Skip to content
TryHired.
Salary · Occupational Therapist · BLS OEWS May 2025 · metropolitan area

Occupational Therapist salary in Charlotte, NC: $98,450 median.

BLS reports occupational wages for the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metropolitan statistical area (CBSA 16740), which includes Charlotte, Concord and Gastonia and surrounding communities. Figures describe that whole area, not Charlotte city limits. It spans North Carolina and South Carolina.

Updated Nov 2, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · metropolitan statistical area
Annual wage range · Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC · BLS May 2025
$98,450median ($47.33/hr)

Quick answer

Occupational Therapists in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metropolitan area earned a median annual wage of $98,450 in May 2025, according to BLS (OEWS, SOC 29-1122); the OEWS mean annual wage was $95,960. That median is 2% below the U.S. median of $100,330. BLS estimates about 1,140 people work in this occupation across the metro.

Data Among the 60 metro areas whose estimate for this occupation meets TryHired's reliability rule, this metro ranks 43 by median wage.

Data Separately, BEA puts 2024 price levels across the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metropolitan area at 97.3 (U.S. = 100): prices for the average consumer are about 3% below the national level. That is context, not an adjusted salary. Cost of living in Charlotte, NC.

Geography

What area these numbers cover

Data The BLS geography behind every figure on this page.

Search label
Charlotte, NC
BLS source geography
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
Geography type
Metropolitan Statistical Area
CBSA code
16740
States
North Carolina, South Carolina
Delineation
OMB Bulletin 23-01, as used by BLS OEWS May 2025
Comparison

Local, state and national pay

Data Same occupation (SOC 29-1122), same BLS release (May 2025). This metro spans more than one state; each state is shown.

Local, state and national pay
GeographyMedian annual wageMean annual wageEmployment
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC (metro, CBSA 16740)$98,450$95,9601,140
North Carolina (state)$92,940$91,3604,490
South Carolina (state)$101,130$97,1801,840
United States$100,330$101,280162,450

Occupational Therapist salary in North Carolina · National Occupational Therapist salary · Careers in Charlotte, NC.

Data Nationally, BLS projects employment in this occupation to change +14.8% from 2025 to 2035. BLS does not publish metro projections in this dataset, so that is national context, not a local forecast.

In North Carolina

Reliable metro medians in North Carolina

Data Metro areas that include part of this state and pass the reliability rule.

  1. Virginia Beach, VA$99,400
  2. Charlotte, NC$98,450
  3. Raleigh, NC$84,080
Negotiation script builder

Use the local number

Advice Uses only what you type. A local, sourced median is easier to agree to than a national one.

Method

How this page is built

BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates for the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metropolitan statistical area (CBSA 16740) and SOC 29-1122 (Occupational Therapists). Charlotte, NC is the search label for that area; BLS does not publish city-limit wages. Employment is the number of people working in the occupation (excluding the self-employed), not job openings. Ranks use only metro estimates that pass the reliability rule (500+ jobs, employment PRSE ≤ 20%, mean-wage PRSE ≤ 10%, non-degenerate distribution); suppressed values are never imputed. Searches this page answers include “occupational therapist salary charlotte nc”, “occupational therapist salary in charlotte nc” (Ahrefs, U.S.).

What this page can't tell you
  • Cost of living: wages are not adjusted for local prices.
  • Pay at a specific employer, in one city's limits, or for self-employed workers.
  • Local outlook: BLS projections here are national.
Sources
  1. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 metropolitan-area estimates (2018 SOC; metropolitan statistical areas per OMB Bulletin 23-01), public domain.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
  3. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, national occupational projections 2025–35 (no metro projections are published in this dataset).
  4. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024 (released February 19, 2026).
Keep exploring

More for Occupational Therapists

More careers

Similar careers to explore