• Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021

29-1122 Occupational Therapists

Assess, plan, and organize rehabilitative programs that help build or restore vocational, homemaking, and daily living skills, as well as general independence, to persons with disabilities or developmental delays. Use therapeutic techniques, adapt the individual’s environment, teach skills, and modify specific tasks that present barriers to the individual. Excludes “Rehabilitation Counselors” (21-1015).

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National estimates for Occupational Therapists
Industry profile for Occupational Therapists
Geographic profile for Occupational Therapists

National estimates for Occupational Therapists:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Occupational Therapists:

Employment (1)	Employment RSE (3)	Mean hourly wage	Mean annual wage (2)	Wage RSE (3)
127,830	1.3 %	$ 43.02	$ 89,470	0.8 %

Percentile wage estimates for Occupational Therapists:

Percentile	10%	25%	50% (Median)	75%	90%
Hourly Wage	$ 29.17	$ 36.40	$ 41.14	$ 48.31	$ 59.54
Annual Wage (2)	$ 60,680	$ 75,710	$ 85,570	$ 100,490	$ 123,840

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Industry profile for Occupational Therapists:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Occupational Therapists are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Occupational Therapists, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Occupational Therapists:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Offices of Other Health Practitioners	34,380	3.53	$ 42.16	$ 87,690
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	29,200	0.52	$ 44.04	$ 91,600
Elementary and Secondary Schools	15,630	0.19	$ 37.73	$ 78,480
Home Health Care Services	11,160	0.74	$ 49.34	$ 102,640
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities)	9,260	0.66	$ 46.31	$ 96,320

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Occupational Therapists:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Offices of Other Health Practitioners	34,380	3.53	$ 42.16	$ 87,690
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals	8,230	3.05	$ 45.40	$ 94,420
Home Health Care Services	11,160	0.74	$ 49.34	$ 102,640
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities)	9,260	0.66	$ 46.31	$ 96,320
Educational Support Services	1,250	0.64	$ 39.19	$ 81,520

Top paying industries for Occupational Therapists:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Home Health Care Services	11,160	0.74	$ 49.34	$ 102,640
Management of Companies and Enterprises	420	0.02	$ 48.41	$ 100,700
Other Ambulatory Health Care Services	110	0.04	$ 47.17	$ 98,120
Child Day Care Services	560	0.07	$ 47.11	$ 97,980
Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly	980	0.11	$ 46.93	$ 97,620

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Geographic profile for Occupational Therapists:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Occupational Therapists are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Occupational Therapists, see the Create Customized Tables function.

States with the highest employment level in Occupational Therapists:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
California	11,460	0.69	0.76	$ 50.85	$ 105,760
Texas	8,500	0.70	0.77	$ 46.20	$ 96,100
New York	8,320	0.96	1.06	$ 44.80	$ 93,190
Florida	6,770	0.79	0.87	$ 41.65	$ 86,640
Pennsylvania	6,710	1.20	1.32	$ 42.57	$ 88,540

States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Occupational Therapists:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Maine	990	1.67	1.84	$ 35.76	$ 74,380
New Hampshire	920	1.45	1.60	$ 39.82	$ 82,820
Connecticut	2,280	1.45	1.60	$ 45.21	$ 94,040
Massachusetts	4,820	1.42	1.57	$ 42.33	$ 88,040
Colorado	3,710	1.41	1.56	$ 44.83	$ 93,250

Top paying states for Occupational Therapists:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Nevada	850	0.66	0.73	$ 52.41	$ 109,010
California	11,460	0.69	0.76	$ 50.85	$ 105,760
New Jersey	3,960	1.03	1.13	$ 48.14	$ 100,140
Texas	8,500	0.70	0.77	$ 46.20	$ 96,100
New Mexico	740	0.96	1.06	$ 45.70	$ 95,060

Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Occupational Therapists:

Metropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA	7,820	0.90	0.99	$ 48.91	$ 101,730
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI	5,040	1.19	1.31	$ 41.57	$ 86,470
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	4,550	0.80	0.88	$ 50.55	$ 105,150
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	3,750	1.41	1.56	$ 45.88	$ 95,440
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH	3,520	1.36	1.50	$ 42.41	$ 88,200
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	2,400	0.67	0.74	$ 47.29	$ 98,360
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO	2,140	1.46	1.61	$ 45.82	$ 95,300
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	2,100	0.81	0.89	$ 42.79	$ 89,000
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	2,080	0.71	0.78	$ 47.13	$ 98,020
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	2,020	1.11	1.22	$ 39.27	$ 81,680

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Occupational Therapists:

Metropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Bloomsburg-Berwick, PA	100	2.52	2.78	$ 42.00	$ 87,350
Rochester, MN	280	2.44	2.69	$ 39.82	$ 82,820
Johnstown, PA	110	2.25	2.48	$ 37.22	$ 77,430
Bay City, MI	70	2.14	2.36	$ 36.50	$ 75,920
New Bedford, MA	130	2.07	2.28	$ 43.31	$ 90,090
Grand Junction, CO	120	1.95	2.15	$ 42.56	$ 88,530
Waterbury, CT	120	1.94	2.14	$ 43.93	$ 91,370
Worcester, MA-CT	520	1.92	2.11	$ 42.22	$ 87,820
Bangor, ME	120	1.89	2.08	$ 36.17	$ 75,230
Lewiston-Auburn, ME	90	1.84	2.03	$ 35.32	$ 73,470