Occupational Therapy Aides
Occupational Therapy Aides is a dynamic career path with diverse opportunities. While facing some shifts, the field is adapting to changes in the job market. Professionals in this field are primarily employed in industries such as Cross-industry and Health Care and Social Assistance.
Key Statistics
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Occupational Therapy Aides workforce.
Employment Over Time
560 Workforce in 2023
The Occupational Therapy Aides workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Occupational Therapy Aides.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$44,140 Average Wage
In 2023, Occupational Therapy Aides earned an average of $44,140.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Occupational Therapy Aides.
Salary distribution for Occupational Therapy Aides.
Employment Growth Projections
-1.9% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
1,566 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -8.9%
1,426 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -17.1%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Occupational Therapy Aides.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Occupational Therapy Aides and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Occupational Therapy Aides employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Occupational Therapy Aides.
Wage Trends by Industry
24.7% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Total, All Industry: 14.5% growth (Current: $68,874)
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Occupational Therapy Aides.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Occupational Therapy Aides.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 300 employees, $45,181 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Occupational Therapy Aides.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 200 employees, $41,189 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 40 employees, $39,996 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 40 employees, $58,477 avg wage
- San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles MSA: 20 employees, $68,874 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Occupational Therapy Aides.
Diversity
Demographic information on Occupational Therapy Aides in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Occupational Therapy Aides in 2023 was 560 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Occupational Therapy Aides.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Occupational Therapy Aides.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Occupational Therapy Aides.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Occupational Therapy Aides in 2023 were Business Administration, Occupational Therapy, Health Sciences.
Common majors for Occupational Therapy Aides.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Occupational Therapy Aides workers.
Education level distribution for Occupational Therapy Aides.
Skills
Occupational Therapy Aides need many skills, but most especially Service Orientation, Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, Active Listening, Coordination.
Required skills for Occupational Therapy Aides.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Occupational Therapy Aides.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Occupational Therapy Aides include Therapy and Counseling, English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Psychology, Computers and Electronics.
Knowledge areas required for Occupational Therapy Aides.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Occupational Therapy Aides include Problem Sensitivity, Oral Comprehension, Oral Expression, Deductive Reasoning, Speech Recognition.
Required abilities for Occupational Therapy Aides.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Occupational Therapy Aides.
Daily Activities
Occupational Therapy Aides spend their time on activities such as Assisting and Caring for Others, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Performing General Physical Activities, Getting Information.
Most important work activities for Occupational Therapy Aides.
About
Occupational Therapy Aides
The average yearly wage for Occupational Therapy Aides was $44,140 in 2023.
SOC Code
31-2012 - Occupational Therapy Aides
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Occupational Therapy Aides reports an average salary of $44,140.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 560 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -1.9%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.