Occupational Therapist vs Physical Therapist: pay, outlook, education and work, side by side.
Every row comes from one named source and says which career leads on that one dimension. There is no overall score.
Occupational Therapist vs Physical Therapist: BLS classifies them as different occupations (SOC 29-1122 and 29-1123). The national median annual wage is $100,330 for occupational therapists and $102,760 for physical therapists (BLS, May 2025). BLS projects national employment to change +14.8% for occupational therapists and +11.9% for physical therapists from 2025 to 2035. Typical entry-level education: Master's degree vs Doctoral or professional degree. Which fits better depends on what you value; the table shows who leads on each dimension, with no overall winner.
Side by side
Data Differences smaller than a stated threshold read “About the same” (pay 5%, growth 2 points, openings 10%, one education level, ORS 10 points, O*NET 0.2).
Pick what matters to you; the matching rows are highlighted. Nothing is combined into a score.
| Dimension · source | Occupational TherapistSOC 29-1122 | Physical TherapistSOC 29-1123 | Leads on this dimension |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual wageBLS OEWS, May 2025 (national) | $100,330 | $102,760 | About the same |
| EmploymentBLS OEWS, May 2025 | 162,450 | 267,330 | Not ranked |
| Projected employment change, 2025–35BLS Employment Projections (national) | +14.8% | +11.9% | Occupational Therapist |
| Projected numeric change in jobs, 2025–35BLS Employment Projections (national) · A count, not a rate: it scales with the size of the occupation. | +25,200 jobs | +33,800 jobs | Not ranked |
| Projected openings (annual average)BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35 | 10,000 a year | 13,400 a year | Physical Therapist |
| Typical entry-level educationBLS Employment Projections · typical, not a legal requirement | Master's degree | Doctoral or professional degree | Occupational Therapist |
| Typical work experience in a related occupationBLS Employment Projections | None | None | About the same |
| Typical on-the-job trainingBLS Employment Projections | None | None | Not ranked |
| Telework available (share of workers)2025 preliminary BLS ORS | less than 0.5% | less than 10% | Not ranked |
| No prior work experience required (share of workers)2025 preliminary BLS ORS | 64.8% | 84.5% | Physical Therapist |
| Most common minimum education (share of workers)2025 preliminary BLS ORS · A different metric from BLS typical entry-level education. | Master's degree (70.2%) | Professional degree (68.9%) | Not ranked |
| Pressure level (O*NET, 1–5; lower = less)O*NET® 31.0 work context | 3.13 | 3.74 | Occupational Therapist |
| Social-contact level (O*NET, 1–5)O*NET® 31.0 work context · not ranked: neither direction is better | 4.44 | 4.76 | Not ranked |
| Freedom to make decisions (O*NET, 1–5)O*NET® 31.0 work context | 4.41 | 4.75 | Physical Therapist |
| Work styles O*NET rates most importantO*NET® 31.0 work styles (occupation ratings, not a personality test) | Empathy, Cooperation, Attention to Detail | Empathy, Cooperation, Attention to Detail | Not ranked |
Choose based on what matters to you
Data Each line restates a measured difference from the table; nothing here predicts how you will feel about a job.
- faster projected national growth matters (+14.8% vs +11.9%)
- a shorter typical education path matters (Master's degree vs Doctoral or professional degree)
- a lower-pressure work environment matters (3.13 vs 3.74)
- starting without prior experience matters (84.5% vs 64.8%)
- more decision-making freedom matters (4.75 vs 4.41)
Which skills each one leans on
Data O*NET 31.0 skill ratings: level (0–7) and importance.
Skill-profile match: 91% (similarity of the two O*NET skill profiles, importance × level; 100% = identical).
- Learning Strategies (+0.8 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Active Learning (+0.6 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Management of Financial Resources (+0.5 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Management of Material Resources (+0.5 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Equipment Selection (+0.9 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Operation and Control (+0.8 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Troubleshooting (+0.8 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Mathematics (+0.6 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
What each career involves
Data Core tasks from O*NET 31.0.
Occupational Therapist
- Test and evaluate patients' physical and mental abilities and analyze medical data to determine realistic rehabilitation goals for patients.
- Complete and maintain necessary records.
- Plan and implement programs and social activities to help patients learn work or school skills and adjust to handicaps.
- Select activities that will help individuals learn work and life-management skills within limits of their mental or physical capabilities.
Physical Therapist
- Plan, prepare, or carry out individually designed programs of physical treatment to maintain, improve, or restore physical functioning, alleviate pain, or prevent physical dysfunction in patients.
- Perform and document an initial exam, evaluating data to identify problems and determine a diagnosis prior to intervention.
- Record prognosis, treatment, response, and progress in patient's chart or enter information into computer.
- Instruct patient and family in treatment procedures to be continued at home.
Largest employing industries
Data Share of all jobs in each occupation, BLS Employment Matrix 2025.
Occupational Therapist
- Ambulatory healthcare services (41.9% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Hospitals; state, local, and private (26.3% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Educational services; state, local, and private (13.4% of all jobs in this occupation)
Physical Therapist
- Ambulatory healthcare services (56.4% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Hospitals; state, local, and private (26.1% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Nursing and residential care facilities (5.6% of all jobs in this occupation)
Moving between these careers
Data The comparison shows which; the career-change guides show how.
- Occupational Therapist → Physical Therapist: skills to build: Equipment Selection, Operation and Control, Troubleshooting. Careers after Occupational Therapist
- Physical Therapist → Occupational Therapist: skills to build: Learning Strategies, Active Learning, Management of Financial Resources. Careers after Physical Therapist
Go deeper
Occupational Therapist career hub · Occupational Therapist salary · Occupational Therapist how to become · Occupational Therapist career change · Physical Therapist career hub · Physical Therapist salary · Physical Therapist how to become · Physical Therapist career change
Common questions
Which pays more, Occupational Therapist or Physical Therapist?
Which is growing faster?
Which is better?
How this page is built
BLS classifies them as different occupations (SOC 29-1122 and 29-1123). Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025 national median for each occupation's SOC code. Outlook: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 (growth, numeric change and annual openings are separate metrics). Requirements rows: 2025 preliminary BLS Occupational Requirements Survey, shown only when both roles have detailed-occupation estimates. Work environment: O*NET 31.0 work context. This page includes information from the O*NET® 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. TryHired has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Searches this page answers include “occupational therapist vs physical therapist”, “physical therapist vs occupational therapist”, “occupational therapist vs physical therapist salary” (Ahrefs, U.S.).
- Any one employer's pay, schedule or culture.
- Job security, ease of hiring or work-life balance: these are not measured here.
- Which career you will prefer: the rows describe the occupations, not you.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, 2025–35 national projections (growth, openings, typical entry-level education and experience).
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Requirements Survey, 2025 estimates (preliminary: two of the third wave's samples, collected August 2023 to July 2025; released January 16, 2026), public domain.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (all jobs, including self-employed).