Occupational therapists

Detailed Occupation

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2020 Workforce

119k

Average Age

40.7

Estimated Job Growth

15.8%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$65,028

Average Male Salary

$80,165

Average Female Salary

$63,078

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 $65,028 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Occupational therapists by wage are Subway, streetcar, & other rail transportation workers, Geological & petroleum technicians, & nuclear technicians, and Computer support specialists.

Occupational therapists are part of the Healthcare practitioners & technical occupations, along with Chiropractors, Dentists, Dietitians & nutritionists, Optometrists, Pharmacists, and 37 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Occupational therapists are Penobscot County PUMA, ME, Orangetown, Clarkstown (South) & Ramapo (Southeast) Towns PUMA, NY, and Montgomery County (South Central) PUMA, PA. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Occupational therapists are Orangetown, Clarkstown (South) & Ramapo (Southeast) Towns PUMA, NY, Steuben (North & West), Schuyler & Chemung (North) Counties PUMA, NY, and Penobscot County PUMA, ME.

Photo by Robert Bejil

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Occupational therapists and on wages and locations 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 Home health care services. Occupational therapists are paid most in Chisago, Isanti, Pine, Mille Lacs & Kanabec Counties PUMA, MN but are relatively concentrated in Orangetown, Clarkstown (South) & Ramapo (Southeast) Towns PUMA, NY.

Yearly Wage

$65,028

AVERAGE SALARY

± $2,378

In 2020, Occupational therapists earned an average of $65,028, $9,074 more than than the average national salary of $55,954.

Subway, streetcar, & other rail transportation workers make somewhat more than Occupational therapists while Geological & petroleum technicians, & nuclear technicians make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Occupational therapists as measured by average annual salary in the US.

In 2015, Occupational therapists had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.252, which is lower than 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).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Occupational therapists.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Occupational therapists

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Occupational therapists.

Most Common

The most common industries employing Occupational therapists, by number of employees, are General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, Outpatient care centers, Elementary & secondary schools, Nursing Care Facilities, Home health care services, Residential care facilities, except skilled nursing facilities, Other health care services, Offices of other health practitioners, Offices of physicians, Individual & family services, and Child day care services.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Occupational therapists, by average wage, are Home health care services, Offices of physicians, and Administration of human resource programs.

Industries by Share

119k

2020 Workforce

± 8,475

3.76%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 9.78%

The number of people employed as Occupational therapists has been growing at a rate of 3.76%, from 114,937 people in 2019 to 119,264 people in 2020.

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 27.8%, followed by Outpatient care centers with 21.9% and Elementary & secondary schools with 16%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Occupational therapists in the US. The average age of male Occupational therapists in the workforce is 41.6 and of female Occupational therapists is 40.6, and the most common race/ethnicity for Occupational therapists is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

13.6k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 2,864

106k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 7,977

88.6% of Occupational therapists are Female, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Occupational therapists.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Occupational therapists

White (Non-Hispanic)
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
Black (Non-Hispanic)

80.8% of Occupational therapists are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 6.63% of Occupational therapists, Asian (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Occupational therapists.

Age by Sex

41.6

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 2.26

40.6

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 0.869

The median age of Occupational therapists is 40.7, and Male employees are generally 0.979 years older than than their Female counterparts.

Education

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 a relatively high number of Occupational therapists hold a major in Health.

Majors

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

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Skills

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, Monitoring, and Speaking. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Occupational therapists need more than the average amount of Technology Design, Service Orientation, and Learning Strategies.

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

Projections

Projections on job growth for Occupational Therapists from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.71%, but Occupational Therapists are expected to see a growth of 15.8% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow more than the national average.

Job Growth

15.8%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.71%

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 3.71%, the average rate of national job growth.