Physical Therapists
Median $102,760
Occupation · SOC 29-1122
Occupational Therapists: pay and where the jobs are
What occupational therapists earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$100,330 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $101,280
- Median hourly wage
- $48.24
- Mean hourly wage
- $48.69
- Employment
- 162,450
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 29-1122.
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See where your pay falls among occupational therapists nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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Use these numbers
How much do occupational therapists make?
The median annual wage for occupational therapists was $100,330 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $71,690 and the highest-paid 10% more than $131,950. As an hourly rate, the median is $48.24. About 162,450 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in California ($124,510), Oregon ($112,310) and Nevada ($110,520). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Arkansas.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for occupational therapists looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $71,690 | $34.47 | $5,974 | $4,939 |
| 25th percentile | $82,510 | $39.67 | $6,876 | $5,573 |
| Median | $100,330 | $48.24 | $8,361 | $6,618 |
| 75th percentile | $116,670 | $56.09 | $9,723 | $7,576 |
| 90th percentile | $131,950 | $63.44 | $10,996 | $8,454 |
Occupational Therapists: pay by state
52 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$91,928 take-home in national prices
2
$88,860 take-home in national prices
3
$86,599 take-home in national prices
Where a median occupational therapist paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 13,810 | $124,510 | $85,550 | $158,560 | $87,416 | $78,952 |
| Oregon | 1,170 | $112,310 | $78,500 | $131,340 | $78,678 | $76,120 |
| Nevada | 1,080 | $110,520 | $85,720 | $139,260 | $86,581 | $86,599 |
| District of Columbia | 540 | $109,170 | $81,760 | $129,810 | $79,320 | $72,174 |
| Washington | 3,340 | $107,670 | $83,110 | $135,290 | $83,082 | $77,638 |
| Maryland | 2,390 | $106,980 | $76,650 | $132,300 | $79,294 | $75,548 |
| Colorado | 3,390 | $106,720 | $81,390 | $157,820 | $79,451 | $77,098 |
| Arkansas | 2,160 | $106,360 | $65,160 | $144,250 | $79,919 | $91,928 |
| Texas | 13,400 | $106,140 | $76,350 | $135,200 | $83,499 | $86,031 |
| Oklahoma | 1,180 | $104,300 | $68,530 | $134,420 | $78,057 | $88,860 |
| Georgia | 3,650 | $104,010 | $75,290 | $128,610 | $77,559 | $80,545 |
| Alaska | 410 | $103,680 | $82,320 | $133,860 | $81,498 | $79,620 |
| Arizona | 2,680 | $103,660 | $78,160 | $131,950 | $79,557 | $79,022 |
| New Jersey | 6,290 | $103,410 | $78,690 | $159,230 | $76,557 | $70,362 |
| Hawaii | 390 | $102,870 | $78,670 | $118,240 | $74,795 | $68,025 |
| Connecticut | 3,150 | $102,440 | $76,360 | $127,630 | $75,488 | $72,858 |
| Delaware | 490 | $102,130 | $71,280 | $138,640 | $74,870 | $75,014 |
| South Carolina | 1,840 | $101,130 | $75,370 | $123,110 | $75,672 | $80,718 |
| Massachusetts | 6,510 | $100,930 | $73,140 | $127,380 | $74,543 | $70,486 |
| Virginia | 4,150 | $100,710 | $70,200 | $134,570 | $74,703 | $73,887 |
| Rhode Island | 770 | $100,040 | $75,760 | $126,630 | $74,958 | $73,287 |
| Illinois | 7,710 | $99,700 | $73,360 | $132,180 | $74,179 | $74,210 |
| Ohio | 6,760 | $99,390 | $70,080 | $123,800 | $76,454 | $82,409 |
| Florida | 10,650 | $99,360 | $66,230 | $117,950 | $78,730 | $76,131 |
| Kansas | 1,560 | $99,170 | $66,720 | $120,950 | $73,862 | $82,007 |
| New Mexico | 1,030 | $99,170 | $69,230 | $133,050 | $75,068 | $81,408 |
| Louisiana | 2,060 | $98,490 | $61,070 | $126,630 | $75,549 | $85,650 |
| Pennsylvania | 6,560 | $98,440 | $69,120 | $128,790 | $74,992 | $76,858 |
| Idaho | 840 | $97,760 | $69,440 | $152,880 | $73,531 | $77,001 |
| Tennessee | 2,490 | $97,700 | $68,520 | $119,070 | $77,562 | $84,426 |
| Kentucky | 2,190 | $97,650 | $71,030 | $119,250 | $74,227 | $82,329 |
| Missouri | 3,400 | $97,290 | $71,880 | $120,130 | $73,638 | $81,084 |
| Utah | 1,030 | $97,150 | $75,570 | $126,970 | $72,852 | $73,689 |
| Indiana | 3,830 | $97,020 | $69,550 | $119,950 | $74,251 | $79,558 |
| New York | 11,690 | $96,390 | $64,770 | $133,700 | $71,551 | $66,299 |
| West Virginia | 700 | $96,190 | $60,870 | $129,460 | $72,983 | $81,548 |
| Mississippi | 1,340 | $94,930 | $73,200 | $113,950 | $72,548 | $83,434 |
| Alabama | 1,500 | $94,050 | $76,670 | $123,870 | $71,125 | $80,075 |
| Nebraska | 1,500 | $93,740 | $70,370 | $107,780 | $71,390 | $79,232 |
| Vermont | 320 | $93,340 | $69,120 | $118,110 | $70,838 | $72,315 |
| Minnesota | 3,670 | $93,050 | $71,770 | $108,790 | $69,077 | $70,043 |
| North Carolina | 4,490 | $92,940 | $62,230 | $118,300 | $71,014 | $75,285 |
| Wisconsin | 3,710 | $92,390 | $73,610 | $110,950 | $69,851 | $74,234 |
| Iowa | 1,290 | $89,910 | $64,610 | $109,200 | $69,317 | $78,983 |
| Michigan | 5,120 | $89,910 | $66,580 | $105,720 | $68,511 | $71,205 |
| Montana | 420 | $88,990 | $76,110 | $110,910 | $67,767 | $71,602 |
| Wyoming | 350 | $86,170 | $57,740 | $127,790 | $69,451 | $74,927 |
| South Dakota | 490 | $85,050 | $65,820 | $106,520 | $68,663 | $77,510 |
| Maine | 1,120 | $84,310 | $63,750 | $114,100 | $63,707 | $65,644 |
| New Hampshire | 1,240 | $83,900 | $64,150 | $115,050 | $67,854 | $65,141 |
| North Dakota | 570 | $83,200 | $66,890 | $106,300 | $66,998 | $75,313 |
| Puerto Rico | 170 | $51,850 | $43,460 | $99,900 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 29-1122. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.