Occupational therapists

About

Occupational therapists are most often employed by the General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals industry. The average yearly wage for Occupational therapists was $72,177 in 2022.

The locations that employ the most Occupational therapists are Livingston & Ontario Counties PUMA, NY, Acadiana Regional Development District 4--Lafayette Parish (South) PUMA, LA, and Rockland County (South)--Orangetown, Clarkstown (South) & Ramapo (Southeast) Towns PUMA, NY. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Occupational therapists are Rockland County (South)--Orangetown, Clarkstown (South) & Ramapo (Southeast) Towns PUMA, NY, Acadiana Regional Development District 4--Lafayette Parish (South) PUMA, LA, and Livingston & Ontario Counties PUMA, NY.

Photo by Robert Bejil

Management, business, science, & arts occupations Healthcare practitioners & technical occupations

Employment and salary information for the Occupational therapists workforce. Occupational therapists workforce in 2022 was 133,340 people, of which 87.9% were women and 12.1% were men. Occupational therapists are paid most in Carbon & Lehigh (North) Counties PUMA, PA but are relatively concentrated in Rockland County (South)--Orangetown, Clarkstown (South) & Ramapo (Southeast) Towns PUMA, NY.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

16,153

Male Workforce

± 3.12k

117,187

Female Workforce

± 8.4k

The Occupational therapists workforce in 2022 was 133,340 people (87.9% women and 12.1% men). This implies an average annual growth of 44% between 2014 (92,610) and 2022 (133,340).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

This map shows the states in the United States shaded by average wage for Occupational therapists.

During 2022, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were Nevada ($88,933), Utah ($88,390), and District of Columbia ($82,170).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$72,177

AVERAGE WAGE

#164 in the ranking (2022)

$64,683

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2022, Occupational therapists earned an average of $72,177, $7,495 more than the average national salary of $64,683

The graph shows the ranking of Occupational therapists in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2022.

Wage Distribution

Gender

0.254

WAGE GINI

In 2022, Occupational therapists had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.254, which is lower than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Occupational therapists (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

The graphic shows the distribution of average salaries by buckets for Occupational therapists compared to the entire workforce in the country.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Occupational therapists and on wages for those in the field. General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals is the industry that employs the most Occupational therapists, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Occupational therapists, by average wage, is Administration of human resource programs ($82,309).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

133k

2022 Workforce

± 8,961

6.17%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 9.09%

This graphic shows the share of Occupational therapists employed by various industries. General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals employs the largest share of Occupational therapists at 40.1%, followed by Outpatient care centers with 35.6% and Elementary & secondary schools with 24.3%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Occupational therapists in the US. The workforce of Occupational therapists in 2022 was 133,340 people, with 87.9% woman, and 12.1% men. The average age of male Occupational therapists in the workforce is 41.7 and of female Occupational therapists is 40.6, and the most common race/ethnicity for Occupational therapists is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Occupational therapists in 2022 was 133,340 people, with 87.9% woman, and 12.1% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 25 to 29 years (24,168 people), 30 to 34 years (23,343 people), and 35 to 39 years (18,007 people). Among them they concentrated 49.2% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2022, 6.31% of Occupational therapists workers were Hispanic and 93.7% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (48.6%), Puerto Rican (38.2)%, and Colombian (13.2)%

You can review this information by gender using the selectors above.

Races

In 2022, 81.6% of the Occupational therapists workforce were White, of which 89.1% were women and 10.9% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Asian (6.72%) and Black (5.49%).

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices for Occupational therapists from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Occupational therapists is Health but the most specialized major according to RCA in 2022 were Health.

Among the necessary skills for Occupational therapists, Active Listening stands, but the revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Occupational therapists need more than the average amount of Instructing.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

Type of Majors

Degree

The most common majors achieved by Occupational therapists in 2022 (counting all academic degrees) were Health (65,725 people), Psychology (15,165 people), and Parks, Recreation, & Leisure (7,234 people).

You can review this information for different academic grades by modifying the option selected in the selector above.

Education Levels

Metric

The main educational levels achieved by the Occupational therapists workers were Graduate Degree (83,462 people), Bachelors Degree (41,841 people), and Associates Degree (5,405 people).

The graphic shows the Occupational therapists workforce by gender and educational level.

Skills

Chart

Value

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Occupational therapists from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational therapists need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Speaking, Reading Comprehension.

Projections

Projections on job growth for Occupational Therapists from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 2.84%, but Occupational Therapists are expected to see a growth of 11.5% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow more than the national average.

Job Growth

11.5%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

2.84%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Occupational therapists. This profession is expected to grow more than than 2.84%, the average rate of national job growth.

Occupational therapists

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