Occupational Therapists Salary: $120,303 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 152,280 occupational therapists nationally earn a mean of $120,303. Projections imply about 3.1% annual growth; CA accounts for about 11,190 jobs in our geographic extract.
Key Statistics
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 percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $84,321 |
| 25th percentile | $103,909 |
| Median (50th) | $122,717 |
| 75th percentile | $136,235 |
| 90th percentile | $159,007 |
What education do you need?
For Occupational Therapists, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
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 Workforce in 2023
The Occupational Therapists workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Occupational Therapists.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$120,303 Average Wage
In 2023, Occupational Therapists earned an average of $120,303.
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.
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: 11,190 employees, $121,437 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Occupational Therapists.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 3,250 employees, $118,604 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 1,260 employees, $117,191 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 1,240 employees, $114,757 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 980 employees, $116,862 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 860 employees, $133,733 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 700 employees, $141,699 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 650 employees, $124,412 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 560 employees, $134,522 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 260 employees, $112,805 avg wage
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA: 230 employees, $117,971 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 workforce of Occupational Therapists in 2023 was 152,280 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
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
The average yearly wage for Occupational Therapists was $120,303 in 2023.
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.