Occupational Therapists pay in the U.S.
$101,280avg. a year
$48.69 an hour · 162,450 employed
Occupational Therapists in the U.S. earn an average of $101,280 a year and a median of $100,330. Pay is highest in California ($121,920) and lowest in North Dakota ($87,670).
$100,330Median pay
$48.69Average hourly
+16%Avg. pay since 2020
162,450Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for occupational therapists
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
113,810 jobs
California
$121,920
$58.61 an hour
21,080 jobs
Nevada
$112,290
$53.98 an hour
31,170 jobs
Oregon
$112,000
$53.84 an hour
43,390 jobs
Colorado
$111,620
$53.66 an hour
5540 jobs
District of Columbia
$110,850
$53.30 an hour
66,290 jobs
New Jersey
$110,150
$52.96 an hour
73,340 jobs
Washington
$110,100
$52.94 an hour
8410 jobs
Alaska
$108,000
$51.92 an hour
913,400 jobs
Texas
$107,630
$51.75 an hour
102,390 jobs
Maryland
$106,300
$51.11 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Occupational Therapists pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
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Under $93k$93k–$97k$97k–$105k$105k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $137,450 | $66.08 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $136,250 | $65.50 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $131,980 | $63.45 |
| Vallejo, CA | $128,760 | $61.91 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $128,610 | $61.83 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $123,560 | $59.40 |
| Boulder, CO | $123,360 | $59.31 |
| Salinas, CA | $122,370 | $58.83 |
Related jobs
- Registered Nurses$101,420
- Physicians, All Other$262,040
- Nurse Practitioners$137,300
- Pharmacists$140,920
- Physical Therapists$105,280
- Dental Hygienists$98,990
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Occupational Therapists pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $95,760 | $94,050 | 1,500 |
| Alaska | $108,000 | $103,680 | 410 |
| Arizona | $104,960 | $103,660 | 2,680 |
| Arkansas | $104,940 | $106,360 | 2,160 |
| California | $121,920 | $124,510 | 13,810 |
| Colorado | $111,620 | $106,720 | 3,390 |
| Connecticut | $102,140 | $102,440 | 3,150 |
| Delaware | $105,190 | $102,130 | 490 |
| District of Columbia | $110,850 | $109,170 | 540 |
| Florida | $95,620 | $99,360 | 10,650 |
| Georgia | $101,460 | $104,010 | 3,650 |
| Hawaii | $100,280 | $102,870 | 390 |
| Idaho | $100,000 | $97,760 | 840 |
| Illinois | $99,570 | $99,700 | 7,710 |
| Indiana | $96,090 | $97,020 | 3,830 |
| Iowa | $89,720 | $89,910 | 1,290 |
| Kansas | $96,150 | $99,170 | 1,560 |
| Kentucky | $95,450 | $97,650 | 2,190 |
| Louisiana | $92,940 | $98,490 | 2,060 |
| Maine | $87,900 | $84,310 | 1,120 |
| Maryland | $106,300 | $106,980 | 2,390 |
| Massachusetts | $99,730 | $100,930 | 6,510 |
| Michigan | $89,150 | $89,910 | 5,120 |
| Minnesota | $91,450 | $93,050 | 3,670 |
| Mississippi | $93,430 | $94,930 | 1,340 |
| Missouri | $95,200 | $97,290 | 3,400 |
| Montana | $92,310 | $88,990 | 420 |
| Nebraska | $91,620 | $93,740 | 1,500 |
| Nevada | $112,290 | $110,520 | 1,080 |
| New Hampshire | $89,080 | $83,900 | 1,240 |
| New Jersey | $110,150 | $103,410 | 6,290 |
| New Mexico | $101,800 | $99,170 | 1,030 |
| New York | $97,650 | $96,390 | 11,690 |
| North Carolina | $91,360 | $92,940 | 4,490 |
| North Dakota | $87,670 | $83,200 | 570 |
| Ohio | $97,390 | $99,390 | 6,760 |
| Oklahoma | $104,370 | $104,300 | 1,180 |
| Oregon | $112,000 | $112,310 | 1,170 |
| Pennsylvania | $98,460 | $98,440 | 6,560 |
| Rhode Island | $99,380 | $100,040 | 770 |
| South Carolina | $97,180 | $101,130 | 1,840 |
| South Dakota | $88,150 | $85,050 | 490 |
| Tennessee | $95,080 | $97,700 | 2,490 |
| Texas | $107,630 | $106,140 | 13,400 |
| Utah | $97,210 | $97,150 | 1,030 |
| Vermont | $92,960 | $93,340 | 320 |
| Virginia | $102,130 | $100,710 | 4,150 |
| Washington | $110,100 | $107,670 | 3,340 |
| West Virginia | $95,810 | $96,190 | 700 |
| Wisconsin | $91,150 | $92,390 | 3,710 |
| Wyoming | $90,790 | $86,170 | 350 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$107,110
11,640 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$101,400
5,960 jobsLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$118,500
4,950 jobsBoston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$100,730
4,790 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
$108,380
3,450 jobsPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
$103,970
3,410 jobsHouston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
$107,080
2,700 jobsWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
$109,170
2,640 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do occupational therapists make?
The average is $101,280 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $100,330 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $48.69, and the median is $48.24 an hour.
Which state pays occupational therapists the most?
California, with an average of $121,920 a year. The best-paying metro area is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA at $137,450.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $71,690 a year, and the top 10% earn over $131,950.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 29-1122. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.