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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2016

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 this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
38,170 2.3 % $28.62 $59,530 0.6 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $18.83 $23.46 $28.37 $33.92 $38.50
Annual Wage (2) $39,160 $48,790 $59,010 $70,550 $80,090


Industry profile for this occupation: Top

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

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Offices of Other Health Practitioners 16,200 1.93 $28.85 $60,010
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) 7,360 0.45 $31.15 $64,780
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 4,500 0.08 $25.46 $52,950
Home Health Care Services 2,270 0.17 $33.83 $70,360
Elementary and Secondary Schools 1,830 0.02 $24.33 $50,610

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Offices of Other Health Practitioners 16,200 1.93 $28.85 $60,010
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals 1,440 0.56 $25.89 $53,850
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) 7,360 0.45 $31.15 $64,780
Home Health Care Services 2,270 0.17 $33.83 $70,360
Vocational Rehabilitation Services 340 0.10 $25.94 $53,950

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Home Health Care Services 2,270 0.17 $33.83 $70,360
Management of Companies and Enterprises 130 0.01 $31.60 $65,740
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) 7,360 0.45 $31.15 $64,780
Employment Services 500 0.01 $30.96 $64,400
Other Ambulatory Health Care Services 130 0.04 $30.59 $63,640


Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

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





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Texas 3,750 0.32 1.17 $35.61 $74,070
Ohio 3,480 0.65 2.40 $28.40 $59,070
Illinois 2,460 0.42 1.53 $29.61 $61,590
Pennsylvania 2,350 0.41 1.50 $23.53 $48,940
New York 2,300 0.25 0.93 $27.90 $58,030




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Ohio 3,480 0.65 2.40 $28.40 $59,070
Rhode Island 240 0.50 1.85 $29.08 $60,490
Wisconsin 1,320 0.47 1.73 $19.50 $40,570
West Virginia 310 0.44 1.61 $27.23 $56,640
Illinois 2,460 0.42 1.53 $29.61 $61,590




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Texas 3,750 0.32 1.17 $35.61 $74,070
Arkansas 270 0.23 0.85 $32.35 $67,290
New Jersey 360 0.09 0.33 $31.79 $66,120
Maryland 560 0.21 0.79 $31.42 $65,350
California 1,900 0.12 0.44 $31.19 $64,870





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, IL Metropolitan Division 1,690 0.46 1.71 $31.18 $64,850
New York-Jersey City-White Plains, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 1,350 0.20 0.75 $31.21 $64,910
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 1,340 0.55 2.03 $34.19 $71,110
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN 710 0.68 2.50 $27.90 $58,020
Cleveland-Elyria, OH 630 0.62 2.26 $29.33 $61,010
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 540 0.18 0.67 $31.30 $65,110
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 520 0.12 0.46 $30.76 $63,980
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX 520 0.53 1.96 $38.76 $80,610
St. Louis, MO-IL 510 0.38 1.39 $25.54 $53,130
Pittsburgh, PA 470 0.41 1.51 $22.67 $47,160




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Gadsden, AL 110 3.03 11.15 $27.56 $57,330
Victoria, TX 70 1.78 6.56 $37.35 $77,680
Cumberland, MD-WV 60 1.74 6.41 $32.80 $68,220
Pueblo, CO 80 1.46 5.37 $26.87 $55,880
Homosassa Springs, FL 50 1.43 5.26 $31.04 $64,560
New Bern, NC 60 1.32 4.86 $32.59 $67,800
Canton-Massillon, OH 180 1.09 4.00 $25.89 $53,860
Cape Girardeau, MO-IL 50 1.05 3.88 $26.06 $54,190
Leominster-Gardner, MA 50 1.04 3.81 $26.27 $54,630
Mansfield, OH 50 1.00 3.67 $27.40 $57,000




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV 110 0.12 0.43 $59.38 $123,510
Corpus Christi, TX 120 0.66 2.42 $40.41 $84,050
Tyler, TX 70 0.73 2.68 $39.40 $81,950
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX 520 0.53 1.96 $38.76 $80,610
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX 70 0.27 1.01 $38.27 $79,610
Austin-Round Rock, TX 160 0.17 0.62 $38.04 $79,120
Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metropolitan Division 120 0.12 0.46 $38.03 $79,110
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX 30 0.25 0.91 $37.93 $78,890
Victoria, TX 70 1.78 6.56 $37.35 $77,680
Lynchburg, VA 50 0.54 2.00 $36.12 $75,140

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
North Northeastern Ohio non-metropolitan area (non-contiguous) 300 0.90 3.29 $27.48 $57,160
Southern Ohio non-metropolitan area 150 0.97 3.57 $28.53 $59,350
Southeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area 150 0.65 2.37 $28.11 $58,460
West Tennessee nonmetropolitan area 120 0.93 3.43 $31.32 $65,150
Piedmont North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 110 0.43 1.58 $29.53 $61,410

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southern Ohio non-metropolitan area 150 0.97 3.57 $28.53 $59,350
West Tennessee nonmetropolitan area 120 0.93 3.43 $31.32 $65,150
North Northeastern Ohio non-metropolitan area (non-contiguous) 300 0.90 3.29 $27.48 $57,160
Northwest Alabama nonmetropolitan area 60 0.87 3.19 $25.27 $52,570
Big Thicket Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 90 0.86 3.18 $46.56 $96,840

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

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 90 0.86 3.18 $46.56 $96,840
North Texas nonmetropolitan area 90 0.33 1.22 $41.62 $86,560
Southside Virginia nonmetropolitan area 40 0.33 1.21 $33.53 $69,750
Southwest Virginia nonmetropolitan area 80 0.67 2.47 $32.51 $67,630
Mountain North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 40 0.31 1.13 $31.73 $65,990


About May 2016 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.

(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 OES estimates and related information:

May 2016 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2016 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2016 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2016 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2016 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 31, 2017