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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023

31-2011 Occupational Therapy Assistants

Assist occupational therapists in providing occupational therapy treatments and procedures. May, in accordance with state laws, assist in development of treatment plans, carry out routine functions, direct activity programs, and document the progress of treatments. Generally requires formal training.


National estimates for Occupational Therapy Assistants
Industry profile for Occupational Therapy Assistants
Geographic profile for Occupational Therapy Assistants

National estimates for Occupational Therapy Assistants:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Occupational Therapy Assistants:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
46,090 1.8 % $ 32.78 $ 68,170 0.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for Occupational Therapy Assistants:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 23.40 $ 28.56 $ 32.22 $ 37.16 $ 42.90
Annual Wage (2) $ 48,670 $ 59,400 $ 67,010 $ 77,290 $ 89,230


Industry profile for Occupational Therapy Assistants:

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

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Occupational Therapy Assistants:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Offices of Other Health Practitioners 20,580 1.80 $ 32.17 $ 66,900
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) 6,900 0.50 $ 35.92 $ 74,720
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 5,890 0.10 $ 31.01 $ 64,500
Home Health Care Services 2,880 0.18 $ 36.72 $ 76,370
Elementary and Secondary Schools 2,330 0.03 $ 28.08 $ 58,400

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Occupational Therapy Assistants:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Offices of Other Health Practitioners 20,580 1.80 $ 32.17 $ 66,900
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals 2,220 0.78 $ 34.75 $ 72,270
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) 6,900 0.50 $ 35.92 $ 74,720
Educational Support Services 870 0.34 $ 31.89 $ 66,330
Home Health Care Services 2,880 0.18 $ 36.72 $ 76,370

Top paying industries for Occupational Therapy Assistants:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Management of Companies and Enterprises (8) (8) $ 42.54 $ 88,480
Home Health Care Services 2,880 0.18 $ 36.72 $ 76,370
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) 6,900 0.50 $ 35.92 $ 74,720
Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly 710 0.08 $ 35.90 $ 74,670
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals 2,220 0.78 $ 34.75 $ 72,270


Geographic profile for Occupational Therapy Assistants:

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



Map of employment of occupational therapy assistants by state, May 2023


States with the highest employment level in Occupational Therapy Assistants:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Texas 6,080 0.45 1.48 $ 35.43 $ 73,690
Florida 3,890 0.41 1.34 $ 32.91 $ 68,450
Illinois 2,960 0.49 1.62 $ 31.30 $ 65,090
Ohio 2,870 0.52 1.73 $ 31.33 $ 65,170
California 2,760 0.15 0.51 $ 38.25 $ 79,560


Map of location quotient of occupational therapy assistants by state, May 2023


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

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Rhode Island 350 0.71 2.35 $ 30.58 $ 63,610
Ohio 2,870 0.52 1.73 $ 31.33 $ 65,170
Illinois 2,960 0.49 1.62 $ 31.30 $ 65,090
Kansas 650 0.46 1.52 $ 32.09 $ 66,740
Texas 6,080 0.45 1.48 $ 35.43 $ 73,690


Map of annual mean wages of occupational therapy assistants by state, May 2023


Top paying states for Occupational Therapy Assistants:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 2,760 0.15 0.51 $ 38.25 $ 79,560
Washington 960 0.27 0.90 $ 36.68 $ 76,300
New Jersey 900 0.21 0.70 $ 36.43 $ 75,770
Maryland 830 0.31 1.03 $ 36.27 $ 75,450
Arkansas 480 0.38 1.24 $ 36.20 $ 75,290



