Occupational Therapists Salary: $98,340 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 152,280 occupational therapists work nationally, and $98,340 is the BLS national median annual wage. Projections imply about 3.1% annual growth; much hiring sits in health care and social assistance.
Occupational Therapists: what the data shows
Common questions about occupational therapists careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a occupational therapists?
Occupational Therapists is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 29-1122.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 152,280 workers.
What does a occupational therapists do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Documenting/Recording Information, Assisting and Caring for Others, Getting Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Developing Objectives and Strategies, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a occupational therapists make?
BLS national median annual wage: $98,340 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $120,303 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $84,321 |
| 25th percentile | $103,909 |
| Median (50th) | $122,717 |
| 75th percentile | $136,235 |
| 90th percentile | $159,007 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Monitoring, Service Orientation, Active Listening, Writing, Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, and knowledge areas including Therapy and Counseling, Psychology, Customer and Personal Service, Medicine and Dentistry. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is occupational therapists in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 3.1% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 16.4%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 35.6%.
Current U.S. headcount: 152,280.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do occupational therapistss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 152,280 | 15.9% |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 125,010 | 13.0% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 124,570 | 13.0% |
| Hospitals | 86,040 | 9.0% |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 67,390 | 7.0% |
| Ambulatory Health Care Services | 64,180 | 6.7% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Occupational Therapists in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Medical Assistants | 793,460 | $44,200 |
| Physician Assistants | 155,540 | $133,260 |
| Nurse Practitioners | 307,390 | $129,210 |
| Pharmacy Technicians | 487,920 | $43,460 |
| Registered Nurses | 3,282,010 | $93,600 |
| Dental Hygienists | 200,000 | — |
| Licensed Practical Nurses | 632,430 | $62,340 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Occupational Therapists workforce.
Employment Over Time
152,280 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Occupational Therapists grew from 29,060 in 2009 to 47,280 in 2025 (62.7%).
Historical employment for Occupational Therapists from the California OEWS series, 2009–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$98,340 Median pay (BLS national)
Occupational Therapists earn $98,340 as the BLS national median annual wage.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Occupational Therapists.
Salary distribution for Occupational Therapists.
Employment Growth Projections
3.1% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
55,047 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 16.4%
64,090 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 35.6%
This occupation is projected to grow at 3.1% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Occupational Therapists.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Occupational Therapists and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Occupational Therapists employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Occupational Therapists.
Wage Trends by Industry
2.5% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Occupational Therapists.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Occupational Therapists.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 12,020 employees, $117,120 avg wage
- TX: 11,700 employees, $103,150 avg wage
- NY: 10,540 employees, $98,980 avg wage
- FL: 9,230 employees, $97,230 avg wage
- IL: 7,410 employees, $96,850 avg wage
- PA: 7,200 employees, $93,950 avg wage
- OH: 6,480 employees, $94,480 avg wage
- MA: 6,250 employees, $96,790 avg wage
- MI: 5,090 employees, $86,200 avg wage
- NC: 4,910 employees, $91,970 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Occupational Therapists.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 9,630 employees, $109,520 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 5,890 employees, $98,500 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 4,650 employees, $97,110 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 4,500 employees, $114,430 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 3,350 employees, $100,040 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 3,160 employees, $104,980 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 2,610 employees, $105,560 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 2,310 employees, $98,380 avg wage
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: 2,260 employees, $107,560 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 2,250 employees, $109,030 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Occupational Therapists.
Diversity
Demographic information on Occupational Therapists in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for Occupational Therapists is about 152,280 people in our OEWS extract.
Gender and age distribution for Occupational Therapists.
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 Therapists.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Occupational Therapists.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Occupational Therapists in 2023 were Occupational Therapy, Health Sciences, Kinesiology.
Common majors for Occupational Therapists.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Occupational Therapists workers.
Education level distribution for Occupational Therapists.
Skills
Occupational Therapists need many skills, but most especially Monitoring, Service Orientation, Active Listening, Writing, Speaking.
Required skills for Occupational Therapists.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Occupational Therapists.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Occupational Therapists include Therapy and Counseling, Psychology, Customer and Personal Service, Medicine and Dentistry, English Language.
Knowledge areas required for Occupational Therapists.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Occupational Therapists include Oral Expression, Written Expression, Deductive Reasoning, Inductive Reasoning, Problem Sensitivity.
Required abilities for Occupational Therapists.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Occupational Therapists.
Daily Activities
Occupational Therapists spend their time on activities such as Documenting/Recording Information, Assisting and Caring for Others, Getting Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates.
Most important work activities for Occupational Therapists.
About
Occupational Therapists
Occupational Therapists earn $98,340 as the BLS national median annual wage.
SOC Code
29-1122 - Occupational Therapists
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Occupational Therapists reports an average salary of $120,303, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 152,280 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 3.1%, 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.