and the same annual wage metric. Median means the middle of each area's published wage spread. It is not one worker's pay. The larger median is not proof that one place gives a better job or a better result. It is one wage fact from one source period.
BLS lists 100 wage and salary jobs in Huntsville, AL and 90 in Vallejo, CA. Those are survey job counts, not open posts. Read pay, job scale, local share, and price level as separate facts before you make a choice.
Evidence: bls-oews-may-2025 · Rule: same-soc-same-metric-pair · nominal-median-gap · employment-not-openings