Map of employment of occupational therapy assistants by area, May 2023


Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Occupational Therapy Assistants:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 2,330 0.52 1.70 $ 32.17 $ 66,920
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 1,940 0.20 0.67 $ 37.05 $ 77,060
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 1,570 0.40 1.30 $ 34.76 $ 72,300
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 1,260 0.40 1.31 $ 35.43 $ 73,690
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 1,230 0.20 0.65 $ 37.69 $ 78,400
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 1,130 0.42 1.37 $ 32.91 $ 68,460
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 1,030 0.37 1.23 $ 34.03 $ 70,770
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 720 0.32 1.04 $ 31.37 $ 65,250
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 680 0.24 0.79 $ 31.35 $ 65,210
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 650 0.31 1.03 $ 37.46 $ 77,920


Map of location quotient of occupational therapy assistants by area, May 2023


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

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Homosassa Springs, FL 90 2.62 8.63 $ 30.50 $ 63,440
Victoria, TX 80 2.04 6.73 $ 33.50 $ 69,680
Cumberland, MD-WV 50 1.43 4.72 $ 30.28 $ 62,990
Lima, OH 70 1.40 4.60 $ 27.74 $ 57,700
Jonesboro, AR 70 1.23 4.04 $ 36.69 $ 76,310
Canton-Massillon, OH 170 1.07 3.52 $ 28.65 $ 59,590
Pueblo, CO 60 0.98 3.22 $ 31.18 $ 64,840
Wichita Falls, TX 60 0.97 3.19 $ 33.74 $ 70,190
Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA 180 0.89 2.94 $ 29.20 $ 60,740
Wheeling, WV-OH 50 0.85 2.82 $ 29.91 $ 62,210


Map of annual mean wages of occupational therapy assistants by area, May 2023


Top paying metropolitan areas for Occupational Therapy Assistants:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 160 0.07 0.22 $ 46.33 $ 96,370
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 140 0.12 0.40 $ 42.06 $ 87,480
Modesto, CA 30 0.16 0.52 $ 41.57 $ 86,460
Stockton-Lodi, CA 40 0.13 0.44 $ 39.73 $ 82,630
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA 80 0.25 0.82 $ 39.45 $ 82,060
Visalia-Porterville, CA 30 0.18 0.61 $ 39.29 $ 81,710
Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA 130 0.13 0.41 $ 39.04 $ 81,200
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 450 0.15 0.48 $ 38.39 $ 79,840
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA 230 0.15 0.50 $ 38.21 $ 79,480
Austin-Round Rock, TX (8) (8) (8) $ 38.05 $ 79,140

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Occupational Therapy Assistants:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
North Northeastern Ohio nonmetropolitan area (noncontiguous) 170 0.53 1.76 $ 29.61 $ 61,580
Southern Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area 150 0.78 2.55 $ 28.27 $ 58,810
West Northwestern Ohio nonmetropolitan area 130 0.50 1.66 $ 31.05 $ 64,590
North Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 120 0.42 1.37 $ 36.61 $ 76,150
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 110 0.29 0.95 $ 30.65 $ 63,750

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Occupational Therapy Assistants:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Central Louisiana nonmetropolitan area 60 0.83 2.73 $ 36.67 $ 76,270
South Illinois nonmetropolitan area 70 0.78 2.56 $ 27.04 $ 56,240
Southern Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area 150 0.78 2.55 $ 28.27 $ 58,810
Southwest Virginia nonmetropolitan area 80 0.68 2.25 $ 31.91 $ 66,380
Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area 40 0.67 2.22 $ 28.83 $ 59,960

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Occupational Therapy Assistants:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Big Thicket Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 50 0.51 1.68 $ 37.55 $ 78,100
Central Louisiana nonmetropolitan area 60 0.83 2.73 $ 36.67 $ 76,270
Coastal Plains Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 50 0.36 1.20 $ 36.64 $ 76,210
North Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 120 0.42 1.37 $ 36.61 $ 76,150
North Arkansas nonmetropolitan area 70 0.58 1.91 $ 36.11 $ 75,110


About May 2023 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OEWS estimates and related information:

May 2023 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2023 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2023 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2023 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2023 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: April 3, 2024