Occupational Therapists: salary, outlook & degrees
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.
Middle half $82,510–$116,670. 162,450 jobs.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
96% hold a bachelor's or higher. Those with one: $72,413.
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers with at least a high school diploma; EducationGuide calculation
About 10,000 openings a year, including replacements.
BLS Employment Projections 2025-35
Extensive preparation (usually a graduate degree).
BLS; O*NET 31.0 job zone
Degrees that lead to this career
What workers ages 25-34 in this job studied, among those with a bachelor's or higher. This is what people actually did, not a requirement.
| Field of bachelor's degree | Share | Degree pages |
|---|---|---|
| Treatment Therapy Professions | 24% | Rehabilitation / Therapy Sciences |
| Psychology | 15% | Psychology |
| Physical Fitness Parks Recreation And Leisure | 12% | Kinesiology / Exercise Science · Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies |
| General Medical And Health Services | 10% | Health Sciences |
| Biology | 6% | Biology |
| Nursing | 3% | Nursing |
| Family And Consumer Sciences | 2% | Human Development and Family Studies · Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services |
| Communication Disorders Sciences And Services | 2% | Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders |
| Multi-Disciplinary Or General Science | 2% | Biological and Physical Sciences |
| Community And Public Health | 1% | Public Health |
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata (ages 25-34, employed, bachelor's or higher; top 10 fields); EducationGuide calculation.
Education workers say the job requires
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers (“required level of education”); small samples, so treat shares as approximate.
Pay by state and metro
| State | Median wage |
|---|---|
| California | $124,510 |
| Oregon | $112,310 |
| Nevada | $110,520 |
| District of Columbia | $109,170 |
| Washington | $107,670 |
| Maryland | $106,980 |
| Colorado | $106,720 |
| Arkansas | $106,360 |
| Texas | $106,140 |
| Oklahoma | $104,300 |
| Georgia | $104,010 |
| Alaska | $103,680 |
| Arizona | $103,660 |
| New Jersey | $103,410 |
| Hawaii | $102,870 |
| Connecticut | $102,440 |
| Delaware | $102,130 |
| South Carolina | $101,130 |
| Massachusetts | $100,930 |
| Virginia | $100,710 |
| Rhode Island | $100,040 |
| Illinois | $99,700 |
| Ohio | $99,390 |
| Florida | $99,360 |
| Kansas | $99,170 |
| New Mexico | $99,170 |
| Louisiana | $98,490 |
| Pennsylvania | $98,440 |
| Idaho | $97,760 |
| Tennessee | $97,700 |
| Kentucky | $97,650 |
| Missouri | $97,290 |
| Utah | $97,150 |
| Indiana | $97,020 |
| New York | $96,390 |
| West Virginia | $96,190 |
| Mississippi | $94,930 |
| Alabama | $94,050 |
| Nebraska | $93,740 |
| Vermont | $93,340 |
| Minnesota | $93,050 |
| North Carolina | $92,940 |
| Wisconsin | $92,390 |
| Iowa | $89,910 |
| Michigan | $89,910 |
| Montana | $88,990 |
| Wyoming | $86,170 |
| South Dakota | $85,050 |
| Maine | $84,310 |
| New Hampshire | $83,900 |
| North Dakota | $83,200 |
| PR | $51,850 |
Florida metro areas
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach$101,480
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater$97,720
- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford$99,520
- Jacksonville$99,340
- North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota$104,030
- Port St. Lucie$99,940
- Gainesville$97,130
- Cape Coral-Fort Myers$100,850
Virginia metro areas
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria$102,960
- Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk$99,400
- Richmond$105,550
- Roanoke$98,010
- Charlottesville$100,930
- Winchester$106,540
- Lynchburg$103,060
- Kingsport-Bristol$96,790
California metro areas
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim$122,040
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad$121,680
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont$136,770
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario$119,530
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara$136,870
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom$122,780
- Fresno$116,690
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura$120,570
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: median annual wage, all workers in the job. Metro areas: the largest by employment.
What the work takes
Top skills
- Active Listening
- Monitoring
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
- Speaking
Knowledge used
- Therapy and Counseling
- Psychology
- Customer and Personal Service
- Medicine and Dentistry
- English Language
Work styles
- Empathy
- Cooperation
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Social Orientation
People in this job tend to have Social (helping), Investigative (analytical) interests.
O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0): skills and knowledge by importance; work styles; interest high points.
Occupational Therapists: questions
How much do occupational Therapists make?
Occupational Therapists earn a U.S. median $100,330 a year; the middle half earn $82,510 to $116,670 (BLS, May 2025). Workers ages 25-34 in this job earn a median $71,594 (Census ACS 2020-2024).
Is occupational Therapists a growing field?
BLS projects growth of 14.8% from 2025 to 2035, with about 10,000 openings a year, including replacements.
What degree do you need to be an occupational Therapist?
BLS lists the typical entry education as master's degree. In O*NET's survey, 100% of workers say a bachelor's or higher is required. Among workers ages 25-34 with a bachelor's, the most common field of degree is treatment Therapy Professions (24%).
How much do occupational Therapists make in Florida?
The median in Florida is $99,360 a year (BLS, May 2025), compared with $100,330 nationally.
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35); O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0); U.S. Census Bureau ACS microdata. SOC 29-1122. Method
Data: JSON · Markdown · all careers
Cite this: “Occupational Therapists: salary, outlook and degrees,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/careers/occupational-therapists.