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Salary · Occupational Therapist · United States

Occupational Therapist salary: $100,330 median, and how to negotiate yours.

The full pay range by percentile, every state, the top-paying metro areas and similar roles, from the latest BLS survey. Place your own offer on the range.

Updated Oct 24, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025
Annual wage range · U.S. · BLS May 2025
$100,330median ($48.24/hr)

Quick answer

The median annual wage for occupational therapists in the United States was $100,330 in May 2025 (BLS). The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $71,690 and the top 10% earned more than $131,950. That median is 2.0 times the $50,980 median for all occupations. The highest-paying state was California ($124,510).

10th percentile
$71,690
lowest-paid 10% earn less
25th percentile
$82,510
a quarter earn less
75th percentile
$116,670
a quarter earn more
90th percentile
$131,950
top 10% earn more
Pay by state

Occupational Therapist salary in every state

Data BLS state estimates, May 2025. 51 states and DC published a median for this occupation. Sort by pay or by number employed.

Highest median pay
  1. California$124,510
  2. Oregon$112,310
  3. Nevada$110,520
  4. District of Columbia$109,170
  5. Washington$107,670
Most people employed
  1. California13,810
  2. Texas13,400
  3. New York11,690
  4. Florida10,650
  5. Illinois7,710
Median annual wage by state
State10th–90th percentile
California$124,510$85,550–$158,56013,810
Oregon$112,310$78,500–$131,3401,170
Nevada$110,520$85,720–$139,2601,080
District of Columbia$109,170$81,760–$129,810540
Washington$107,670$83,110–$135,2903,340
Maryland$106,980$76,650–$132,3002,390
Colorado$106,720$81,390–$157,8203,390
Arkansas$106,360$65,160–$144,2502,160
Texas$106,140$76,350–$135,20013,400
Oklahoma$104,300$68,530–$134,4201,180
Georgia$104,010$75,290–$128,6103,650
Alaska$103,680$82,320–$133,860410
Arizona$103,660$78,160–$131,9502,680
New Jersey$103,410$78,690–$159,2306,290
Hawaii$102,870$78,670–$118,240390
Connecticut$102,440$76,360–$127,6303,150
Delaware$102,130$71,280–$138,640490
South Carolina$101,130$75,370–$123,1101,840
Massachusetts$100,930$73,140–$127,3806,510
Virginia$100,710$70,200–$134,5704,150
Rhode Island$100,040$75,760–$126,630770
Illinois$99,700$73,360–$132,1807,710
Ohio$99,390$70,080–$123,8006,760
Florida$99,360$66,230–$117,95010,650
Kansas$99,170$66,720–$120,9501,560
New Mexico$99,170$69,230–$133,0501,030
Louisiana$98,490$61,070–$126,6302,060
Pennsylvania$98,440$69,120–$128,7906,560
Idaho$97,760$69,440–$152,880840
Tennessee$97,700$68,520–$119,0702,490
Kentucky$97,650$71,030–$119,2502,190
Missouri$97,290$71,880–$120,1303,400
Utah$97,150$75,570–$126,9701,030
Indiana$97,020$69,550–$119,9503,830
New York$96,390$64,770–$133,70011,690
West Virginia$96,190$60,870–$129,460700
Mississippi$94,930$73,200–$113,9501,340
Alabama$94,050$76,670–$123,8701,500
Nebraska$93,740$70,370–$107,7801,500
Vermont$93,340$69,120–$118,110320
Minnesota$93,050$71,770–$108,7903,670
North Carolina$92,940$62,230–$118,3004,490
Wisconsin$92,390$73,610–$110,9503,710
Iowa$89,910$64,610–$109,2001,290
Michigan$89,910$66,580–$105,7205,120
Montana$88,990$76,110–$110,910420
Wyoming$86,170$57,740–$127,790350
South Dakota$85,050$65,820–$106,520490
Maine$84,310$63,750–$114,1001,120
New Hampshire$83,900$64,150–$115,0501,240
North Dakota$83,200$66,890–$106,300570
Top-paying metro areas

Where the median is highest

Data Metropolitan areas with at least 100 people employed in the occupation, BLS May 2025.

  1. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$136,870
  2. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$136,770
  3. Vallejo, CA$135,000
  4. Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA$130,420
  5. Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA$128,010
  6. Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA$125,890
  7. Boulder, CO$123,490
  8. Bakersfield-Delano, CA$123,200
  9. Salinas, CA$123,180
  10. Stockton-Lodi, CA$122,990
Similar roles

How the pay compares

Data National medians for related occupations (O*NET related roles, BLS pay).

  1. Psychiatrist$281,870
  2. Nurse Practitioner$132,300
  3. Physical Therapist$102,760
  4. Occupational Therapist$100,330
  5. Registered Nurse$97,550
  6. Respiratory Therapist$82,280
  7. Physical Therapy Assistant$68,380
Negotiation script builder

Ask for more, calmly and in writing

Advice Uses only what you type. Replace anything in brackets with something true.

Our view If you cite market data, cite this page's source: the BLS median for your state and the percentile your offer sits at. A specific, sourced number is easier to agree to than a feeling.

Method

How this page is built

Wages are BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates for May 2025 (national, state and metropolitan area), for the occupation shown. OEWS wages are straight-time gross pay: they include base pay, commissions, production bonuses and tips, and exclude overtime, shift differentials, non-production bonuses and benefits. Percentiles describe all workers in the occupation, not entry or senior levels.

What this page can't tell you
  • Pay at a specific employer, or for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Experience level: percentiles are not seniority bands.
  • Equity, bonuses outside OEWS's definition, and benefits.
Sources
  1. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
  2. 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.
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