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Let’s be honest - you didn’t decide to be an occupational therapist for the money. It’s probably because you have a passion for helping people become more confident and independent in their lives, improving their quality of life. This is a noble career, and seeking a higher salary doesn’t diminish the value of your passion and dedication to improving others' lives.

If you’re looking to grow in your occupational therapy career, earn more, or lead salary conversations with confidence, keep reading because we created this guide for you!

How much money do occupational therapists make?

The median annual pay for United States based Occupational Therapists is $96,370¹, and the top 10% of occupational therapists earn more than $129,630¹. However, this is not the full picture - there are a couple factors that influence pay like your specialty, location, years of experience and type of work setting.

Let’s dive into how these factors influence compensation 💰

Highest Paying Occupational Therapy Settings¹

Occupational therapy is fulfilling work, but let’s not ignore financial well-being too! Are you being compensated fairly?

According to American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), the professional organization that supports occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants (OTAs) and occupational therapy students (SOTs), new graduates earn a median salary of $65,000 a year². Glassdoor says the average salary range of occupational therapist across experience level is between $90,000 - $140,000 annually.

If you’re wondering why the salary range is so wide, the type of occupational therapy setting worked can affect pay.

The occupational therapy industries with the highest annual salaries as of May 2023 are¹:

States with a $100k+ average salary¹

Another way to earn more money as an OT is to work in states with higher average salaries, that also has a low cost of living index. Cost of living compares how much basic expenses like housing, transportation, food, childcare and utilities cost in different locations².

In states like Texas and New Mexico, occupational therapists on average earn over $100k and have lower cost of living.

States with high pay and low COL for OTs

Source: BLS 2023 and World Population Review

👀 TLDR: consider jobs in the states in green to earn more and spend less on basic needs

Top Paying Occupational Therapy Specialties

Occupational therapists can maximize their salary by choosing to specialize in a niche field that is also in demand. You can check out this blog by OT Potential for more information on certifications and costs, but here are 9 of the highest paying popular certifications occupational therapists earn and the nationwide average salaries⁶:

Top 5 States with the Most Projected Jobs 2022 - 2032

Occupational therapists can boost their salaries as they increase their experience, but where should they move to maximize their earning potential?

Looking at the projected job growth¹⁶ over the next 10 years by state can highlight areas with a high demand for OTs, which often leads to more job opportunities and higher salaries. Here are the top 5 states with the highest projected job growth:

States with most project openings for OTs

How to Earn More

So far, we’ve talked about how type of setting, location, specialty, and demand for occupational therapists can influence salary, but there are actually a few more ways to earn more you can consider:

✈️ Consider Travel OT

Ever considered being a travel OT? The average national salary is $98,873 a year, and it’s a great way to explore different settings and locations, while still having perks like housing, living stipends, bonuses, and more¹⁷! As sweet as this sounds, be sure to look over your contract for vacation days, sick days, benefits, and time it takes for background checks and processing time for state to state licenses. You may find more helpful information in this blog post!

🚀 Work Per Diem Roles

So you already have a packed schedule but maybe you want to pick up a shift or two a week - consider per diem roles in occupational therapy! The pay actually may be higher than your full-time role because you won’t receive benefits like days off, insurance, etc¹⁸. PRN roles aren’t guaranteed shifts, and you might hear about shift openings at the last minute but it makes a nice part-time gig.

📲 Join Telehealth OT

Telehealth occupational therapy integrates technology for virtual patient care. This can make occupational therapy more accessible to patients, can save money, and is a huge time-saver¹⁸. Though you might not have direct human contact in telehealth, telehealth has become very popular especially since COVID-19. You can read more about telehealth employers for OTs here!

Future Outlook

What trends can you expect in the occupational therapy field? Here’s what the data says:

💰 Increased Demand for Occupational Therapists¹⁸

The high demand for occupational therapists is driving an increase in salaries. This profession has rapidly evolved in the past decade¹ - in 2013, BLS reported there were 108,410 employed occupational therapists earning a median salary of $77,890²⁰. In 2023, the employment number rose to 144,840 with a median salary of almost $96,790¹⁸.

There’s an expected 16,800 employment increase for occupational therapists in the next ten years, about an 11%¹ growth! 👀

📈 Major Cities Pay More than Average for Occupational Therapists ²⁰

If you’re a new grad or experienced occupational therapist interested in working in a city, check out our job posts in these metropolitan cities! They are consistently ranked²¹ for being the highest paying metropolitan cities paying over 6 figures on average 👀

Of course, don’t forget to weigh cost of living and relocation costs if you decide to move!

Salary transparency is important, we hope this guide makes the money conversations less daunting.

🔍 Good luck on the job hunt, you got this!! Find your match with Pickle.

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