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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2018

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)
42,660 2.2 % $29.04 $60,410 0.6 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $19.05 $24.28 $28.95 $34.53 $38.93
Annual Wage (2) $39,620 $50,510 $60,220 $71,820 $80,980


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 19,970 2.20 $29.10 $60,540
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) 7,510 0.47 $31.36 $65,230
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 4,940 0.09 $26.47 $55,060
Home Health Care Services 1,990 0.14 $32.60 $67,800
Elementary and Secondary Schools 1,750 0.02 $25.42 $52,870

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 19,970 2.20 $29.10 $60,540
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals 1,530 0.59 $29.20 $60,740
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) 7,510 0.47 $31.36 $65,230
Home Health Care Services 1,990 0.14 $32.60 $67,800
Educational Support Services 200 0.11 $26.34 $54,790

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Other Ambulatory Health Care Services 50 0.02 $32.83 $68,290
Home Health Care Services 1,990 0.14 $32.60 $67,800
Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly 880 0.10 $31.67 $65,880
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) 7,510 0.47 $31.36 $65,230
Employment Services 600 0.02 $31.10 $64,700


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)
Ohio 3,690 0.68 2.31 $28.80 $59,910
Texas 3,650 0.30 1.02 $35.89 $74,650
Florida 2,970 0.35 1.17 $29.49 $61,340
Pennsylvania 2,600 0.44 1.51 $26.24 $54,580
New York 2,360 0.25 0.85 $29.27 $60,890




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 3,690 0.68 2.31 $28.80 $59,910
Wisconsin 1,920 0.67 2.28 $18.58 $38,650
Wyoming 150 0.58 1.95 $25.10 $52,200
Pennsylvania 2,600 0.44 1.51 $26.24 $54,580
Indiana 1,350 0.44 1.50 $26.96 $56,070




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Texas 3,650 0.30 1.02 $35.89 $74,650
New Jersey 680 0.17 0.57 $33.43 $69,530
Nevada 140 0.10 0.35 $32.79 $68,200
California 2,280 0.13 0.45 $32.44 $67,470
Virginia 930 0.24 0.82 $31.85 $66,240





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)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 2,050 0.22 0.73 $31.98 $66,520
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 1,610 0.35 1.17 $30.19 $62,800
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 1,200 0.34 1.14 $36.47 $75,860
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 910 0.15 0.50 $32.31 $67,210
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 900 0.44 1.48 $28.29 $58,840
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 830 0.30 1.02 $31.66 $65,860
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 800 0.28 0.95 $28.25 $58,750
Cleveland-Elyria, OH 650 0.62 2.11 $30.09 $62,580
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 610 0.20 0.69 $33.97 $70,660
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 600 0.23 0.79 $29.47 $61,290




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 100 2.63 8.91 $28.33 $58,930
Green Bay, WI 350 2.03 6.88 $12.66 $26,340
Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA 400 1.85 6.26 $27.60 $57,410
Cumberland, MD-WV 70 1.84 6.23 $34.58 $71,920
Racine, WI 140 1.78 6.05 $14.13 $29,390
Altoona, PA 100 1.64 5.55 $23.73 $49,360
Williamsport, PA 80 1.56 5.28 $26.13 $54,340
New Bern, NC 70 1.55 5.25 $32.99 $68,620
Canton-Massillon, OH 240 1.39 4.72 $27.57 $57,350
Wheeling, WV-OH 70 1.21 4.10 $28.85 $60,020




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)
Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA 160 0.17 0.56 $40.60 $84,440
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX 70 0.49 1.68 $39.10 $81,330
Visalia-Porterville, CA 40 0.26 0.88 $39.03 $81,190
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX 320 0.32 1.08 $38.78 $80,670
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX 90 0.34 1.15 $38.60 $80,300
Austin-Round Rock, TX 230 0.22 0.75 $38.18 $79,410
Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, FL 40 0.28 0.94 $38.07 $79,190
Killeen-Temple, TX (8) (8) (8) $37.13 $77,220
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 1,200 0.34 1.14 $36.47 $75,860
Tyler, TX 50 0.45 1.52 $36.08 $75,040

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) 250 0.74 2.50 $26.01 $54,100
North Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 150 0.56 1.91 $33.44 $69,540
Southern Ohio non-metropolitan area 150 0.94 3.18 $29.77 $61,930
Southern Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area 130 0.66 2.24 $25.27 $52,560
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 120 0.30 1.02 $29.65 $61,660

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 0.94 3.18 $29.77 $61,930
Southwest Virginia nonmetropolitan area 110 0.93 3.15 $30.10 $62,610
Central Louisiana nonmetropolitan area 60 0.80 2.72 $30.65 $63,760
North Northeastern Ohio non-metropolitan area (non-contiguous) 250 0.74 2.50 $26.01 $54,100
West Tennessee nonmetropolitan area 90 0.73 2.47 $32.63 $67,860

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 (8) (8) (8) $42.71 $88,840
Hill Country Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 50 0.27 0.91 $38.14 $79,320
West Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 60 0.29 0.99 $36.20 $75,290
Upper Savannah South Carolina nonmetropolitan area 50 0.63 2.15 $34.65 $72,060
Southside Virginia nonmetropolitan area 50 0.51 1.71 $34.30 $71,340


About May 2018 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 OES estimates and related information:

May 2018 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 29, 2019