SOC 29-1122.00Bright outlook

    Occupational Therapists

    Assess, plan, and organize rehabilitative programs that help build or restore vocational, homemaking, and daily living skills, as well as general independence, to persons with disabilities or developmental delays.

    Median pay
    $100,330
    Growth
    +14.8%
    Much faster than average
    Openings a year
    10,000
    Typical education
    Master's degree

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

    See the pathway

    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $71,690
    Median
    $100,330
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $131,950
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    162,450 people work in this occupation.

    In short

    Occupational therapists design rehabilitative programs to help individuals with disabilities or developmental delays build daily living and vocational skills. The career offers a median annual pay of $100,330, with opportunities for strong employment growth.

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What occupational therapists do

    Job Zone 5: Extensive preparation

    Assess, plan, and organize rehabilitative programs that help build or restore vocational, homemaking, and daily living skills, as well as general independence, to persons with disabilities or developmental delays. Use therapeutic techniques, adapt the individual's environment, teach skills, and modify specific tasks that present barriers to the individual.

    Most need a graduate degree, such as a master's, PhD, MD or JD.

    What the work is like

    Occupational therapists spend their days helping patients develop, recover, and improve the skills needed for daily living and working. They assess individual needs, set goals, and create customized therapy plans to overcome physical or developmental barriers. This involves teaching new techniques, modifying tasks, and adapting environments to foster independence.

    To succeed in this role, professionals rely on strong social interests and a deep commitment to assisting and caring for others. Key skills include active listening, critical thinking, instructing, and social perceptiveness. Day-to-day operations require documenting patient progress, making clinical decisions, and maintaining close interpersonal relationships with patients and their families.

    Therapists draw on a broad foundation of knowledge, particularly in therapy and counseling, psychology, medicine, biology, and customer service. Their work style is defined by empathy, cooperation, dependability, and adaptability. They must pay close attention to detail while remaining optimistic and sincere as they guide patients through rehabilitation.

    How to get there

    Entering this profession requires extensive academic preparation. Most individuals in this field need a graduate degree, and a master's degree is the typical education level required to enter the workforce. Students preparing for this career generally major in rehabilitation and therapeutic professions.

    After completing their university education, candidates can pursue professional credentials. The National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc. offers the Occupational Therapist Registered credential. Additionally, some states list a license for this work, so candidates should check local guidelines to ensure they meet all regional practice requirements before seeking employment.

    Pay and outlook explained

    In 2025, the median annual pay for occupational therapists was $100,330. Earnings vary based on experience and setting, with the lowest 10% earning less than $71,690 and the highest 10% earning more than $131,950.

    With 162,450 people employed in the field, the profession is expanding rapidly. Employment is projected to grow by 14.8% from 2025 to 2035, which is much faster than average. This growth is expected to generate 10,000 openings each year.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R)
    43 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    54 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    35 / 100
    Social (S) · strongest
    85 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    14 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    35 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code SIR. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Documenting/Recording Information
    93
    Assisting and Caring for Others
    91
    Getting Information
    86
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    85
    Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
    82
    Developing Objectives and Strategies
    82
    Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
    82
    Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
    81
    Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
    81
    Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
    79
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Active Listening
    • Monitoring
    • Service Orientation
    • Critical Thinking
    • Instructing
    • Judgment and Decision Making
    • Reading Comprehension
    • Social Perceptiveness
    • Speaking
    • Writing

    Knowledge

    • Therapy and Counseling
    • Psychology
    • Customer and Personal Service
    • Medicine and Dentistry
    • English Language
    • Education and Training
    • Biology
    • Sociology and Anthropology
    • Administration and Management
    • Administrative

    Abilities

    • Oral Expression
    • Deductive Reasoning
    • Inductive Reasoning
    • Problem Sensitivity
    • Written Expression
    • Information Ordering
    • Oral Comprehension
    • Speech Clarity
    • Speech Recognition
    • Written Comprehension

    Work styles

    • Empathy
    • Cooperation
    • Attention to Detail
    • Dependability
    • Social Orientation
    • Adaptability
    • Integrity
    • Sincerity
    • Optimism
    • Intellectual Curiosity

    Also called

    Acute Care OT (Acute Care Occupational Therapist) · Assistive Technology Trainer · Certified Hand Therapist (CHT) · Early Intervention Occupational Therapist · Home Care Occupational Therapist (Home Care OT) · Home Health Occupational Therapist · Independent Living Specialist · Industrial Rehabilitation Consultant · Industrial Therapist · Inpatient Occupational Therapist (Inpatient OT)

    Career pathway

    From your interests to occupational therapists

    Interests that fit the work, the career, majors that lead there and colleges whose graduates in those majors earn the most. Hover or focus a step to follow one path.

    1. Interests

    2. This career

      • Occupational Therapists$100,330 median pay

    3. Majors

    4. Colleges

    College Scorecard program outcomes

    Colleges with strong outcomes

    Programs that lead to this career, ranked by what their graduates earn four years after finishing. Earnings are for graduates who received federal aid.

    1. 1Ithaca College logo
      Ithaca College

      Ithaca, NY · Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $76,766
      Median debt
      $25,000
    2. 2University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus logo
      University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus

      Pittsburgh, PA · Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $43,925
      4 yrs after
      $75,950
      Median debt
      $23,307
    3. 3Worcester State University logo
      Worcester State University

      Worcester, MA · Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $74,386
      Median debt
      $25,500
    4. 4Saint Francis University logo
      Saint Francis University

      Loretto, PA · Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $72,821
      Median debt
      $27,000
    5. 5University of New Hampshire-Main Campus logo
      University of New Hampshire-Main Campus

      Durham, NH · Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $72,625
      Median debt
      $27,000
    6. 6Boston University logo
      Boston University

      Boston, MA · Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $44,945
      4 yrs after
      $72,566
      Median debt
      $17,110
    7. 7
      Duquesne University

      Pittsburgh, PA · Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $72,059
      Median debt
      $26,000
    8. 8Saint Louis University logo
      Saint Louis University

      Saint Louis, MO · Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $70,351
      Median debt
      $23,244

    Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2025. Programs with few graduates are not listed.

    NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk

    Majors that lead here

    Related programs by four-digit CIP code. They are common routes in, not the only ones.

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What occupational therapists may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Certifications

    Core certifications employers recognise for this work.

    Search all certifications on CareerOneStop

    Training

    Programs of study that prepare people for this work.

    • Occupational Therapy/Therapist

    Find training near you on CareerOneStop

    Licenses by state

    53 states list a license for this work. Open your state for the license and the agency that issues it.

    Check license requirements on CareerOneStop

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Your plan

    Build my pathway plan

    Courses, majors, colleges, scholarships and a timeline for this career, built from your profile.

    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

    All careers

    Questions about occupational therapists

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What are some alternative job titles for occupational therapists?

    Professionals in this field may be known as acute care occupational therapists, assistive technology trainers, certified hand therapists, or early intervention occupational therapists. Other common titles include home care occupational therapists, independent living specialists, and industrial therapists.

    What are the primary subjects an occupational therapist needs to study?

    Students prepare by focusing on rehabilitation and therapeutic professions. Their coursework and training cover therapy and counseling, psychology, customer and personal service, medicine, biology, and sociology.

    What is the job outlook for this profession?

    The career is experiencing rapid growth, with a projected employment increase of 14.8% between 2025 and 2035. This expansion is expected to result in approximately 10,000 job openings each year.

    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.